Cricut Heat mobile app
A companion app for Cricut Heat Presses that takes the guesswork out of making professional-looking Iron-on and Infusible Ink projects.
Challenge
Users of Cricut’s heat presses relied on a static web-based heat guide with no data tracking or onboarding. New Bluetooth hardware required a connected experience that simplified setup and ensured perfect results.
Solution
Designed the end-to-end UX for Cricut’s first connected heat press app. Built extensible workflows for activation, registration, practice projects, and step-by-step guidance with video renderings.
Impact
Captured valuable analytics information Cricut uses to understand, direct, and grow the overall heat press and material category. Praised by users as "a game changer" and "incredibly easy to use."
Role
Principal Product Designer + App Namer
Contribution
Owned UX from concept to launch, collaborated with hardware + materials teams, ran user tests under tight timelines, drove requirements and MVP scoping.
Collaborators
Visual Design, Software Product Management, Hardware Product Management, Industrial Design, Materials team, Engineering, Analytics, Data Science, Legal, Education, Marketing, and Executives.
Timeline
0→MVP in 1 year
The Challenge
Business Needs
Unlike cutting machines, Cricut's heat presses were not connected and did not require registration, so Cricut was not collecting any data on usage. Cricut also hosted a web-based Heat Guide — time & temp settings based on material and substrate — but this did not require sign-in, was not instrumented for data capture, and was expensive to manually update and maintain.
While Cricut manufactured a new line of Bluetooth-enabled Heat Presses — including EasyPress 3 and the Hat Press — I was tasked with designing a companion software user experience that would handle activation, registration, and firmware updates while also collecting valuable user data. Oh, and it also needed to deliver guidance for Iron-on and Infusible Ink transfers that was superior to the Heat Guide.
Constraints
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Mobile-only (iOS & Android)
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Not integrated with the design software
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App required for product activation
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Extremely aggressive design & development timeline
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No time for early user testing
Success Criteria
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App adoption
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Heat Press Activation rate
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Robust user metrics
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NPS
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Star ratings and reviews
Operating Under a Tight Timeline
Discovery
The project initially had an extremely tight timeline — only a few months from conception to release. This constraint meant there was no time for early user testing, so I relied on Product Experts, Member Care call logs, discussions with Materials and Hardware Product Managers, collaboration with Industrial Designers, analysis of competitive products, and direct experience with designing and making heat transfer projects to inform the early designs.
Insights
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The online heat guide only had one illustration for the Press step; it was easy to miss crucial steps before and after pressing.
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Instructions for pressing multi-layer designs were not included in the heat guide; they could only be found in help content elsewhere.
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This new app provided an opportunity to aggregate heat press information: digital user manuals, help articles and videos, as well as project inspiration.
Design Principles
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Step-by-step guidance, à la the Cricut Joy app
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A framework designed for extensibility (future BTE presses) that would also be useful for users of older, non-BTE heat presses
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Give users quick access to frequently used settings
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Allow for flexibility — ability to edit settings or enter custom settings
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Provide education and help content in context
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Boost users' confidence with an easy practice project
Collaborators
Team
I worked closely with Hardware Product Management, Industrial Design, Engineering, Software Product Managment, and a Materials Lead during the definitional phases of this project.
Operating Model
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During initial design phase — weekly design reviews with PM, ID, UX. Periodic check-ins with Materials team and Creative.
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During development & beyond — weekly team meetings, daily standups, 2-week sprints, prototype & AC review at beginning & end of sprints, UX review before QA, quarterly planning & exec review.
