Designing for the Elements

Standard UX practices often assume a user is sitting in a climate-controlled room looking at a high-definition monitor. The Endless Pools E-Series required a completely different approach.

High-Sunlight Glare

The screen had to be instantly readable outdoors at high noon.

Environmental Obstacles

Users would be interacting with the screen using wet hands, while submerged in water, and potentially while wearing swim goggles.

The engineering team was developing a built-in touchscreen control panel, and the interface needed to be flawless under extreme physical constraints:

Hardware Constraints

The UI had to perform seamlessly on the specific physical screen the engineering team selected, requiring careful management of contrast ratios and touch-target sizes.

Bridging R&D and
Human-Centered Design

Investing in a rigorous UX process upfront is often the difference between a product that merely functions and one that excels in the real world. By committing to deep research and iterative testing before finalizing code, we mitigated the risk of costly post-launch hardware or software revisions. The final, highly intuitive interface stands as evidence that prioritizing user context early in the development cycle is a necessary investment, not an added expense.

Designing for the Context

To solve the environmental challenges, I established a strict, function-first visual language:

• High-Contrast Color Palettes: Developed a stark, high-visibility UI system to combat extreme sun glare, ensuring critical controls were never lost in the wash of daylight.

• Forgiving Touch Targets: Designed oversized, widely spaced interactive elements to account for the lack of precision when a user has wet hands or water droplets are on the screen.

Iterative Field Testing

A prototype isn't successful until it survives the real world. I led rigorous usability testing in the actual environments where the product would be used.

• We took prototypes outside into direct sunlight to test contrast ratios.

• We simulated wet-hand interactions to test touch target accuracy.

• I continuously iterated on the UI based on these physical stress tests, refining the design with each version until usability metrics hit our target.

Tight Engineering Collaboration

I didn't design screens in a vacuum and hand them off. I embedded myself with the Endless Pools R&D and engineering teams. We had to ensure the software interface respected the limitations and capabilities of the physical hardware. This meant constant dialogue about screen brightness thresholds, viewing angles, and touch responsiveness.

The Outcome

We delivered a rugged, context-appropriate touchscreen interface that performed exactly as needed in harsh, real-world conditions. By working intimately with engineering and refusing to compromise on environmental field testing, the final product allowed users to effortlessly control their environment, regardless of sun, water, or glare. The result of this project that resulted with the current screen on the E-Series pools the started with its foundation on the results of this project.

Bring the Vision to Life

The environmental challenges of the Endless Pools touchscreen mirror the exact conditions operators face out in the field. I understand what it takes to design for extreme glare, heavy-duty usage, and tough environmental elements—and how to collaborate deeply with an R&D team to ensure those designs translate flawlessly to new and existing hardware. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to bring this rugged, hardware-focused UX expertise to the engineering team at Digital Control Inc.

Ready to get started? If you believe this approach aligns with the goals for Digital Control Inc., please reach out to Dan at Dry Development & Investment Corporation to initiate the process.

Taylor Petrich

Taylor Petrich is a User Experience Designer working with Dry Development & Investment Corporation in order to better serve the needs of Digital Control Inc.

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