Designed Kineon's mobile companion app, creating a cohesive hardware-to-app experience that improved session completion and long-term engagement.
Kineon needed a mobile platform that could seamlessly integrate with its red light therapy hardware while guiding users through onboarding, device connectivity, session tracking, and post-session insights. The focus was on reducing friction in high-frequency workflows, reinforcing consistency through tracking and reminders, and establishing a scalable foundation for future product integrations.
Impact
What drove our strategy...
Goals
- Create a cohesive hardware-to-app experience with simplified onboarding, device setup, and Bluetooth connectivity
- Increase session completion and long-term engagement through structured tracking, reminders, and streaks
- Build a scalable foundation for future integrations and professional workflows without overcomplicating the MVP
User Frustrations
- Device setup and connectivity caused friction during first-time onboarding
- Session tracking required too many manual steps, reducing consistency
- Progress insights lacked clarity, making results difficult to interpret
- Feature expansion risked overwhelming users without clear prioritization
Personas
- Therapy-Focused Consumers – Users investing in red light therapy for recovery, pain relief, or wellness. They needed guided onboarding, clear session feedback, and confidence that their effort translated into measurable results.
- Consistency-Driven Users – Motivated by streaks, visible progress, and measurable improvement. They required simple defaults, reminders, and milestone tracking to maintain engagement.
Where do we start?
Existing State
I joined mid-project at a pivotal stage. While meaningful progress had been made, the product lacked cohesion, clarity, and strong positioning within the health and wellness space.
The priority was to evaluate what was working, identify structural UX friction, and define a clear path toward a polished, production-ready experience aligned with user expectations and launch timelines.
Mapping the Core Workflows
To bring structure to an expanding feature set, I translated MVP user stories into end-to-end flow diagrams. This clarified how onboarding, device connectivity, session tracking, and engagement loops intersected, exposing gaps, redundancies, and friction points.
The mapping aligned product and engineering, surfaced scope risks early, and ensured we were designing for real user behavior rather than isolated screens.
What did we
learn?
Hardware and software must operate as one system
Users did not differentiate between device failures and app friction. Pairing delays, unclear Bluetooth states, or inconsistent feedback were perceived as product failure.
The experience needed to feel continuous from onboarding through session completion. That required designing device behavior, connection states, and in-app guidance as a unified system rather than isolated interactions.
Sustainable engagement comes from clarity, not novelty
While rewards and social mechanics generated initial interest, long-term retention depended on making core session workflows fast, predictable, and low effort.
High-frequency actions such as starting sessions, logging feedback, and reviewing progress had to feel effortless. Simplifying these recurring paths delivered more impact than layering on additional features.
Scope must be sequenced with discipline
The roadmap included gamification, AI chat, professional dashboards, expanded sensor data, and future integrations. Without strong prioritization, complexity would outpace usability.
By anchoring the MVP around onboarding, session tracking, and core engagement loops, we established a stable foundation that could responsibly support future expansion.
Final Screens
The final designs focused on creating a cohesive bridge between hardware and mobile, emphasizing clarity in onboarding, confidence during sessions, and meaningful post-session insights. Visual decisions reinforced structure and trust while supporting high-frequency therapy workflows.
Dashboard
Activity, Devices & Sessions
Dashboard & Shop
Session Setup & In Progress
Device Management
Device Settings
Measuring and Validating Designs
We validated the redesign through usage analytics, engagement metrics, and qualitative feedback from end users and internal support teams. Improvements were measured across onboarding, session completion, and recurring engagement behaviors.
These gains reflected more than workflow optimization. They signaled that users felt more confident navigating device setup, starting sessions, and understanding their progress.
Research Feedback
Post-launch feedback consistently highlighted improved discoverability and clearer calls to action, particularly for users less comfortable with technology. Streamlined navigation and reduced copy helped minimize cognitive load, while more intentional visual hierarchy made key actions easier to find.
Users also responded positively to the elevated visual design. Subtle motion, improved transitions, and stronger brand alignment contributed to an experience that felt more polished and engaging rather than merely functional.
Results and Reflection
The most meaningful improvements came from simplifying structure and elevating craft at the same time. Removing unnecessary screens and transitions reduced friction, while thoughtful visual and interaction details reinforced brand trust and product maturity.
This project reinforced that in consumer health products, usability and perception are tightly linked. When workflows feel clear and the experience feels intentional, users are more likely to engage consistently and build confidence in both the app and the hardware it supports.
