KLAFS — Smart Sauna Control Experience
Designing a premium mobile experience that transforms complex hardware control into a calm, intuitive ritual.
Role: Product Designer
Scope: Mobile app + onboarding + control interface
Area: Luxury IoT / smart environment
Duration: 9 months
Team: Product + Engineering + Hardware + Brand
Executive summary
KLAFS is a luxury wellness brand known for high-end sauna systems. The challenge was translating physical ritual into a digital interface without losing emotional quality.
The app had to control hardware — but feel like part of the spa experience.
This project focused on creating a calm, tactile digital layer that complements a premium physical product.
Context & business problem
KLAFS products live in a sensory environment:
— heat
— silence
— light
— slow rituals
— relaxation
Traditional smart-home apps prioritize function. KLAFS required emotional alignment with the brand.
The risk:
A technical interface could break the luxury experience.
Users shouldn’t feel like they’re operating a machine. They should feel like they’re entering a ritual.
My role & ownership
I led the mobile experience design from onboarding to real-time device control.
Responsibilities included:
— interaction design for hardware control
— onboarding architecture
— state visualization
— brand-aligned UI language
— sensory pacing of the interface
— accessibility of complex settings
— collaboration with hardware constraints
The system had to be technically precise but emotionally quiet.
Discovery & insights
User interviews revealed:
Owners don’t think in technical parameters.
They think in:
— mood
— readiness
— time
— atmosphere
The interface couldn’t expose engineering logic. It needed to translate complexity into intention.
Users wanted confidence, not configuration.
Strategic decision
We reframed the app:
From control panel → to ritual companion
Instead of presenting settings as technical sliders, we designed:
— guided presets
— progressive disclosure
— calm visual hierarchy
— tactile interaction cues
— predictable system states
The interface communicates readiness, not raw data.
Solution architecture
The experience is structured around three layers:
1. Onboarding
Device pairing made frictionless and reassuring. Clear progress, no technical jargon
2. Ritual selection
Users choose intention before parameters. Relax, detox, quick session — not temperature numbers
3. Live control
Real-time feedback without cognitive overload. Minimal controls, maximum clarity
The system balances automation with manual override.
Validation
Testing focused on emotional response as much as usability.
We measured:
— setup confidence
— perceived calmness
— error rate in control actions
— clarity of system state
— time to first successful session
Users described the app as:
“quiet”
“elegant”
“non-technical”
That was the goal <3
Outcome
The app became an extension of the KLAFS physical experience.
Users trusted the system faster.
Setup time dropped.
Support requests decreased.
Adoption of advanced features increased.
The interface didn’t compete with the product. It completed it.