Steam Shower Digital Interface
Delta Faucet & Brizo
Directed all UX for Delta and Brizo's in-shower digital wall interface and connected mobile app — transforming an acquired product with minimal UX into an award-winning, best-in-class smart home spa experience with multi-profile customization, full IoT integration, and ADA compliance.
Impact
The DFC@Home app — which unified Delta and Brizo smart water products including this steam shower system — launched to market-leading results, earning a 4.1 star App Store rating and beating direct competitors Moen and Kohler. The hardware interfaces went on to win multiple industry awards.
An Acquisition With UX Debt
The Acquisition
Steamist — a luxury steam shower brand — was acquired by MASCO, Delta's parent company. The product included a wall panel interface that handled basic functions adequately, but needed new features, more user profiles, and meaningful UX improvements. No dedicated UX work had been done on the original interface.
Two Brands, One System
Delta's version, branded 'Steamscape,' and Brizo's premium version, 'Mystix Transcendence,' required distinct visual identities while sharing a common UX architecture. Features needed to be added to the DFC@Home mobile app — already in development — to support setup, customization, and remote control of the new shower systems.
Project Requirements
Improve Usability
The original wall controller did basic things well but needed ADA improvements and better support for preset configurations.
Guided Setup
Digital step-by-step configuration, app syncing, device registration, and QR code pairing — all from the wall panel and app.
Add Features
More user profiles, more presets, expanded control of audio, lighting, aroma, and steam. Custom wallpapers to match bathroom interiors.
Mobile App
Create presets and timers, control lighting, and receive alerts when shower temperature reaches the user's preset — all from the app.
What I Directed
- 01
Step-by-Step Setup Flow
Advocated for and successfully integrated a guided, step-by-step setup experience into both the wall interface and the app — replacing a confusing out-of-box experience with a clear, sequential onboarding flow.
- 02
Custom Scenario System
Directed design of a scenario creation system — letting users build named experiences like 'Post-workout' or 'Wake-up' with custom temperature, duration, lighting, rinse cycles, and music playlists. Delta's Steamscape supports multiple profiles; Brizo's Mystix supports up to 12 user presets across 4 users.
- 03
Heuristic Evaluation & User Testing
Directed my team to conduct a formal heuristic evaluation of the new panel UI. Based on the findings, I created prototypes which were user tested and iterated under the directive to keep as close to existing functions as possible — minimizing relearning for users familiar with the original system.
- 04
In-Context Design Decisions
Considering that steam and water affect users' vision in-shower, I directed bold colors and high contrast as the design standard throughout the wall interface — ensuring legibility in the actual use environment.
- 05
App Pairing Experience
Led UX for the app pairing flow across multiple user testing iterations. Most feedback centered on instruction clarity and setting accurate expectations for wait times during syncing and registration. The final flow also included parental safety controls — kids' profiles cannot make temperature adjustments.
- 06
Brand-Agnostic Mobile App
Because DFC@Home would control both Delta and Brizo products, marketing aligned on a brand-agnostic visual direction. I directed a UI approach that could serve both brands without favoring either — a constraint that shaped every mobile design decision.
Delta Interface & App
Brizo Interface & Wallpapers
DFC@Home — Shower Controls
ADPro Coverage
The Delta and Brizo steam shower system was featured in ADPro and Architectural Digest — validating the design's appeal to the luxury home market the products were built to serve.
Industry Accolades
NKBA KBIS 30's Choice Awards — 'Wellness/Health' 2024 • Luxe Red Award 2023 • The Awards for Design Excellence (ADEX) • 'Best In Show' Finalist KBIS 2023 • Kitchen & Bath Design News Top 20 Products of 2023 • BIMsmith Best Awards 2023 • Modernize.com #2 Overall (Delta Steamscape) • Ferguson Home 5 out of 5 Stars
