Frictionless Wearable Setup
Smooth pairing and sync: simpler setup, fewer errors, and seamless troubleshooting.
Timeline
Collaboration
Nov 2024 - Jan 2025
Product Lead, Engineers, Customer Support Team
Quick Snapshot
“I led the redesign of the wearable setup — making pairing clearer, syncing more reliable, and support less necessary.”
Challenge
Users didn’t trust the wearable was connected or syncing.
Solution
Designed a responsive sync UI with real-time feedback and built-in troubleshooting.
impact
Fewer users got stuck, and far fewer needed support.
Empathize 01
Uncover the Challenge
Imagine unboxing a new wearable, excited to start your journey in app only to hit a wall. Is it syncing? When was the last sync? Why isn’t it working? How can I report the issue?
“When was the last sync?”
No real-time feedback on pairing or syncing updates.
“What’s the difference between reset and unpair?”
No difference! They both function as “unpair device”.
Poorly defined actions lead to user confusion.
“I want to talk to someone to get my issue fixed!”
No direct access to customer support.
The current troubleshoot page lacks useful guidance.
“The background color feels different from the rest of the app?”
Inconsistent visuals due to incomplete rebranding.
Empathize 02
Deep Dive the Challenge
User + Internal Research
We analyzed support tickets, synthesized qualitative feedback from users and coaching teams, audited the existing wearable experience, and conducted competitive research (Fitbit, Oura, Whoop, Apple Watch).
✨ This was a collaborative effort: Huge thanks to our customer support team and QA engineer for leading the ticket reviews and feedback analysis. We held four stakeholder meetings and had countless back-and-forths in Slack to align on user pain points and prioritize solutions.
Define
The Problem
When setup fails, everything else breaks.
Users struggled to set up and trust their wearable device due to unclear syncing status, lack of real-time feedback, hidden errors, and inconsistent visuals, resulting in confusion, delayed troubleshooting, and a disconnected experience between the app and the device.
Design 01
The Strategy
Design strategy was shaped through collaboration with product managers and engineers. We ran 10+ design feedback sessions — including scheduled design reviews and ad hoc syncs — to ensure technical feasibility and build alignment on the final solution.
Design Goals
Deliver clear, responsive feedback for all pairing and syncing states.
Empower users to troubleshoot on their own.
Clean up UI to surface only essential info.
Align the wearable UI with the brand identity.
Design CONSTRAINTS
Toast design was out of scope.
No syncing progress percentage due to technical and time limitations.
Limited frontend bandwidth → aim for smart, scalable solutions only.
Design 02
The Craft
Connecting to the ring...
Syncing recent data...
Data Sync Successful
No Connection
Data Sync Failed
Dynamic Sync States
Real-time pairing and syncing states made intuitive with animated icons, clear labels, and contextual actions for next steps.
Why it works?
See what’s going on, know if the device is working, and follow simple steps if it’s not.
Clean and Simple Layout
Only the most important info is shown: battery, sync status, last update, and necessary action items.
Why it works?
Helps users find what they need fast, avoid confusion, and set up their device more easily.
Built-in Troubleshooting
When something goes wrong, users see step-by-step help and answers right inside the app.
Why it works?
Empowers users to self troubleshoot without the need to leave the flow or contact support.
Easy Support Access
Support chat is easy to find and shows up when users need extra help.
Why it works?
Talk to someone quickly when stuck and get help without digging around.
Edge Case Handling
Handles common edge cases like low battery, lost connection, and failed syncs — all tested with engineers.
Why it works?
Stay in control even when something goes wrong and build trust through clear guidance.
Deliver
The Document
The handoff Figma file is organized by UI elements, User flow for happy path and edge cases, prototypes, and future ideas for reference and scalable solutions.
The Impact
> 20%
increase in device setup rate
> 10%
increase in first pairing success
> 35%
reduction in wearable setup user errors & support tickets
Reflection
What I've Learned?
Even with a successful redesign, there were things I’d do differently:
Explore automation early
Manual sync remained a pain point. Due to constraints, auto-sync wasn’t included in this release. Sync was triggered via scroll gesture, but without visual cues, many users were confused. Post-launch analytics confirmed it was a key blocker. We quickly added visual hints (see what’s next for the change!) but this emphasized the importance of aligning behavior change with discoverability.
Make Gestures Discoverable
Many users missed the pull-to-sync gesture. A subtle animation or icon hint could have made it easier to discover.
Communicate UX changes
A changelog or tooltip could’ve reduced confusion and improved adoption for returning users who are used to the old design.
Future
What's Next?
Coming soon!
Improved Pull-to-Sync Experience
An intuitive, animated pull-to-refresh indicator that guides users on how to trigger manual sync, helping fresh and updated data come through.
You’ve reached the end — thanks for reading!