Digital transformation
Web | App | B2B
Background
In the era of smart technology, digital control has become a key differentiator for appliances. Recognizing this, ASKO has embarked on a comprehensive digital transformation project to integrate advanced connectivity into its product ecosystem. This initiative aligns with the industry trend where appliance brands offer app and web-based control solutions.
Business customers need
The study aims to identify key business customers’ needs, pain points, and requirements to enhance the experience of professional dishwashers, (and later extend the scope to laundry machines) while gathering valuable insights about user groups to inform the development of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It also seeks to evaluate potential features based on key business customer expectations and industry trends. Additionally, the project establishes a framework for long-term data collection, enabling the company and UX team to measure the success or failure of features and drive continuous improvement.
While numerous needs were identified during the research process, two critical and UI-relevant issues stood out as priorities for improvement: addressing environmental impact awareness and enhancing ease of use and time efficiency.
Environmental Impact Awareness:
Users care about the environment but lack awareness regarding the environmental effects of detergent and energy consumption. Additionally, they expect products to demonstrate commitment to sustainability.Ease of Use and Time Efficiency:
Users prioritize intuitive and straightforward operations to save time and avoid frustration, especially in professional or high-paced environments like kindergartens. They dislike repetitive and tedious tasks, such as unloading dishwashers or navigating overly complex app interfaces.
Design solutions
Off-Peak Energy Mode:
Introduced to align with users' environmental concerns, this feature encourages energy savings by operating during off-peak hours, reducing utility costs and the product's carbon footprint.
Program Management Feature:
Developed to enhance user convenience and efficiency, this design provides simplified navigation and program customization, ensuring users can manage their appliances effortlessly while optimizing functionality.
Pain points
During the initial version of the WiFi module rollout (2021–2022), a significant 60% of ASKO machines remained unpaired with the app. This indicated that the majority of users were either uninterested in connecting their machines to the cloud or unable to complete the process. Compounding the issue, there was a puzzling trend: new users registered accounts in the app but did not connect their machines. Typically, users sign up to utilize app functionality, but a high drop-off rate suggested that most users failed to successfully connect their machines and abandoned the process entirely, never attempting again. These insights revealed a critical usability issue in the connection process, creating frustration and limiting users' access to the app's full potential.
To address this pain point, I collaborated with engineers to redesign the connection process with a focus on streamlining steps and reducing friction. By simplifying the process from 9 steps to 7, we eliminated unnecessary complexity while ensuring clarity at every stage. This iterative improvement yielded outstanding results: the unpaired rate dropped dramatically from 60% to just 5%. With more users successfully connecting their machines to the cloud, we unlocked the ability to leverage usage data to inform future design and product improvements, creating a stronger foundation for user satisfaction and long-term engagement.
In the original 9-step connection process, several steps were identified as potential pain points for users. These included tasks such as scanning a QR code with the camera(not to mention how difficult to find the QR code), switching to the smartphone's general settings page, and manually entering the WiFi password. I flagged these steps as "bumpers" in the user journey, marked with red triangles in the accompanying diagram, as they posed significant risks of interrupting the flow and causing users to abandon the process.
The redesigned 7-step flow eliminated these interruptions by keeping the entire process within the app. This seamless experience removed the need for users to navigate between different device interfaces or perform cumbersome tasks. By streamlining the steps, the connection process became more intuitive and user-friendly, directly contributing to the increased success rate and improved user satisfaction.
High fidelity prototype
Web design
For professional business customers, such as property managers and public laundry operators, ASKO has designed a dedicated website. Following the design system, we create a website platform with its family DNA, and this platform allows B2B customers to monitor and manage multiple machines in shared or commercial settings, optimizing operations and ensuring efficiency.
In case you wonder…
We have launched the app version and conducted data analysis based on our User Engagement Metrics and Task Completion Metrics. Significant progress has been made in active user growth and customer satisfaction, with our App Store rating improving from 2.0 to 3.9—check it out! However, we recognize the need for continuous improvement in the Task Success Rate.
As for the website, which is set to launch in January 2025, we will collect data through survey-based quantitative feedback and business metrics. Stay tuned!