A technology integration project can possess all the best products and systems, but if the user struggles with the UI, what’s the point? Sometimes, the progression from an acceptable to a lackluster user experience happens gradually. Users, like the owner of this featured luxury yacht, had slowly become disengaged as he grew increasingly tech savvy over the years.
“The original user experience that was provided on board the yacht was not modern or well thought out,” according to Digital Automation CEO Stephen Harrington. “The system, however, was in working order and the overall installation was well done.”
Designing a New UI Without Reworking the Entire System
Digital Automation’s challenge was delivering a fresh, new, and modern user interface without having to start over and possibly introduce a new set of issues into the existing system.
The Digital Automation designers and engineers found the ideal solution by utilizing Crestron’s HTML5 user interface design platform to update the existing UI on board.
Crestron’s HTML5 design components bridge standard web development methodologies with Crestron hardware solutions, creating a dynamic and scalable user interface for the client.

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The existing infrastructure was left as is and programming intact. HTML5 allowed Digital Automation to focus on the real issue: providing a dramatically improved user experience through complete customization of the interface.
An added perk for Digital Automation was greater workflow efficiency. They could dedicate time and resources only where it was needed and tag team the project. The Digital Automation programmer could develop HTML5 solutions while a font end developer builds the GUI.
What’s Made Today Can Live on Always
One of the best parts of applying HTML5 to this and other projects is its leverage of Digital Automation’s existing SIMPL# framework. It delivers all the benefits of a new responsive user interface with the stability of the company’s custom-built framework that runs on thousands of projects around the world.
What used to be a time consuming and error-prone task is now an edit in a couple of lines of codes, Harrington notes. Just as they did for this client, they can experiment with new design tools to keep UI designs fresh and change the look of touchscreens quickly and conveniently.
“This project symbolizes Digital Automation’s dedication to providing clients with the best experience possible,” Harrington says. They’ve found a way to breathe new life into older systems without costly, unnecessary steps. Jumping into the uncharted territory of HTML5 has been well worth the risk. The discoveries Digital Automation has uncovered so far have proven that it’s been the right decision for this and other future projects.
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