DFC@Home
Delta Faucet Company
Led UX direction for Delta Faucet Company's smart home IoT mobile app — driving it from a cluttered, ADA non-compliant web app to a best-in-class mobile experience that reduced support calls by 25% and resolved 66 accessibility failures across a 4-year engagement.
Business Impact
Over a four-year engagement, this work moved Delta Faucet Company from an ADA non-compliant, cluttered web app to a best-in-class IoT mobile experience — measurably reducing support costs and setting a new internal standard for user-centered design.
The Starting Point: What Was Broken
Cluttered UI
No clear visual direction. Important information missing, too many choices presented upfront with no clear hierarchy.
Low Task Completion
Test data was unambiguous: unlabeled icons and a busy interface led to confusion and consistently low task completion rates.
Non-ADA Compliant
Low contrast text, unlabeled icons, and gradients obscuring text created accessibility barriers for a broad range of users.
Strategic Design Requirements
Brand-Agnostic Visual Identity
Create a unified visual identity that could serve both Delta and Brizo smart water product lines without favoring either brand.
In-App Installation
Physical installation instructions lived on YouTube and in PDF manuals. Moving them in-app was critical to reducing drop-off and support calls.
Research Infrastructure
No user testing program existed. I made the case to leadership to fund UserTesting.com — and built the research framework from scratch.
Scalability
Architect the experience to accommodate future IoT devices — steam showers, lighting, audio — without requiring a redesign.
Building a Testing Program From the Ground Up
Test Design
After securing management approval for a UserTesting.com subscription, I designed targeted tests around specific 'must have' features. Each test was built around Delta's customer analytics profiles to ensure we were hearing from the right people.
Participant Targeting
Delta's analytics defined two key audiences: higher-income homeowners who valued design collaboration and home improvement, and a DIY enthusiast segment with an existing interest in smart home products. Both groups were screened into every study.
Connecting to Voice Commands
The most significant UX challenge uncovered through testing: connecting a voice assistant to new smart home hardware requires users to simultaneously manage their voice account login, a DFC account registration, home Wi-Fi credentials, and the device's own Wi-Fi — all on a mobile device. Despite multiple iterations of written instructions, users consistently failed this step. I proposed pairing the Wi-Fi screen with a large, animated directional arrow. Our UI contractor executed the animation. It was the breakthrough — paired with simplified copy, it resolved the failure in subsequent tests.
What I Drove
- 01
ADA Compliance Program
Championed and directed a comprehensive ADA audit — an initiative that had no organizational precedent. The audit surfaced 66 accessibility failures, all of which were resolved under my direction.
- 02
User Testing Infrastructure
Secured budget and organizational support for UserTesting.com when no testing program existed. Designed all test protocols, recruited participants, and synthesized findings into actionable design decisions.
- 03
Call Center Intelligence Partnership
Initiated a cross-functional partnership with the customer support team to mine real call center pain points — turning reactive support data into proactive design inputs.
- 04
Animated Installation System
Identified that PDF manuals and YouTube videos were driving support calls. Championed in-app animated installation instructions, keeping users in the experience and directly contributing to the 25% support call reduction post-launch.
- 05
UX Writing Overhaul
Directed a full rewrite of in-app instructional copy — replacing engineering terminology with plain-language directions that reduced cognitive load and improved task completion.
- 06
Competitive Intelligence
Led a comparative analysis of Kohler and Moen mobile apps, IoT review platforms, and smart home forums to benchmark the market and identify whitespace opportunities for Delta.
Before & After — Phase 1
Phase 1 resolved the cluttered UI and introduced product photography, drawing visual inspiration from premium relaxation apps like Calm.
Scaling the Product: Steam Shower Integration
When Delta acquired Steamist — a luxury steam shower brand — I was tasked with integrating audio, lighting, aroma, and steam controls into DFC@Home. This was not a feature add; it was a product strategy pivot. I recognized the photo-centric design direction I had already explored would not scale to a controls-heavy interface, and proposed a shift to a clean, settings-optimized layout. That decision shaped the architecture of the app's next phase and positioned the product for future IoT expansion.
View the Steam Shower Project
Latest Homescreen — Multi-Product at Scale
