Corsair, 2019—2020

Corsair iCUE: gaming gear control hub redesign

+300%

Wordwide downloads

5m+

Active users a month

10m+

Worldwide installs

Products

Desktop app

Mobile app

Team

Creative Director

Project Manager

Senior Designer

UX/UI Director (me)

What I Did

Design audit

UX/UI & User research 

Key UX/UI design

UX/UI direction

User testing

Client

Client

Corsair is a leading innovator in high-performance gear and technology for gamers. Their flagship software, iCUE, provides customization control for Corsair peripherals, as well as compatible products from partners like Lenovo, Blizzard, NVIDIA, and Ubisoft. iCUE supports the widest range of PC components under a single platform (200+).

Corsair is a leading innovator in high-performance gear and technology for gamers. Their flagship software, iCUE, provides customization control for Corsair peripherals, as well as compatible products from partners like Lenovo, Blizzard, NVIDIA, and Ubisoft. iCUE supports the widest range of PC components under a single platform (200+).

Product

Product

Corsair iCUE desktop app enables synchronisation between a PC, a wide range of peripherals, and games. It allows control over lighting, temperature, sound, tracking battery life and hardware statistics, and assigning game-specific multi-step macros to the action buttons and gestures of mice, keyboards, and headsets.

iCUE is an incredibly complex software by nature: each peripheral has its own set of abilities, and some have a six-level hierarchy of customizable properties.

Business Requirements & Constraints

Business Requirements & Constraints

As a hired Clay agency member, together with a PM and a Creative Director, I engaged in consultations with Corsair's Director of Product, CTO, and product team to gain an understanding of the project goals. To ensure clarity and alignment, I also communicated regularly with developers and understood their capabilities and technical constraints.

Business objectives for the app

  • Making iCUE easier to use

  • New hardware releases ongoing support

  • Promoting a comprehensive approach to gamers' desktop setups by enabling gamers to build a cohesive desktop ecosystem

  • Making iCUE user-friendly for beginners

  • Making the UI look and feel competitive with the top market players’.

Challenges

Challenges

In 2019, Corsair faced several challenges with iCUE:

  • Poor UX, resulting in low task completion rates and user frustration

  • Steep learning curve and a high threshold for entry

  • Mediocre CSAT

  • UI look and feel did not convey the company's innovative goals and was inferior to the competitors’

  • Support team high workload

  • Low scalability when it comes to adding new devices.

UX/UI Audit

UX/UI Audit

The project started with a comprehensive UX audit of the current iCUE software, with a primary focus on enhancing user-friendliness, simplifying UI, and analysing it from the user’s goals perspective. I created a 90-page presentation, providing a page-by-page analysis, and specific recommendations for improvement. This audit became a roadmap for our redesign.

Key Audit Insights

  • UX complexity causes user errors and lost data.

  • Navigation is confusing, hierarchy and nesting are not clear.

  • Common tasks take an irrational amount of time to complete and are not easily accessible.

  • Overwhelming amount of text across the system that could be replaced with graphics, iconography, or imagery.

  • Overly technical and intimidating look and feel of the UI.

Research

Research

Market Research

Together with a Senior UX/UI Designer we analysed direct and indirect iCUE competitors software, examining their feature sets, information architecture, UX/UI practices, and visual style. Our findings were presented in a 100+ page document that highlighted best practices to adopt and things to avoid, enabling us to make informed design decisions in the future.

User Research

Along with the PM, I interviewed 9 Corsair users with varying levels of proficiency and experience in using the app. Through these interviews, we gained valuable insights into their habits, challenges, and needs, including:

  • Types of users: ranging from those who primarily use their RGB devices for room lighting to professional gamers.

  • Gaming habits: how often and for what purposes they use iCUE while playing games.

  • User flows: their app usage patterns.

  • Device usage: the number of devices users have and how they customise and manage them.

  • Information tracking: which data users track and want to be notified about.

  • User opinions: opinions on the current iCUE software and how they think it can be improved.

Having access to passionate and unbiased users who voluntarily participated in the study was crucial for us to gain valuable insights into their needs and challenges. This allowed us to create a redesign that met both the business requirements and user needs.

Wireframing & Prototyping

Wireframing & Prototyping

Our initial step was to map out the existing iCUE version by creating a spider-like mind map, including all entities and actions. Analysing the scheme, we identified structural inconsistencies and proposed improvements to the hierarchy. We also used the scheme to document proposed changes to the feature set, which were later reviewed and approved during a workshop session with the client, taking into account competitor analysis and user research insights.

Once we had refined the spider IA scheme to incorporate the proposed feature set and structural edits, we used it to create high-fidelity wireframes for the entire system.

Design Validation

Design Validation

Together with a UX/UI designer we developed two approaches for the new navigation of the app. Given the significant changes, we conducted an prototype testing to compare the two options and evaluate the new UX against the old one. Corsair provided us with 5 users of varying proficiency levels and experience using the app, and we also recruited 2 users who had never used Corsair or similar software. Testing with experienced iCUE users enabled us to measure and predict the ease of transition from the old UI to the new one, which can often be challenging.

Based on the user testing results, we selected one approach that demonstrated the best task completion rate and user satisfaction.

Selected UX/UI Improvements

Selected UX/UI Improvements

Here are some design approaches that served as the foundation for the whole system redesign.

