App Redesign
Greenworks Gen 3
In this project, I led the redesign of our consumer app to enhance usability, modernize the interface, and improve the overall user experience. Through research, iterative design, and close collaboration with testers and developers, we transformed the app into a more intuitive platform with streamlined navigation and improved accessibility, making it more competitive in the market.
Software
Adobe XD, Figma, WeChat, Jira
Duration
9 months
Delivery
300+ screens, Design Guidelines, Visualization for App Store
Team
1 UI&UX designer, 1 PM, 3 Developers, etc.
My Role
UI & UX Designer
Project Brief ​
​
The Greenworks consumer app faced significant usability challenges due to its outdated interface, requiring a redesign to better meet market demands and user needs.
In my role as UI and UX designer, I conducted studies, investigated user needs and I had close communication with developers, testers, and POs to ensure the design was executed effectively.
I encountered several challenges during this project. One key limitation was that the app's functionality could not be modified; the focus was a visual and structural redesign. Additionally, this was the first project where we transitioned from an external development team in Sweden to our in-house team in China, adding complexity to the process.
The result was a redesigned app with a more intuitive, modern interface, which enhanced user satisfaction and positioned the app more competitively within its market niche.
Result
Before...
... and after
In my redesign, I focused on enhancing the UI to create a more intuitive user experience. Integrating icons allowed users to quickly understand app functions while ensuring consistency across languages, thus reducing translation costs. I restructured the menus, grouping product settings separately for smoother navigation. These changes prioritize visual clarity and ease of use within the Greenworks app.
Another key goal was to infuse the app with a playful tone, moving away from technical jargon to better connect with our target audience. To achieve this, I allowed users to personalize their robotic mowers by naming their devices, a common practice in the industry. Additionally, I introduced speech bubbles to add a touch of personality to the product, making interactions more engaging and relatable.
Process
Challenges & Learnings
1. New Team Structure
This was the first project where we shifted from an external development team in Sweden to our in-house team in China. This transition added complexity to the project. A large part of my role involved communicating with developers, advocating for the design, and fostering a strong working relationship. I tackled this challenge through open dialogue, empathy for the different work environment in China, and acting as a bridge between departments to find balanced solutions. I am proud of how this approach fostered strong collaboration and resulted in a design that all departments were satisfied with.
2. Project scope
This project was a visual and structural redesign with limited scope for modifying or adding app functionalities. My role was to identify usability challenges, propose solutions, and prioritize them within these constraints.
During testing, I recognized that beginners faced challenges when installing a robotic lawn mower. Although it wasn't feasible to implement a solution during this project, I successfully advocated for an in-app step-by-step installation guide, which was later prioritized as a separate high-importance project. This experience reinforced the value of raising critical issues, even when immediate solutions aren't possible, to drive meaningful improvements in future initiatives.
3. Establishing Trust in UI Principles
The UI & UX department was still a relatively new addition to our organization when this project started. One major challenge was balancing input from other departments, like marketing and ID design, when their ideas didn’t always align with optimal UI design practices. For instance, while marketing initially advocated for using the brand font, I successfully argued for native fonts in the app to save space and improve accessibility. These discussions helped build trust in the UI/UX team and clarified the importance of UI principles to other stakeholders, paving the way for even better designs in subsequent projects.
Next
A project like this is never completely done. Moving forward, I wish for the project to focus on improving usability further, by refining error messages to provide users with actionable guidance. Additionally, we plan to introduce instructional videos to complement the installation guide, optimizing the user's first interaction with our product.
I wish for more focus on user testing going forward. Including a larger span of users would allow us to gather invaluable feedback and identify areas for further improvement.
Expanding the app's compatibility, I see great benefit in adapting it for iPad users, optimizing the interface for both larger screens and a larger clientele.
Trends in UI come and go. After 2 years, I see many elements in the Gen 3 UI that I wish to adapt to current trends and to adapt to what I have learned about accessibility since then. Looking ahead to the next phase, "Gen 4," I will once again give the UI some love and make sure that we're always moving forward, putting user happiness front and center.
