ATM LIGHTING
Intuitive product configurator for an industrial lighting company.
About project
Create a visual identity for a new Amsterdam-based architecture studio that reflects the discipline and permanence of the work they build.
Client
Lighing Manufacturer
Services
UX/UI Design
Year
2024-2025
Industry
Technology | Light
Challange
Redesigning a platform for a highly specialized industry
ATM Lighting operates in a niche market focused on explosion-proof industrial lighting used in hazardous environments such as refineries, drilling platforms, and chemical plants. In this industry, certifications like ATEX are essential, and purchasing decisions rely heavily on trust, technical precision, and reliability.
The company had built strong engineering expertise over the years, but its website no longer reflected the quality of the brand or its international ambitions. The platform was outdated, difficult to navigate, and relied entirely on phone calls and emails for product inquiries. This created friction for both customers and the sales team while limiting conversion opportunities.
At the same time, the company was expanding into new international markets, where it faced several challenges:
low brand recognition,
weak communication of product value,
a complicated inquiry process.
A UX audit confirmed the problem:
no clear CTAs on product pages,
contact available only through the Contact page,
low session duration (38 seconds),
poor conversion support despite high organic traffic.
What initially looked like a website redesign quickly became a much bigger challenge:
Creating a platform that supports engineers in finding the right certified product as quickly as possible.
Process
Understanding who actually makes the decisions
I started with user interviews based on existing customers provided by the sales team. At first, I focused on companies that had recently purchased explosion-proof lighting.
But early interviews revealed an important mistake.
In many industrial projects, the people placing orders often have little influence over product selection. They simply follow predefined project specifications.
That insight completely changed the direction of the research.
Instead of focusing on buyers, I shifted my attention to Lighting Designers - the people who actually influence which products get specified during the design phase.
After conducting additional interviews, several patterns became clear.
Lighting Designers are highly data oriented
Users weren’t interested in marketing language. They needed:
technical specifications,
certifications,
compatibility details,
quick access to documentation.
Most of them worked under heavy time pressure, often handling multiple projects simultaneously. If they couldn’t find the right product quickly, they simply moved on to another supplier.
This directly influenced the new information architecture.
Instead of splitting products across multiple pages:
all products were placed within a single searchable system,
filters became the primary navigation method,
technical data was prioritized over promotional content.
The goal was simple: Reduce the time needed to find the right product.
Simplifying the inquiry process
Another major issue appeared during usability testing.
Users struggled to:
understand product labels,
find the correct contact person,
and submit inquiries confidently.
Many participants preferred leaving the site entirely and searching for competitors with simpler processes.
To reduce friction, I redesigned the inquiry flow around the actual sales funnel:
CTA buttons were added directly on product pages,
inquiry generation became part of the browsing experience,
the configurator was simplified so users could complete it without specialist knowledge.
Designing the configurator
The configurator became one of the most complex parts of the project.
Explosion-proof lighting products involve a large number of technical dependencies:
optics,
mounting systems,
certifications,
ingress protection,
material resistance,
installation requirements.
One of the biggest challenges was deciding:
What information users actually need during configuration, and when?
The first MVP used a simple two-column layout with configuration options on the left and product results on the right. However, usability testing exposed several critical issues:
users skipped steps unintentionally,
hidden dependencies created confusion,
system feedback felt delayed.
Instead of forcing users into the original flow, I redesigned the experience based on observed behavior.
The final version introduced:
only 6 simplified configuration steps,
live visual feedback,
clearer progress tracking,
standardized interactions,
product-specific configurators embedded directly into product pages.
This also solved another problem:
Users no longer had to repeat the same selections twice - first during filtering and then again inside the configurator.
Outcome
Turning the website into a practical engineering tool
The final solution became much more than a redesigned corporate website.
It evolved into a platform designed specifically around the workflow of Lighting Designers and industrial engineers.
The new ecosystem included:
advanced product filtering,
simplified inquiry flows,
product configurators,
dedicated Designer Zone with tools supporting engineers in their daily work.
Features like:
DIALux integration,
BIM-related resources,
technical documentation,
and educational content helped position the company as both a manufacturer and a trusted technical partner.
The configurator quickly became one of the most important parts of the platform.
Analytics showed that:
around 95 users visited the configurator monthly,
76 users reached the final step,
but only 15 submitted an inquiry.
The biggest drop-off happened when users were asked to provide their email address.
Based on this insight, I proposed adding downloadable PDF product summary cards. Instead of forcing immediate lead submission, users could save and share configured products internally without providing personal data upfront.
This decision was driven directly by user behavior:
Engineers wanted quick access to technical information, but were reluctant to share contact details too early in the process.
In the end, the project became less about redesigning a website and more about understanding how highly specialized users actually work, and then building tools that support their workflow.
