Kohler

Combining physical and digital experiences to create Kohler’s award-winning ecosystem

Kohler
Services
User Experience
Design Language
Prototyping

We combined Kohler’s physical and digital product experiences to create a smart, voice-enabled platform for the connected home.

The new platform allows for digital control of Kohler’s kitchen and bath products, simplifying user routines with seamless support for voice.

Kohler

Defining a connected product strategy

Working closely with Kohler, we established a product strategy that mapped hardware capabilities to customer needs. Our detailed feature matrices defined how product functionality should be prioritized and translated across the platform.

Extensive wireframe documentation helped Kohler’s technical teams anticipate and implement interactions and flows.

low-fidelity user flow of bathtub product

In addition to creating an intuitive digital experience, we also worked with Kohler to simplify hardware controls, optimizing for common routines that could be easily accessed using voice.

A focus on voice-first interactions and routines

The mobile application streamlined setup and the creation of routines, while primary product experiences were optimized to ensure seamless integration with popular voice assistants, including Kohler’s own smart mirror.

overhead image of kitchen with person asking Alexa to fill bath

Creating an extensible design language

With Kohler entering the software space for the first time, our team was also tasked with extending the existing brand language into a new digital design language. Taking cues from the bold, modern character of the Kohler brand, we created a comprehensive, modular design system to unify all of Kohler’s digital products.

floating components from the library

Throughout the design process, our design and technical teams worked together to create native mobile prototypes, demonstrating features and functionality while also providing reference implementation for Kohler’s engineering teams.

thirteen23 is an exceptional part of our extended design team. They skillfully approach functional complexities with understanding and care, distilling them down into our desired minimalist expression.

Rafael Rexach
associate design director, Smart Home, Kohler

Our continued partnership

Kohler launched its new ecosystem of smart products at CES winning CES’s Innovation Award two years in a row!

We continue to build on our partnership with Kohler, working to strengthen its platform and ecosystem as the capabilities around voice and smart home management continue to evolve.

collage of toilet, woman cooking in kitchen, and a shower speaker

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