See how IONIQ starts the ultimate skincare revolution.
Our Challenges
Mastering Bluetooth Technology
Part of the user experience’s quality depends on the seamless communication between the user’s mobile device and the IONIQ sprayer. Guiding the user through the process of connecting and pairing the
devices was a big deal.Rebranding and Concept Enhancement
Integrating a rebranding into the already developed parts of the app was a true design challenge. Moreover, the app’s concept had to evolve from a very simple scope, which focussed mainly on weather forecasts and sun protection information, to a skincare-allrounder.
Hardware & Software Alignment
For the IONIQ app, hardware and software features had to be carefully aligned – a tough one, since both were developed in parallel. Carefully managing the requirements from all relevant stakeholders was absolutely necessary for meeting the set timeline.
Product Design
Beautiful inside and out: our brand-driven UX design
UX Design
For us, the conception phase was super exciting. While some features were quite common, e.g. the blog or the user profile, many others were quite specific to IONIQ products – and rather new to us: A calculator for the individually recommended Sun Protection Factor (SPF), an automated skin type questionnaire, the bluetooth connection flow, tutorials on how to use the IONIQ sprayer, and many other features required us to go out of our way to find creative solution – all while making sure that the app is easy to use and does not require a lot of learning for users, even when they have never used the sprayer before.
UI Design
Our first approach to the design language was going with soft pastel colours, organic shapes and line drawings. However, as the project progressed, the team decided to add a more futuristic note to it, drawing the visual connection to the highly innovative and technology-based image of IONIQ. Shifting from a rather soft look to a more technical one was a true challenge. However, thanks to great communication in the project team, our well-structured library and our smart design system, the transition went smoothly, which allowed us to unfold the true potential of IONIQ’s unique brand-driven design language.
Product Ownership
While IONIQ was responsible for directing the project, our product owners’ job was to bring the team’s vision to life as accurately and efficiently as possible. For this, the product vision and strategy were defined and occasionally validated. Based on that, our product owners defined requirements, taking into consideration the overall product vision and all the small details at the same time. Additionally, we made sure to be well aligned with the hardware team by, for example, harmonizing our timeline with theirs, and to keep an eye on integrating dependent systems, such as the existing backend structure and CMS, which were connected to the app.
Product Development
More than what meets the eye: Great code for a seamless experience
iOS / Android Development
In the IONIQ project, turning our concept and design into code involved multiple developers. This allowed us to benefit from different perspectives and to be more effective in terms of code readability, maintainability, and general code quality. One of the most challenging and interesting features for us was the over-the-air dynamic firmware update. This feature allows users to upgrade a firmware version of their sprayer through the IONIQ app via Bluetooth. While this process is technically demanding, it was our
mission to keep it as convenient as possible for users, requiring them to only take a few taps. For the development of the Android and the iOS app, we used Kotlin and Swift. These rather modern languages allow us to express our ideas through code more easily and more efficiently – compared to more traditional languages. This does not only result in a better user experience. It also allows our codebase to be more readable and maintainable.
Business Analysis
Last but not least, our Business Analyst supported the development team in several aspects – ranging from exploring and defining the product’s features by discussing the technical part of the features, and conducting a risk analysis on what could go wrong and how we can make sure to minimize these risks. With this expertise on board, we were able to ensure success in even complex and demanding project phases.
And now: meet this beauty in numbers.
Meet the product
Ready to experience an easy-to-use innovation that's good for your skin? We'll take you there.
Nicolas Grasreiner
Lead Digital & Ecosystems | IONIQ Skincare
