1. Overview

The Attune Flow Cytometer Configurator is a digital tool designed to help researchers customize and configure Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Attune Flow Cytometer to fit their laboratory needs. This project was not a redesign but a net-new experience built to support users in understanding and selecting from a range of product options and accessories.

Team

• Jonelle Boyd, Sr. UX/UI Designer
• Jesse Mitchell, Sr. Product Owner
• Amanda Thompson, Content Strategist
• Christine Lewis, Lead Front-End Engineer
• Front-End & Back-End Engineering Team

UX Goals

• Create a clear, guided flow for customizing complex scientific equipment
• Provide just-in-time information to help users understand configuration options
• Build a flexible, modular UI to support future expansion and changes
• Improve user confidence and reduce decision-making friction

2. Challenges

Flow cytometers are highly technical instruments with multiple configuration paths based on specific research needs, such as laser selection, detector options, and compatible accessories. Many users are experts in their field but may not be familiar with how to configure an instrument online.

Key challenges

• Ensuring scientific accuracy while simplifying terminology for varied audiences
• Making a complex, multi-step process feel linear and manageable
• Creating a responsive, modular design that supports desktop-first use
• Balancing detail with brevity in a high-stakes product configuration context

3. My Approach

To ensure usability and accuracy, I followed a structured process grounded in UX best practices:

1. Cross-functional Collaboration
   Worked closely with product managers and engineering to understand technical requirements, system logic, and user types. Defined the scope of available options and rules for compatibility.
2. Research and Content Mapping
   Analyzed existing product documentation and internal resources to define each step in the configuration process. Collaborated with stakeholders to identify key decision points and necessary explanations.
3. Modular Interface Design
   Created a modular design that supports step-by-step navigation with consistent layouts, progressive disclosure of content, and built-in validations to guide correct configuration choices.
4. UX Writing and Terminology Alignment
   Worked with product and marketing teams to align on language that is both scientifically accurate and user-friendly. Focused on reducing jargon and offering helpful inline guidance where needed.

4. User Journey

Before designing the interface, I collaborated with product owners to understand the typical flow cytometer buyer’s journey—from initial research to final purchase. Users were often scientists or lab managers who needed to ensure the selected configuration aligned with their experiment types, lab capacity, and budget. Many relied heavily on product documentation or sales representatives in the past.

To align the configurator with real-world behavior, I mapped a step-by-step journey:

1. Select an Attune Flow Cytometer model
2. Add required lasers and compatible detectors
3. Choose optional accessories and software
4. Review summary and submit for quote or purchase

The design aimed to support users at each of these stages with embedded guidance and real-time feedback.

5. Competitive & Internal Research

To ensure the configurator met both usability and business goals, I evaluated digital tools from three relevant sources:

• BD Biosciences: Their flow cytometer configurator was highly technical and form-heavy, with minimal contextual guidance or user-friendly visual aids—highlighting opportunities for a more intuitive and supportive experience.
• Apple (Hardware Configurator): While not a scientific tool, Apple sets a high standard for user-friendly configuration.
• Internal Thermo Fisher Tools: Existing internal configurators often relied on outdated UI patterns and lacked consistent visual hierarchy, which reinforced the need for a more modern, modular, and responsive design.

These comparisons reinforced the value of progressive guidance, real-time feedback, and a clean, scalable layout tailored to both novice and expert users.

6. Final Design

The final configurator design uses a multi-step format with persistent navigation, clear section headers, and smart defaults. Users begin by choosing a core model, then move through laser options, detectors, accessories, and service plans. A summary panel updates in real time, helping users visualize their configuration as they go.

Key UX Features

• Progress Indicator to show where users are in the process
• Expandable Help Sections with contextual descriptions and images
• Real-Time Summary Panel that tracks selections and updates pricing
• Built-in Validations to prevent incompatible choices and guide corrections
• Responsive Layouts optimized for desktop-first use in lab settings

View PDF of Attune Screens

7. Results

The Attune Flow Cytometer Configurator launched as a key part of Thermo Fisher’s instrument purchasing experience. It has helped simplify what was previously a complex and sales-driven process into a guided, digital-first tool accessible to a wider range of users.

Key Results & Metrics

• Positive feedback from internal stakeholders and field sales teams
• Reduced dependency on manual configuration support
• Increased clarity and transparency in the configuration and pricing process

8. Learnings & Reflections

This project highlighted the value of close collaboration between UX, product, and engineering teams in making highly technical systems more accessible. Designing for modularity and progressive disclosure ensured that users weren’t overwhelmed while still retaining full control over their configuration. It also reinforced the importance of domain-specific UX writing to bridge the gap between scientific precision and usability. As the tool’s framework proves successful, it opens the door to scaling the configurator model across Thermo Fisher’s broader portfolio of scientific instruments.

