Formify
Design revamp of a 3D configurator platform for custom furniture
Role: Senior Product Designer (Product + UX/UI Systems)
Start: Feb 2025
Scope: Product strategy, UX architecture, UI redesign, design systems (visual + technical), brand/landing, AI & CAD/CAM readiness
I led the shift from a fragmented, step-by-step configurator to a platformized “Configurator 2.0” which is powerful enough for professional furniture workflows, but simple enough for mainstream e-commerce.
Or, put simply:
Somewhere between The Sims and Promob: approachable, constraint-safe, and seriously technical under the hood.
Context
Formify builds 3D configurators for the furniture market, from RTA products to fully customizable systems. When I joined, the company had shipped years of work without a dedicated design function. The product was functional, but:
- the UI had grown organically (inconsistent patterns, controls, and feedback)
- the configurator relied heavily on a strict step/wizard structure
- it was hard to redesign without “throwing away” the last 3 years
- scaling to multiple clients/brands meant reinventing the wheel every time
The challenge
How do you redesign a complex 3D configurator into a modern, scalable platform without resetting the product to zero?
I needed to preserve what worked, align stakeholders around a clearer product direction, and create a system that could support multiple configurator types and future capabilities (AI, CAD/CAM, multi-brand theming).
My approach
A design-led blueprint before pixels
I positioned design as the owner of a “Configurator 2.0 Blueprint”: a design-led phase to create alignment and reduce refactor risk.Deliverables:
- Service blueprint (end-to-end experiences that define the product’s future)
- Interaction model + UI architecture
- Component + theming strategy (platformization)
- Metrics & success indicators (what “good” looks like)
Product strategy: defining configurator types
A key unlock was stopping the “one configurator fits all” approach. I defined a taxonomy based on complexity, user intent, and business model:
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Style Picker
Fast decisions, guided presets, low cognitive load (ideal for builders with strict constraints)
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Modular SKU Picker
Compose products from validated modules; powerful but controlled
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Fully Customizable Configurator
Deep editing, parametric options, robust constraints, multi-step review/approval
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3D Asset / Modeling Tool (future)
A path for advanced users to bring their own designs into the platform
Main user flow
UX redesign: from “steps” to “editing freedom”
The legacy experience forced users through a rigid sequence. I redesigned the interaction model to feel more like a modern creation tool:
Key changes:
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persistent 3D canvas + contextual editing panels
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fewer “modal” interruptions; more direct manipulation
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save, version, compare, share built into the core flow
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standardized camera controls and gesture behavior across devices
- reduced cognitive load using presets, progressive disclosure, and clear feedback
Style system + real-world feasibility
Because Formify sits between inspiration and manufacturing, I built a style/preset layer grounded in feasibility:
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style definitions and trend categories users can actually choose from
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onboarding questions that translate taste into valid configurations
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supplier + logistics research to ensure what we show can be produced and delivered
- budget logic as part of the configuration experience (especially for Style Picker)
Style picking instance of the configurator
AI roadmap: helpful, constrained, and reversible
I designed AI as a co-pilot, not a gimmick:
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natural language onboarding: translates intent into presets
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“stuck-user rescue”: suggests next steps when users hesitate
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optimization suggestions: within constraints and valid SKUs
- guardrails: AI outputs must be explainable, constrained, and undoable
Pre-launch impact
Formify wasn’t publicly released yet, so the impact could be best interpreted as strategic and executional readiness:- a shared Configurator 2.0 vision that aligned product + engineering around a design-first roadmap
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a clear configurator taxonomy that prevented feature creep and clarified sales positioning
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a scalable UI + platform system for faster onboarding of new brands
- blueprint flows and metrics that turned “opinions” into trackable decisions
What I’m proud of
- Turning a legacy product into a platform strategy, without burning what existed
- Making complexity feel approachable by treating constraints as the UX
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Using my architecture + furniture background as a product advantage (spatial logic, manufacturability, real-world constraints)
- Establishing design as a leadership function in a highly technical company