Overview
FLUX laser cutters have a built-in touchscreen for setup, calibration, and monitoring. But the interface hadn't been updated in 3 years. Users dealt with inconsistent layouts, unclear labels, and missing feedback states.

I redesigned the firmware UI and built a scalable design system covering navigation, typography, modals, and error states. The new interface improves clarity, accessibility, and consistency across 6 laser cutter models. The redesign now serves 40k+ users worldwide.

Role
UI/UX Design, Prototyping, Iconography, UX writing, Design handoff

Team
Product Manager: Jack, Mandy
Full Stack Engineer: Esther, Jason

Timeline
1.5 months design (3 months development & testing)
‍Launched in Nov, 2024

My Approach

Audit the existing interface

Reviewed all firmware screens across 6 laser cutter models to document inconsistencies in layout, typography, and interaction patterns.

Define the design system

Created a unified system covering colors, buttons, modals, icons, and states to ensure consistency and speed up future development.

Redesign core screens

Worked with PMs and engineers to prioritize high-impact screens. Designed and prototyped new layouts for navigation, settings, and error handling.

Test and refine

Tested common tasks on physical devices, identified usability gaps, and iterated based on internal feedback before launch.

Highlights

A modern interface for 40k users across 6+ laser cutters.

Unified Design System - Consistent colors, typography, and components across all screens.

30-Language Support - Responsive layouts that handle Arabic, German, and everything in between.

Touch-Optimized Controls - Larger tap targets and clearer feedback for gloved hands and busy workshops.

The old interface hadn't been updated in 3 years. Inconsistent buttons, unclear states, and cramped layouts frustrated users. The redesign brought visual clarity and a scalable system.

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Supporting 30 languages meant designing for text expansion, Right-to-left layouts, and button truncation. Every component had to flex without breaking.

Context

The interface users touch every time they cut.

Firmware is the first thing users see when they power on their laser cutter. If it's confusing, every session starts with friction.

What is BeamOS?

BeamOS is the firmware that runs on FLUX laser cutters. It's the touchscreen interface users interact with to calibrate, monitor, and control their machine. Unlike Beam Studio (the desktop software), BeamOS lives on the machine itself. Users tap it with bare hands in noisy workshops.

6+ machines, one interface.

FLUX sells multiple laser cutter series: beamo, Beambox, HEXA, and more. Each has different capabilities, but they all run BeamOS. Any update I designed had to work across hardware specs, unique features, and user expectations for each product line.

30 languages, including Right-to-left.

FLUX has distributors in 70+ countries. BeamOS supports 30 languages, including Arabic (right-to-left), German (long words), and Chinese (character density). Every button, label, and modal had to handle text expansion without truncation or overflow.

Problem

An interface that looked and felt stuck in 2021.

The firmware worked, but it hadn't kept up with user expectations. Every tap reminded users how dated it felt.

Persona (Based on FLUX support tickets and user feedback)

Meet Tom, a workshop owner.

Tom is a 38-year-old custom signage maker who runs a small fabrication shop.

‍He owns two FLUX laser cutters and runs jobs back to back, often with gloves on. He switches between English and German depending on which employee is operating the machine. The touchscreen is his main control surface. When buttons are too small, labels are unclear, or the interface lags, it slows down his entire production line.

Tom represents workshop owners who rely on firmware daily for production.

Problem 1

Inconsistent and outdated visuals.

The firmware hadn't been updated in 3 years. Buttons had different styles on different screens. Some labels were truncated. Colors didn't match the rest of FLUX's product ecosystem. It looked like software from a different company.

"The software on my computer looks modern. The screen on my machine looks like it's from 2015."

Problem 2

Too small for real-world use.

Tom operates his laser cutter with work gloves on. The old interface had small tap targets, tight spacing, and buttons that were easy to miss. In a busy workshop, every missed tap costs time.

"I end up tapping twice because the buttons are too small. When I'm running five jobs in a row, that adds up."

Problem 3

30 languages, constant breakage.

FLUX supports 30 languages, including German (long words) and Arabic (right-to-left). The old system wasn't built for this. German labels overflowed buttons. Arabic layouts broke entirely. Every translation update risked visual bugs.

"I switched to German for my employee and half the buttons were cut off."

Three problems, one design system.

I was tasked with redesigning the firmware interface and building a system that could:

Unify the visual language, so every screen felt like it belonged to the same product
Improve touch usability, so users like Tom could operate the machine quickly and accurately
Scale across 30 languages, so translations didn't break layouts or truncate labels

The goal was to modernize the interface without disrupting workflows users already knew.

Modernizing a 3-year-old touchscreen interface

The firmware UI for FLUX laser cutters was outdated and inconsistent. I redesigned the interface and design system to improve usability and accessibility across 6 product lines.

Highlights

A modern interface for 40k users across 6+ laser cutters.

Context

The interface users touch every time they cut.

Problem

An interface that looked and felt stuck in 2021.

Persona (Based on FLUX support tickets and user feedback)

Problem 1

Problem 2

Problem 3

Contact

sam.shenghao.mei@gmail.com

Socials

LinkedIn

Instagram

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