Background

Fluidra, the world's largest pool equipment company was mid-way through a global digital expansion, adding smart pumps, heaters, and lighting across four markets simultaneously. Without a unified, scalable app experience, each new device risked fragmenting the user base further and accelarating churn in a category where switching costs are already low.

‍

AquaLink RS user experience

The Pain Points

The challenge was systemic, not cosmetic. Aqualink RS was built for a single device category pools.

By 2022, Fluidra’s product line had expanded to heaters, lighting systems, and robotic cleaners across multiple countries. The app’s rigid architecture couldn’t accommodate this growth. Each new device required custom UI work with no shared components, navigation inconsistencies compounded with every release, and the absence of a scalable design framework meant every integration created new debt.

Despite an overall 4.7 App Store rating driven by loyal long-time users, 1-star review velocity had increased 40% year-over-year as new device categories launched, a leading indicator of ecosystem fragmentation. Internally, engineering estimated that adding a new device category required 8–10 weeks of design and development work with the existing architecture. The business needed that number to be under 2 weeks to hit its global expansion timeline.

User Segments & Research findings

We designed primarily for two segments identified through app analytics and 32 contextual interviews.

Through 32 contextual interviews and 3 on-site observation sessions, three patterns directly shaped the redesign:

Finding 1: Feature status is the entry point
100% of observed pool owners checked water temperature, status of their thermostat or speed of pump every session, every time. Aqualink RS buried this behind device naviagtion. We moved it to the home screen for user to see within one glance.

Finding 2: Scheduling required expert knowledge users didn't have
Creating a pump schedule required knowing equipment cycle rates and that information was not shown in the app. 8 out of 12 participants in usability testing either failed this taskor needed assistance. We introduced smart defaults on equipment type and reduced required inputs from 9 to 5.

Finding 3: "Scenes" was the most requested and least used feature.
Users asked for automation in interviews, but only 11% had ever created a Scene in an app. The discoverability failure was architectural, Scene lived 3 levels deep. Surfacing them one tap from home increased adoption 40% in the first 30 days of launch.

My Role

I held end-to-end UX ownership of the Aqualink RS to Fluidra migration from product strategy through shipped experience.

‍Research & Strategy:
Ran 32 contextual interviews and 3 on-site usability sessions to surface the systemic gaps Aqualink RS had accumulated. Translated findings into a prioritized MVP architecture, scoping Scheduling, Scenes, and Favorites as the three highest-leverage flows for V1.

Turning user frustrations into actionable solutions

Systems Design:
Designed a tokenized, component-first design system spanning 5" embedded displays to desktop, 3 breakpoints, 1 token set, zero platform-specific duplication. The system became Fluidra's design standard across all digital product lines post-launch.

‍Cross-Functional Leadership:
Partnered with a 60-person team across USA, India, Spain, and Colombia. I established a weekly cross-regional design critique rotation and an async Figma review protocol that reduced alignment lag from two weeks to three days. I embedded with the Spain hardware team for two weeks early in the project to understand embedded display constraints before a single pixel was designed.

The Redesign Journey

Once the insights were clear, the real transformation began. Redesigning the app wasn’t just about improving its appearance. It’s about creating an experience that works with the brain, not against it.

01 Reduce Cognitive Load

- Simplified the interface by reducing visual clutter and organizing related information into clear sections.
‍
- Used status-aware tiles and color indicators to help users understand system health instantly.

- Prioritized key actions and controls, making important tasks easier to find and access.

- Reduced mental effort with a more scannable layout that improved usability and decision-making.

02 Respect Mental Model

Users naturally rely on familiar patterns. By designing navigation with clear entry points and predictable flows, the experience became more intuitive, helping users move through the app with less effort and confusion.

03 Trigger Delight

Smooth animations, responsive micro-interactions, and intentional visuals do more than enhance aesthetics. They create moments of delight that trigger small dopamine boosts.

04 Simplify for Users

Fluidra pool users didn’t need technical knowledge to manage their pool.

Creating a pump schedule on Aqualink RS required 11 taps and knowledge of equipment cycle rates. By pulling equipment specs from the device API and pre-populating defaults, we reduced required inputs from 9 to 5.

Task time 2min 14sec to 43sec in usability testing

05 Test-Refine-Repeat

We followed a Test–Refine–Repeat approach to continuously improve usability and performance. User feedback and usability testing helped identify pain points in navigation and workflow efficiency, which guided iterative design refinements. By repeating this cycle, we created a more intuitive, streamlined experience that better aligns with user needs and business goals.

The shipped experience

The tokenized component system shipped to production is now Fluidara's design standard across all digital product lines. The system reduced new feature design to handoff from 3 weeks to 5 days for for the product team. What started as a consumer app redesign became the infrastructure for Fluidra's entire digital ecosystem.

Learnings

01. I underestimated migration anxiety in power users.

In hindsight, I should have run a dedicated beta with a power-user cohort, Service Professionals managing multiple pools, at least 3 months before general availability. The onboarding drop-off we saw in week 1 among this segment was predictable from the research data we already had. I treated it as a general usability problem when it was actually a segment-specific transition problem.
I'd solve it differently now: parallel rollout with a dedicated in-app migration guide for Pro users.

02. Design system documentation is not a post-launch activity.

We deferred the token documentation sprint to V1.1, which cost the Spain team 3 weeks of rework. The lesson: governance and documentation must be co-designed with the system itself. Starting documentation in week 6 of the system build not after launch, would have saved that rework entirely.

03. Async alignment across time zones requires a designed ritual, not just a shared Figma file.

Early in the project, the India and Colombia teams were reacting to designs rather than contributing to them. I introduced a rotating regional lead model for weekly critiques each region got ownership of one critique cycle per month. Contributions became substantially richer, and two of the strongest navigation insights came from the India team as a result of this change.

Scaling the Fluidra Pool App to support one million connected users