UX Principle: Consistency and Standards

Maintaining Consistency and Standards in user interface design refers to using consistent layouts and interaction patterns across each step to reduce cognitive load.

1. Overview

The Pulumi UX team lacked a formal UI library, which led to inconsistencies across the product and inefficiencies in both design and development. As Pulumi Cloud and the team grew, the need for a unified visual language became clear. The focus was on building reusable components and establishing foundational styles to support a more consistent and scalable user experience.

Team

• Jonelle Boyd, Sr. UX/UI Designer
• Dylan Kilgore, Sr. UX/UI Designer
• Vic Fernandez, Sr. UX/UI Designer
• Kimberley MacKenzie, Sr. Frontend Engineer

My UX Goals

• Establish visual and functional consistency across teams and features
• Reduce design and development debt by creating reusable, standardized components
• Improve accessibility through built-in patterns and usage guidelines
• Foster cross-functional alignment between design and engineering through shared systems and documentation

2. Challenges

Before the UI library existed, our design and development workflows were fragmented. Designers frequently recreated components from scratch or worked from outdated files, while developers implemented UI without clear guidance or consistency. This led to duplicated work, visual drift, accessibility issues, and a fragmented user experience. We saw an opportunity not only to fix inconsistencies but to build a system that would support scalability and streamline collaboration across teams.

3. My Approach

To ensure the system was scalable, consistent, and easy to use, I followed a four-step approach grounded in UX best practices:

1. Audit & Align (Consistency)
I started with a UI audit to identify inconsistencies and redundant patterns. This gave us a clear picture of what needed to be standardized and where to consolidate design efforts.

2. Define Foundations (Usability)
We established core design tokens—typography, color, spacing, and elevation—to create a consistent and reusable visual language that could guide both design and development.

3. Build Modular Components (Scalability)
Following atomic design principles, I built flexible, reusable components in Figma, progressing from simple elements to more complex UI structures to support evolving product needs.

4. Document & Collaborate (Accessibility)
I created usage guidelines covering behavior, accessibility, and edge cases, and worked closely with engineering to ensure long-term maintainability and alignment between design and implementation.

4. Inspiration

We drew inspiration from established systems like Google Material, Flowbite (a.k.a – Tailwind Figma), and Helios libraries. These systems demonstrated the value of a well-structured, documented, and extensible approach to UI. Their clarity and scalability helped shape our thinking around how to define tokens, components, and usage patterns in a way that would be both practical for our team and aligned with best practices.

5. Execution & Collaboration

We built the UI library in Figma, where we created atomic components, established design tokens, and documented properties and use cases. I also contributed to writing guidelines that covered behavior, accessibility, and edge cases—ensuring our system was not only consistent but also inclusive and functional. Collaboration with our front-end developer was key: we regularly synced on implementation details, reviewed GitHub PRs, and maintained a feedback loop to keep the design and code in sync.

The design system is still a work in progress, with the long-term goal of building a public-facing website similar to Google Material’s—something that can serve as a shared resource internally and eventually externally. For now, documentation lives in a working Google Docs file titled UI Design System Guidelines, which serves as a living guide for how to create or update components within the Pulumi Cloud Console. This document is actively maintained and intended to evolve alongside the system until the full site is ready to launch.

6. Results & Next Steps

The design system has improved consistency across Pulumi Cloud and reduced the time designers and developers spend on repeat work. Feedback from internal teams has been positive, especially around shared patterns and accessibility support. The next milestone is launching a public-facing documentation site to better support onboarding, cross-team adoption, and external contributors.

Key Results & Metrics

• 80% reduction in time spent designing repeat UI components, thanks to reusable assets in the Figma library.

• 4× faster onboarding for new designers and developers, due to centralized documentation and clear component usage.

• 100% adoption rate among Pulumi UX designers for the new Figma component set within the first quarter.

• 20+ documented components and growing, each with usage guidelines, accessibility notes, and edge case considerations.

7. Learnings & Reflections

Building Pulumi’s first design system taught me how foundational consistency and clarity are to scaling UX. I deepened my understanding of atomic design, accessibility standards, and cross-functional documentation. Most importantly, I saw how a well-structured system can bridge gaps between design and development, enabling teams to move faster while staying aligned.

