AQUILA PRO AI

AQUILA PRO AI is D-Link's mesh Wi-Fi system. The app had no previous version to build on.

Three constraints came with it: a tight launch date, support for older hardware, and colours that had to match marketing. The goal was simple: someone who knows nothing about networking should still be able to set it up. A failed setup means a returned box or a support call, so we put most of the effort into setup.

HomeKit hides the technical detail: people only see rooms and devices. We kept that, but a router can't hide everything, because the network itself is what we sell.

LG ThinQ checks its own hardware. That fits a router well: when something breaks, the first question is whether the device is the problem.

We asked ten colleagues with no networking background to set up the previous model, the Eagle Pro AI M32, on their own. We watched from unboxing all the way to getting online, not just the app.

One proposal was conservative, the other rewrote the flow. Neither was picked. Seeing both ends helped the decision-makers point to the direction they wanted, and that became C.

Problem. Nobody read the instructions. Nobody could find the Setup Code printed on the device. People who switched to the device's Wi-Fi often couldn't find their way back.

What changed. People choose their setup path on the first screen instead of halfway through. Every step has an illustration showing where the button or code is on the device. The Wi-Fi switch happens inside the app, with progress and an expected wait time.

Problem. Switching devices, checking live video and changing alerts were the most common tasks, all buried three levels deep. "I can't find it" kept showing up in support tickets.

What changed. I restructured the Tab Bar to bring all three to the first level, with the same navigation on iOS, Android and web. The structure later became the navigation standard in the company design system.

Problem. Recordings showed people opening Activity and leaving within two seconds. They could find it. There just wasn't anything worth staying for.

What changed. I didn't move it or add a red dot, because both would only bring more people to an empty page. Now each event opens the video clip from the moment it happened, and you can pin the events that matter so they don't get pushed down the timeline.

Problem. The better automatic optimisation works, the less anyone notices it's doing anything.

What changed. The app saves a weekly report and tells you what it did that week. Scenes come with presets (Arrive, Leave, Sleep) or you can build your own, with a small animation on each tap so you know it worked.

Every colour in the palette was contrast-checked first, and screens can only use colours from it. Every status uses colour, an icon and text together. Specs go down to the point, and I wrote the micro-animation code myself.