1. Removing excessive decoration

iCUE is an incredibly complex software by nature: each peripheral has its own set of abilities, and some have a six-level hierarchy of customizable properties. Furthermore, each setup can be saved as a ”profile,” and the number of profiles is unlimited. As a result, a lot of information and controls must be accessible on a single screen.

Before

Excessive layering and overuse of graphic elements such as lines, backgrounds, borders, and shadows created a cluttered feel and hard comprehension.

Excessive layering and overuse of graphic elements such as lines, backgrounds, borders, and shadows created a cluttered feel and hard comprehension.

After

The new design incorporates only essential graphic elements for a cleaner and more focused appearance. Using data on the average number of profiles users had, we enlarged the elements, making them easier to read and navigate through.

The new design incorporates only essential graphic elements for a cleaner and more focused appearance. Using data on the average number of profiles users had, we enlarged the elements, making them easier to read and navigate through.

2. User-Friendliness: From Texts to Visuals

Human brain processes images much faster and easier than text. Before the redesign, iCUE primarily relied on text lists to provide access to its features. However, given that each device has its unique set of properties, the items in those lists were inconsistently sorted across the system. Even experienced users had to scan through the lists to find what they needed.

Before

A lengthy list of lighting effects with an uppercase font that was difficult to read, and some labels didn’t fit. Each device had its unique list, making it challenging even for experienced users to locate the desired features.

A lengthy list of lighting effects with an uppercase font that was difficult to read, and some labels didn’t fit. Each device had its unique list, making it challenging even for experienced users to locate the desired features.

After

Lighting effects are grouped by type, each effect is represented by an distinctive icon, and the click zone has been increased for easier selection. Additionally, an instant search function has been added to enhance accessibility.

Lighting effects are grouped by type, each effect is represented by an distinctive icon, and the click zone has been increased for easier selection. Additionally, an instant search function has been added to enhance accessibility.

Before

Users were required to manually input numeric values, even though this level of precision wasn’t necessary. Furthermore, minimum and maximum values were undefined, leading to erroneous input that could potentially cause memory or CPU overload.

Users were required to manually input numeric values, even though this level of precision wasn’t necessary. Furthermore, minimum and maximum values were undefined, leading to erroneous input that could potentially cause memory or CPU overload.

After

Large and simple controls, which enable users to quickly set values within a given range, making it more user-friendly.

Large and simple controls, which enable users to quickly set values within a given range, making it more user-friendly.

Before

Matching the button name to the physical button on the device was a challenging task in the previous UI, as users had to navigate a long list and either remember, guess, or manually try each option one by one. This was especially difficult since some mice have specific action buttons.

Matching the button name to the physical button on the device was a challenging task in the previous UI, as users had to navigate a long list and either remember, guess, or manually try each option one by one. This was especially difficult since some mice have specific action buttons.

After

The new design simplifies the button remapping process by enabling users to select a button directly on the device image.

The new design simplifies the button remapping process by enabling users to select a button directly on the device image.

3. Shortcuts and Fast Tracks

This change was driven by our pursuit to achieve two business objectives for two user groups:

  • Experienced users: giving the ability to access their most used features quicker.

  • Beginners: simplifying and speeding up the learning process.

To achieve this, we used the user interviews takeaways, which determined the most frequently used keys, colour combinations, actions, and other elements, and created shortcuts for quick access to these features, as well as the ability to create those shortcuts by yourself.

One click to pre-select and customise the most used groups of keyboard keys, such as the WASD keys or numerals.

One click to pre-select and customise the most used groups of keyboard keys, such as the WASD keys or numerals.

One-click quick lighting with a range of most popular colour combination presets.

One-click quick lighting with a range of most popular colour combination presets.

Quick profile overview upon hover of the profile name with the possibility to navigate to the desired setting in one click instead of searching through a 4-level hierarchy of pages.

Quick profile overview upon hover of the profile name with the possibility to navigate to the desired setting in one click instead of searching through a 4-level hierarchy of pages.

A way to quickly change the current preset right from the home screen instead of diving into a 4-level hierarchy of pages.

A way to quickly change the current preset right from the home screen instead of diving into a 4-level hierarchy of pages.

This is only a partial glimpse into my design approach, as we also implemented various strategies such as enhancing the first-time user experience, creating tutorials for beginners, and improving the UX of each particular feature. In addition, we designed a mobile app with a unique use case of managing the lighting of all the devices and creating lighting scenes.

Results

Results

Before

After

Design System

Design System

Finally, together with a UX/UI designer we developed a comprehensive design system that included all design assets, such as colours, typography, icons, animation guidelines, responsiveness guidelines, interactive elements behaviour, and feedback principles.

Summary

Summary

After the redesign was completed, Corsair utilised the design system, guidelines, and principles we created to internally evolve the iCUE software. The response from Corsair's customers was overwhelmingly positive, resulting in multiple public reviews on platforms such as YouTube and HowToGeek.

+300%

Wordwide downloads

5m+

Active users a month

10m+

Worldwide installs

10m+

worldwide installs

Julia and her team managed to turn the heavy and complex UI into a beautiful and intuitive control panel, drastically lowering the threshold and flattening the learning curve for the new users. The look and feel of the new iCUE now fully matches the innovative company goal and principals.

Other Cases

Other Cases

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UX/UI design of apps for seven platforms, direction, user research, user testing

Google Jacquard: app for interactive garments

UX & UI design, user research, user testing