Defining a System Architecture
Although the initial timeline was very tight, I was able to leverage some frameworks and components that I designed for the Cricut Joy app to design an end-to-end user journey:
Unboxing/Registration/Activation → Sample Project → New Project → Set Up (parameters) → Project Overview → Connect → “Make It” → Care instructions
In addition to these landmark screens, I also carefully considered all aspects of the app experience:
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Sign In / Create Account
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App navigation
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Saved settings
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Clear distinction between software and hardware interactions
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Contextual help links and videos
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Error messages and empty states
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User settings
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Consistent tone in copy throughout
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Transitions and micro-interactions
Risks
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User adoption tied to success of new product launches (with older heat presses still in market)
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Support for older heat presses was cut for MVP, thus decreasing the potential user pool
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The initial timeline didn't allow for rigorous early research and testing
Guardrails
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More detailed guidance and instructions for users than the online heat guide provided
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Video renderings for each step in the process to minimize mistakes
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Quick access to last 3 settings improves efficiency
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App promoted directly on heat press packaging
Quick & Easy Onboarding
Making Required Steps Feel Effortless
Since the new BTE heat presses were the first models to require registration and activation, I designed the Set Up flow to be as frictionless as possible.
Once a new heat press is powered on, the app automatically recognizes it and connects — no need for the user to navigate to their device's Bluetooth settings. Firmware updates, if needed, download while the heat press is activating.
Impact
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Fast onboarding = positive user sentiment
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Registration is tied to a Cricut ID, thus giving a fuller picture of users' device ecosystems
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Ability to track app usage
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Ability to track frequency of use of heat transfer materials and pressing substrates
Practice Makes Perfect
After Onboarding, a Practice Project
Based on data from onboarding for Cricut cutting machines, I knew that users were more likely to adopt and frequently use a product when they successfully completed a practice project. The practice project — based on materials provided in the box — gives users an introduction to the Heat app while also familiarizing them with heat press materials and techniques.
The practice project needed to be comprehensive enough to give users knowledge and confidence, but not so involved that it would intimidate and deter users. Heuristic evaluations, stakeholder input, and user testing provided strong evidence that this was also the correct approach for heat presses.
Options Considered
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Whether or not to include practice materials was a heated debate; including them increased the cost of the product and the development cost of the app.
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Ultimately, heuristic evaluations, stakeholder input, and user testing provided strong evidence that including this was the best approach for product adoption.
Impact
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Reduced user confusion
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Improved user confidence
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Less material waste
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Increased sales and adoption of Infusible Ink materials
Ensuring Success, Step-by-Step
Guided Flows to Press Any Material
For a new project, users start by choosing a transfer material, e.g., a specific type of Iron-on, and then choose the substrate they will apply it to, e.g., 100% cotton. There are numerous possible combinations, and many of them require more than one step for an optimal outcome.
In the example shown here, the user is applying an Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet to a Cricut Ball Cap. This requires 2 distinct steps: Preheat, then Press. Whereas the online Heat Guide only provided one static layering illustration for each project, the Heat app walks users through each step and offers video renderings to more effectively communicate requirements.
Impact
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Fewer failed projects and less wasted material
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More confident users
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Happy app and product reviewers
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Ability to capture granular usage metrics
Video Tutorials at the Perfect Moment
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Each time a user selects a new transfer material or substrate — that is, the first time through for a particular user — the app presents a quick video tutorial before proceeding through the pressing steps.
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Users have the option to skip the tutorial, but user feedback confirmed that most users prefer to watch the tutorials to familiarize themselves with new materials and processes before attempting them.
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Users found this especially true for Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets, which seemed more intimidating than Iron-on transfers.
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In subsequent projects, users still have random access to the tutorial, but it is not presented in sequence during each run-through.
Quick Access to Last 3 Settings
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The app automatically stores the user's last three unique settings, providing one-tap access.
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Selecting a Last Used setting saves the user 6 taps vis-a-vis starting a new project.
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The logic is such that the Last Used always contains three (or fewer) distinct settings. If the last three projects were identical, those settings only appear once in the list.
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Future designs took this concept further, not only providing last used settings, but also allowing users to explicitly save as many savings as they would like.
Video Renderings of Complex Steps
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Static step illustrations like those used on the online Heat guide were difficult to render legibly with such limited screen real estate.
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In addition, the illustrations showed the layering order of the materials, but did not adequately convey all the required steps.
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For the Heat app, we worked with the Creative team to produce video renderings for each step. These, along with random-access quick tutorial videos and written instructions, ensured users' success.
