Role
UX Designer (with 1 design partner)
Products
US Website / Consumer App / Installer App
Timeline
1.5 years
OVERVIEW
ZAP, a startup from Taiwan committed to delivering the best indoor air quality, was preparing to expand into the U.S. market. With low brand awareness and a new audience to reach, I joined the team at a pivotal moment. We needed to translate ZAP’s vision into digital products that could build credibility, deliver value, and scale with the business.
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Over the next year, I co-led the UX design of three core products from scratch:
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A U.S. marketing website to introduce the brand
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A consumer-facing mobile app for air system control
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An installer app to support field technicians during installations
Through shifting business priorities, stakeholder friction, and technical constraints, I led with a grounded design approach rooted in clarity, care, and user trust.
Understanding the Opportunity
ZAP’s mission was to make clean air a seamless part of everyday life. In Taiwan, the company had already launched a sophisticated whole-home air purification system. Now, the U.S. presented both opportunity and challenge.
On one hand, indoor air quality was top of mind post-pandemic. On the other, we faced major hurdles:
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Low brand awareness in a competitive health-tech market
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Cultural expectations around transparency and control in smart home products
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A product designed to be “invisible”—but U.S. users wanted to feel in control
Our task was to bridge that gap—translating ZAP’s technical benefits into digital tools that helped users feel informed, empowered, and cared for.
Website → Insight →
App + Installer
Our first step was launching ZAP’s U.S. website. But early sales conversations quickly revealed a critical insight: the idea of a fully automated “set-it-and-forget-it” system didn’t resonate with U.S. users. People wanted to see what the system was doing and feel in control.
This insight fundamentally shifted our product strategy. To drive adoption, we prioritized building:
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A consumer app that made air data visible and interactive
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An installer app to support consistent, scalable field installations
Though each product had distinct users and constraints, they shared a unified purpose:
“Help people feel confident in what they breathe—and in the systems that deliver it.”
Designing Across Real-World Constraints
1. Website – Building Credibility, Fast
The Challenge
Our U.S. website had to make a strong first impression—quickly educate users, build trust, and differentiate ZAP from competitors. But we faced several constraints:
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Rigid CMS: A no-code platform with limited customization and no backend access
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Accelerated timeline: Just a few weeks to go from concept to launch for the AIA conference
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No U.S. brand awareness: We had to explain an unfamiliar product in a skeptical market
Our Approach
We focused on clarity over polish:
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Led stakeholder workshops to define ZAP’s U.S. value proposition and brand tone
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Developed a messaging architecture around key user questions: What is this? Why is it better? Should I trust it in my home?
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Built wireframes directly within CMS limitations for faster implementation
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Partnered with marketing to refine visuals, copy, and emotional tone
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Used calming imagery, soft animation, and plain-language explanations to build trust
Outcomes
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Launched successfully before the AIA Conference, used in 90%+ of early sales conversations
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Helped spark significant interest among architects and early adopters
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Adopted by the sales team as the primary tool to explain the system
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Received positive qualitative feedback for its clarity, tone, and helpfulness
2. Consumer App – Turning an Invisible System Into a Trusted Companion
The Challenge
Post-launch surveys and interviews revealed a consistent theme: U.S. customers didn’t just want clean air—they wanted to see the data, adjust settings, and feel in control.
At the same time, competitors were offering similar systems at lower prices. ZAP needed to differentiate through experience.
The system had originally been designed to run silently in the background, but now we had to design an interface that delivered real-time feedback and a sense of ownership.
A key constraint emerged internally:
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Stakeholders strongly pushed for detailed line graphs to display air data, which we feared would overwhelm non-technical users
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We had to balance usability with business demands, often under tight review cycles
Our Approach
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Reframed the app’s purpose around user empowerment and visibility
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Created color-coded air quality indicators and numeric readouts to simplify interpretation
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Mapped flows for onboarding, monitoring, and manual controls
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Ran usability tests with beta users in pilot homes
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Designed a hybrid visualization approach: simple graphs + numeric data + onboarding guidance
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Used progressive disclosure to provide depth without defaulting to complexity
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Aligned with stakeholders through 3+ rounds of design reviews, focusing on shared goals
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Developed educational microcopy, tooltips, and graph legends to improve comprehension in tests
Outcomes
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Adopted by nearly all new customers during the U.S. pilot rollout
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Contributed to a noticeable drop in support inquiries related to air system performance
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Improved comprehension scores in user testing, especially among non-technical users
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Became a core value-driver in ZAP’s U.S. sales pitch by turning an invisible system into a tangible, trustworthy companion
“It wasn’t the cleanest design path—but it became a meaningful moment of influence, where listening, adapting, and bridging perspectives helped us ship something both usable and strategic.”
CEO
3. Installer App – Supporting Real-World Workflows
The Challenge
Engineers needed a tool to guide installations—but their workflows were often inconsistent, site-specific, and non-linear. We couldn’t redesign the process. Instead, we had to design within messy, real-world conditions.
Key constraints:
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Unstandardized workflows: Steps varied based on system type, home layout, and technician habits
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Challenging environments: Dusty spaces, gloved hands, poor lighting, unreliable internet
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Tight scope: Process change was out of scope—we had to support it through better UX
Our Approach
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Shadowed real installations to understand field conditions and behavior patterns
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Mapped the actual flow of tasks—mirroring the process as it existed, not as we wished it to be
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Designed with real-world constraints in mind: large touch targets, tablet-optimized UI, offline mode
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Introduced a linear stepper flow to bring clarity without enforcing rigidity
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Added tooltips, confirmations, and error-prevention mechanisms
Outcomes
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Reduced installation time through guided steps and clearer task completion
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Decreased back-and-forth communication with HQ by improving self-guidance
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Became the default install tool during the U.S. rollout
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Shortened technician training time, allowing new hires to onboard faster and with fewer errors
Cross-Product Collaboration & Leadership
Throughout this 1.5-year initiative, I worked closely with a cross-functional team of ~10, including:
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Product managers and engineers
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Sales, marketing, and business stakeholders
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My design partner (with whom I shared ownership of strategy, flows, and critiques)
We delivered MVP versions of all three products in under 6–8 months, running regular design reviews and facilitating over a dozen stakeholder workshops to align on priorities and decisions.
Collective Product Impact
Together, these products formed a unified experience across the entire journey—from first contact to installation. The website helped ZAP build early trust and generate leads, the app turned an invisible system into a daily companion, and the installer tool streamlined operations and scaled service delivery.
By designing not just with polish, but with purpose and adaptability, we helped ZAP move faster, deliver more confidently, and connect meaningfully with their U.S. audience.
Reflections on Designing Under Constraint
This project stretched me deeply as a designer and a leader. It taught me that senior design isn’t about chasing ideal flows—it’s about navigating ambiguity with integrity.
I learned to:
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Stay grounded in user trust, even when business pressures pulled elsewhere
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Communicate trade-offs with clarity and diplomacy
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Design for real-world constraints, not theoretical best practices
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Build influence by leading with care, not defensiveness