Simplifying installer app for Danfoss
Danfoss Icon2™ is a hydronic underfloor heating system designed to deliver precise temperature control, energy efficiency, and smart home integration. The system combines physical controllers, thermostats, and a commissioning app used by installers to configure and deploy installations. While the hardware was engineered for simplicity, the installation experience through the app remained complex and fragmented. I contributed to redefine the installer experience by improving UX flows, interface clarity, and visual communication
Reading time: 3-4 min.
Installer UX
Commissioning
System clarity
Clear enough?
Offline states?
Right terms?
simplifying a technical commissioning flow without hiding the complexity installers need
Installing hydronic floor heating systems is inherently complex. The installers must coordinate between physical controllers per house/apartment buildings, that contained multiple thermostats. This lead to network connectivity issues which also had to be formulated to the installer. All of the mentioned, guided through a commissioning app.
Installers experienced friction between app and hardware interactions
The process was perceived as cumbersome and frequent support calls were required during installation.
Understanding the full commissioning journey and designing around the realities of installers, controllers and intermittent connectivity
There was already en established process on how and when to coordinate between app and a physical controller. But somehow installers still struggle with the installation. So where do we start and where is the problem?
Understanding the installer journey
We mapped the full installation flow, from initial setup to system handover. This included from buying the system, unboxing the components, and from there following the setup.
This revealed an issue of the experience was split between physical interaction and digital guidance, with poor alignment between the two. A major issue would be that the controller and its’ box had information that didn’t correspond within the installer app. It also referred to third party products, that wasn’t a part of the box.
Reducing cognitive load
We weren’t allowed to change the controller itself or the package, as that would require heavy dialogue with suppliers. We had to cover these issues through the app. Instead of adding that, among other general issues, into the app we focused on making the experience self-explanatory.
A decision was made to replace text-heavy instructions with clear, contextual illustrations, and guide installers visually through each step of the process. This approach also helped translate technical system logic into intuitive actions, reducing reliance on manuals, support, and accomodate the issues on the box.
Restructuring the use flow
We redesigned the installer journey to follow a more linear step-by-step progression to also reduce unnecessary branching and decision points. One of the low hanging fruits was the app didn’t show any system status, which would make the installer question whether they were doing the setup right or wrong.
We also aligned the steps with real-world installation tasks, though this proved to be a rather tedious task as naming and conventions on the controller itself was different. This could be resolved by reading the manual. But who does that?
Designing within constraints
All UI work was aligned with Danfoss’ design guidelines and shaped by the technical constraints of the platform. Close collaboration with developers ensured that concepts were feasible and that the design intent carried through to the final implementation.
We also considered how the use of Danfoss’ red brand color might impact the installer experience. Since red is often associated with errors or warnings, using it too prominently in the interface could create confusion.
Prototyping & Validation
We developed a clickable prototype to simulate the full installation journey, making it possible to validate flows early, align stakeholders, and test the experience in a realistic way.
To ground the testing in real-world conditions, installers with varying levels of familiarity with the app were invited to Danfoss’ headquarters. Some of the installer was experienced with the app, while others had barely used it. Here, a dedicated facility allowed them to simulate an actual installation setup.
Each installer was given a box containing the full system along with a phone, and placed into a contextual scenario describing the type of house or apartment they were working in. They were also provided with a support number they could call if needed.
This setup made it possible to observe how installers navigated the experience, where they hesitated, and when they reached out for help. The insights gathered were then used to refine usability and confirm improvements in the overall flow.
A clearer commissioning experience that helps installers move through complex setup with confidence.
The redesigned experience transformed the installation process into something installers could navigate independently. This was measured by the amount of support calls which revealed to be less than the client was used to. It was later mentioned that new installers had a faster onboarding, while the regular installers had an improved confidence in completing setups.