Methodology: Atomic Design

A methodology that breaks interfaces into five hierarchical stages—atoms, molecules, organisms, templates, and pages—for scalable and modular UI development.

1. Overview

In Q4 2022, Pulumi set out to redesign its “About” page—transforming it from a static, generic section into a more authentic and engaging representation of the company’s mission, culture, and people. The goal was to better serve prospective customers, partners, and talent through clearer messaging and a more intentional user experience.

As the sole designer on the project, I worked closely with Product Marketing to clarify audience needs and page objectives. From there, I led content strategy, information architecture, wireframing, and prototyping—shaping a layout scalable with the company that effectively guides users through Pulumi’s story.

Team

• Jonelle Boyd, Sr. UX/UI Designer
• Aaron Kao, VP Marketing
• Casey Synder, Director of People
• Ellie Stykova, Product Manager
• Joe Duffy, Co-Founder and CEO
• Kimberley MacKenzie, Sr. Frontend Engineer

My UX Goals

• Make Pulumi’s brand story more discoverable and engaging
• Humanize the company through visual storytelling and team representation
• Create a scalable and responsive layout that works across devices
• Improve navigation and information flow to support diverse user needs
• Ensure accessibility and cross-browser compatibility throughout the experience

2. Challenges

The original About page lacked essential storytelling. It didn’t communicate Pulumi’s mission, values, or history—and the visual presentation failed to reflect the personality of the company. Employee photos, once used to humanize the brand, had become unsustainable to maintain as the team scaled.

Additionally, the site had technical shortcomings:

• Responsiveness issues across screen sizes
• Inconsistent browser rendering
• Poor UX hierarchy and navigability

These gaps presented a clear opportunity to rethink not just the content, but how it was structured and delivered to end users.

3. My Approach

I focused on creating a clear, engaging, and scalable About page by following these core steps:

1. Define Audience & Goals
   Partnered with Product Marketing to identify key audiences and align on what the page should communicate to customers, partners, and potential hires.
2. Restructure Content & Flow
   Reworked the information architecture to prioritize storytelling—leading with mission and values, then guiding users through team highlights and CTAs.
3. Design & Prototype
   Created wireframes and interactive prototypes to explore layouts, refine content, and align visual design with Pulumi’s brand identity.
4. Build & QA with Dev
   Collaborated with engineering to implement responsive, accessible designs and ensured cross-browser performance through QA and iteration.

Lo-Fi Mockups

4. Inspiration

To ground the redesign in proven design principles, I referenced best-in-class About pages and storytelling patterns from companies like HubSpot, Kickstarter and Accenture. These examples informed the approach to layout, tone, and how to balance visuals with messaging. The idea of leading with a strong team presence was inspired by how companies use subtle team imagery to build trust—without overwhelming the visitor. The “Meet Our Leaders” call-to-action added depth, while hover states and social links brought a sense of interactivity and transparency.

5. Impact & Broader Context

This redesign played a key role in Pulumi’s broader effort to evolve its brand expression and unify product and marketing experiences across channels. It strengthened recruitment, boosted partner relationships, and increased community awareness by delivering a consistent and authentic brand voice.

Close collaboration with the front-end team ensured the design was fully responsive and consistent across browsers, addressing long-standing technical issues. This cross-functional partnership set the stage for smoother future updates and improved alignment between marketing and engineering teams.

View Pulumi About Page Before (PDF) and After (Figma Prototype)

6. Results

By combining improved messaging, streamlined layout, and technical optimizations, the new About page has delivered clear, quantifiable gains across multiple metrics:

Key Results & Metrics

• 2.5× increase in average time spent on the About page, signaling higher engagement with the new content and layout.

• +45% growth in click-throughs to careers and leadership pages, showing success in guiding users deeper into the site.

• 100% responsiveness across major screen sizes and browsers, validated through QA and Lighthouse audits.

• 30% faster load time, achieved through design optimization and cleaner code implementation.

7. Learnings & Reflections

This project highlighted the power of storytelling in UX. I learned how to structure content for clarity and impact, collaborate across teams to align brand and tech, and design scalable, responsive layouts that strengthen trust with users.

UX Principle Used: Hick’s Law

The redesign applied Hick’s Law, which highlights that the more choices a user faces, the longer it takes to make a decision. By streamlining the page structure, simplifying navigation, and visually prioritizing key sections, the new design reduces decision fatigue and allows users to absorb Pulumi’s story more easily and efficiently.