A. O. SMith

A. O. Smith Native App

App re-launch and digital brand evolution for the world’s leading manufacturer of water heaters

  • CREATIVE DIRECTOR
    Micah Sledge
  • UI Designer
    Travis Passons, Micah Sledge

Project Background

In August 2016, longtime agency client A. O. Smith—the world’s leading manufacturer of water heaters—approached us to help complete a native application in anticipation of launching a line of Wi-Fi connected commercial water heaters.

The process of finishing the application involved completely redesigning and rewriting the process of connecting and managing water heaters. The integrated design and development teams mapped out a revised user flow that took multiple entry and exit points for various user types into consideration.

Throughout the stabilization and launch effort, I took the opportunity to evolve the brand’s visuals by modifying the color palette, refining the type system, and creating custom illustrations to clearly communicate to users during the setup and connection process.

A Foundation for the Future

Since the initial launch, the app has been replatformed so that the interface design can more easily evolve with subsequent technology, feature, and product releases. The iteration seen below reimagines the navigation structure for a blended consumer and pro user base, in which users are much more likely to have only a single water heater.