Using post-launch user feedback to drive an iterative redesign of a smart lighting control screen for improved usability.
Client
LIFX is a global smart lighting company known for its Wi-Fi–enabled, app-controlled lighting products.
My Role
As the UX/UI Designer, I led post-launch evaluation through user surveys and research, iterating on the smart lighting control screen based on key findings to improve usability.
Skills
Qualitative Survey, Research Analysis, Problem Synthesis, Iterative UX Design, Usability Testing & Evaluation
Timeline
2 months
Context & challenges
Shortly after joining the team, a major post-launch update caused significant user frustration with the new control layout.
The app originally supported separate control patterns for single-zone and multi-zone products. A business decision was later made to consolidate these experiences into one unified control pattern; however, the rollout generated a small group of negative feedback from customers indicating usability issues.
Legacy screen
B. Updated screen
user Research & Findings
Alongside reviewing user comments from social platforms, I conducted two surveys combining open-ended & closed-ended questions: one survey for users who reverted to the legacy screen (A) and another for users of the new control screen (B), aiming to understand the specific factors driving their negative experiences.
Survey A (214 participants)
Survey B (341 participants)
1) Regardless of light model, brightness, power, and white are the three core functions users interact with most. Usage proportions based on survey data:
White
Brigtness
Power
Colour
Saturation
Zone
Selector
Gradient
& blend
3) Users who reverted to the legacy screen were initially expected to be less active, single-zone bulb users. Surprisingly, the data revealed they were primarily power users, owning an average of 9 devices (SD = 7.15), with the highest counts in colour-enabled products.
Frustrations & solutions
Key user frustrations from open-ended questions:
Brightness Control
1) Slider too small, off-centre, or difficult to reach.
2) Lacks precision; hard to make fine adjustments (e.g., 1–3% brightness).
3) Slider jumps or is overly sensitive, making gradual changes frustrating.
4) Lacks haptic feedback or visual cues for precise control.
5) Power button placement is awkward and triggers false touches.
White & Colour Selection
1) White/colour wheels are overly precise; frustrating for quick daily use.
2) Difficult to select desired temperature or colour (e.g., 2500K, specific whites).
3) The circular white wheel is less intuitive than a linear warm-to-cool slider.
4) Users prefer simple presets or circular dials over new large-circle designs.
5) Lack of quick access to commonly used colours/temperatures.
Interaction & Layout
1) Layout feels cluttered, overwhelming, and less tactile.
2) Core daily tasks (brightness, white selection, power) are given lower priority than the advanced functions.
3) Insufficient haptic feedback and small touch areas make controls harder to use.
Redesign solutions:
✓
Simplify the interface by separating daily tasks from advanced features (e.g. gradient, blend).
✓
Preserve the dialling segments of the legacy white wheel for quick, familiar access.
✓
Center the brightness control with an scroller for granular adjustments.
✓
Increase touch target sizes for core controls to enhance accessibility.
✓
Provide a dynamic layout that supports both wheel, palette and multi-colour users.
✓
Optimise the layout for mobile ergonomics, supporting fast, one-handed operation.
Design & iterations
Simplified the layout by moving advanced controls to a secondary tier and experimenting with the placement of core features to maintain their central prominence and achieve visual balance.
Evolve the wheel shape to express brand identity while maintaining the trusted, legacy brightness scroller for granularity, and expand the colour selection area.
outcome
Wheel
Palette
Multi-colour
Wheel
Palette
Multi-colour
learnings
The updates rolled out shortly after joined, I was immersed in real user frustrations, experiencing firsthand the challenges of improving a tool that people rely on every day. This process reminded me of several key UX principles: actively listening to user feedback and complaints, respecting established mental models and muscle memory, and designing with usability in mind, which is essential for creating a truly human-centred experience with everyday hardware products.