Understanding Home Automation Needs: Why “Tell Us About Your Pain” Comes Before Picking Tech

When most people start exploring smart home technology, they lead with the wrong question: “Which system should I choose….  Alexa, Google, or Apple?”

That’s like walking onto a car lot and asking, “Which color should I get?” before knowing whether you need a pickup or a minivan.

As Livewire’s Henry Clifford puts it:

“One of my mentors is a big fan of saying first pick who, then pick what. And I think in the shiny object or technology side, it’s similar, the true north of the whole thing has to be around simplicity. That’s the first thing: simplicity.”

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Start With Pain, Not Platforms

At Livewire, we don’t start with product names. We start with the problem. Clifford calls it “finding friction.”

“We usually start with simplicity and say to that customer, ‘Tell us about your pain.’ And usually, the finding part doesn’t take long. It’s like therapy. It’s, ‘My Wi-Fi doesn’t work,’ or ‘My daughter hates this,’ or ‘My wife hates that.’”

Once the pain is clear, the tech follows naturally:

“We start stacking up the tech like applicants for a job interview. We welcome in Alexa, Google, Control4, Savant, Crestron, and if one of them can’t do what’s needed, it doesn’t get hired for the job.”

That shift, from which product to what hurts, is what makes a home truly “smart.”

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The Simplicity Test

Not everything labeled “smart” passes Livewire’s test.

“Ninety percent of tech out there does not pass that test. It’s complicated. And candidly, that’s part of why Livewire even exists.”

Graham Copeland, Livewire’s Chief Marketing Officer, compares it to tailoring:

“It’s like buying a shirt. Somebody’s pushing you hard on a yellow shirt, and you’re like, ‘Hey man, but I want a blue shirt.’”

Clifford extends the analogy:

“Our industry gets obsessed with yellow shirts or vanilla ice cream. We take more of a Baskin-Robbins approach, 31 ways to do this, and our only concern is designing the simplest one.”

That philosophy guides every design conversation. Simplicity isn’t a limitation, it’s the measure of success.

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Pain Profiles, Not Product Pitches

Whether it’s a DIY Apple HomeKit setup or a professional-grade Control4 or Savant system, the choice depends on the home — and the people in it.

“If you’re security-minded, we work with Alarm.com. It’s the largest smart home platform on the planet with 60 million users. If you’re focused on audio and video, we might lean toward Control4, Savant, or Crestron. But again, I’m not leading with the platform. I’m leading with how you live.”

In other words: your home’s story decides the solution.

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The Human Side of Smart Homes

All this talk about technology can sound intimidating but Livewire keeps it human.

Copeland laughs:

“You will be heard. And as one of our customers just said on camera, we’re here to avoid a day full of micro-aggressions.”

Clifford agrees:

“Beware anybody who’s leading with the shiny object first. You want to partner with somebody focused on using their ears way more than their mouth.”

That’s not just good advice for home automation — that’s good advice for life.

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The Takeaway

The smartest home isn’t the one with the most gadgets. It’s the one that listens first.

Before you pick a platform, ask:

• What frustrates me daily?

• Where do I lose time?

• What would make my home feel effortless?

As Clifford sums up:

“Beware the shiny object. The real smart move is starting with your pain and designing from there.”

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Ready to talk through your own smart home story?
Schedule a design consult with Livewire and find out what simplicity feels like.