Better Late than Never
Delayed hardware timelines ultimately afforded us the time to do some quick-and-dirty testing with users pre-launch, and to update the app accordingly.
Test Details
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We conducted several rounds of testing using high-fidelity prototypes, including Onboarding, Practice Project, and New Project flows.
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Test subjects included internal Cricut employees and well as external friends and family; subjects were a mixture of new and experienced levels.
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Test subjects made real projects with provided materials and working hardware prototypes.
Outcomes
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Initial static illustrations were hard to read and comprehend; testing provided the ammunition to convince leadership to pay for video renderings.
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Users loved the practice project and often wanted further guidance. Quick video tutorials were added post-test.
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Wording is important — not all users interpret "light pressure" or "firm pressure" in the same way.
Shipping the MVP & Beyond
Scoping the MVP
While I provided comprehensive designs for many scenarios, we of course had to cut scope for the MVP. Some of the features cut were:
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Unlimited saved settings
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Support for non-BTE heat presses
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Support for multi-layer heat press projects
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Ability for the user to name their heat press
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Integration of inspirational project content.
Cutting support for non-BTE presses hurt the most. This meant a significant narrowing of the potential user base, less potential for data collection, and that the online Heat Guide could not yet be retired.
Platform Details
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iOS and Android
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Software API integrations
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Hardware integrations
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BTE connection
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Firmware Updates
Product, Design, and Development Partnership
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I provided original written behavioral specs, flow charts, and Figma prototypes; Product Management turned these into acceptance criteria for Development and QA.
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I worked closely with the developers to define all transitions and micro-interactions.
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Design worked with the Creative team to produce all needed video renderings.
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The team reviewed all relevant prototypes and AC together at the beginning of each sprint.
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Design did independent UX QA reviews before passing to dev QA.
The Cricut Heat App & the EasyPress 3 are Amazing!
I absolutely love my new EasyPress 3 and the new Cricut Heat app! I love that the app takes out all the guesswork. It sends the information to the EP3 and walks you through every part of the process. The EP3 and the app make it easy for even inexperienced crafters to make awesome projects.
5-star EP3 Product Review
Game Changer!
This, by far, is one of the most creative and fun heat presses out there! The ease of use and the coordinating Heat App (which I absolutely LOVE) take all the guesswork out of pressing — no matter what HTV material you are using! It's so much fun to use and the finished product comes out beautiful.
5-star Hat Press Product Review
I love the EasyPress for its portability and ease of use. Add to that Bluetooth capability with the new Heat app and now I have the same great function plus step-by-step instructions at my fingertips. I consider myself an intermediate-level crafter, so imagine my surprise when I used the Heat app and realized how many steps I was skipping. This will save me so much time and many materials.
5-star EP3 Product Review
Impacting the Organization
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During design and development of the app, hardware timelines for both the EasyPress 3 and the Hat Press were constantly shifting. The team had to be agile enough to handle launching the app with support for only the EasyPress 3, only the Hat Press, or both.
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Ultimately, all timelines converged and we successfully launched both heat presses and the Heat app together.
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Since launching, the Heat app now collects valuable data, inlcuding the usage of Cricut materials and blanks, frequently used settings, if and when settings are edited, and number and variety of projects per user.
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Data capture also allowed Cricut to see the percentage of users with more than one BTE-enabled heat press, and to correlate usage data.
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Cricut continues to use this valuable analytics information to understand, direct, and grow their overall heat press and material categories.
Extending Capabilities & Integrations
What Would Do Next I Do Next?
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Drive app adoption and usage by building registration and project flows for all non-BTE heat presses (aka "dumb presses").
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Improve user customization and efficiency with unlimited saved settings.
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Provide step-by-step support for multi-layer iron-on and Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet projects.
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Interface parity for right-to-left language users (e.g., Hebrew, Arabic).
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Facilitate easy transitions between Cricut's design software and the Heat app. Ultimately, integrate all heat app functionality into the existing design apps.
