PENTAIR RESIDENTIAL FILTRATION / BRANDING & CREATIVE
A simpler touchscreen interface helped avoid the need for significantly more expensive memory hardware.
ORIGINAL CHIP
$75 per unit
Existing memory capacity retained
ALTERNATIVE CHIP
$200+ per unit
Higher-capacity chip upgrade avoided
The Challenge
The Fleck XTR2 touchscreen interface needed to balance an appealing, functional user experience with the memory limits of its hardware. The original graphical design used gradients throughout its interface elements. Those assets occupied valuable memory, creating the possibility of an expensive upgrade to a higher-capacity memory chip.
The Approach
I recognized that replacing gradient-heavy graphics with solid colors could simplify the visual language and substantially reduce the size of the interface assets. The revised approach preserved the information and controls users needed while making more efficient use of available memory. It was a small design decision with consequences well beyond appearance.
The Results
The simplified graphics allowed the design to stay within the existing memory constraints, avoiding the need for higher-capacity memory chips. The existing chips cost approximately $75 each, compared with more than $200 for the alternative under consideration. That represents more than $125 in potential component cost avoided per unit, based on approximate chip prices, not a verified reduction in total manufacturing cost. The interface design was also recognized in U.S. Design Patent USD758404S1.
MY ROLE Touchscreen interface design · Visual simplification · Graphical asset optimization · Design collaboration with Engineering
CONTEXT Previous employment at Pentair Residential Filtration