“I firmly believe that the integration of screens on disposable vapes signifies a significant breakthrough in vape products, potentially indicating a move towards high-end vapor products. Interactivity is poised to become the decisive feature of the next generation of vapes. This interactivity is expected to facilitate dialogue between end-users and other stakeholders in the supply chain.” —Translated from Professor Deng Ming’s “After Disposable”, Tobacco Reporter.
As technology extends its reach into the vaping industry, a storm of innovation centered around large screen or touchscreen vape products is unfolding in overseas markets. Today, we will analyze the interactive design wisdom contained within these globally popular large screen or touchscreen vape products, revealing how vapes harness technological innovation to make every puff an experience that touches the future!
Why have large screens become the new favorite for vapes?
The introduction of large screen technology has brought unprecedented operational experiences to vapes. Imagine a clear, responsive touchscreen that not only displays battery and oil levels but also real-time puff counts, personalized interactive animations, and even creative puff effects reminiscent of dashboard interfaces, vivid power adjustments, and imaginative puff animations. All of these make vape usage more intuitive, convenient, and fun. As Professor Deng mentioned in the opening, these designs propel the vape usage experience into a new dimension, with manufacturers and developers striving to create vivid and emotionally connected designs, further capturing consumers’ hearts.
So, what is the display logic of the large screen vape UI? Further summarizing, we can identify several key elements:
Battery and Oil Levels: Clearly displayed information Battery and oil levels are among the most crucial concerns for vape users. With the support of a large screen, this information is no longer limited to a few simple LED indicators but is presented in intuitive graphics and numbers. Battery levels can be shown through a battery icon, gradually emptying as the battery depletes, with colors changing accordingly, from full green to low red. Oil level display is equally intuitive, with a simple progress bar or oil drop graphic, allowing users to clearly know when it’s time to refill.
**Large screen vapes utilize detailed battery percentage displays and battery status animations, accompanied by intuitive oil level bars or oil drop graphics, to constantly remind users of device operation status, helping users efficiently manage energy consumption and oil replenishment. For vapes with dual oil chamber designs, the working status of the two chambers is independently displayed on the UI, with various colored lights or icons indicating which oil chamber is in use and when oil needs to be replenished.
Power On/Off and Mode Switching: Simple and intelligent Taking the touchscreen as an example, turning on/off and switching modes becomes unprecedentedly straightforward. Users only need to tap the icons or swipe the screen to easily turn the vape on/off and switch modes, eliminating the need to remember cumbersome operations like “press five times to turn on, press three times to switch modes.” This design not only simplifies the operation process but also greatly enhances the user experience. Whether it’s the power on/off status indication or the seamless switching between single/dual-core or high/low power modes, all are instantly reflected on the screen, ensuring users are always aware of the device status and enhancing control pleasure through cool animations.
Power Adjustment: Personalized puff experience Power adjustment is another highlight of vape interactive design. Some products allow users to easily adjust the vape’s power according to their preferences, through sliders or plus/minus buttons on the touchscreen. The large screen UI provides real-time feedback on the current settings, using color changes and dynamic backgrounds to intuitively convey the sensory experience and safety reminders brought about by power changes. This personalized setting ensures that every puff meets the user’s individual taste and satisfies more personalized needs.
Puff Data Tracking: Intelligent integration with health Some large screen vapes can also display puff count and duration statistics. By accurately tracking puff counts and recording puff times, users can better understand their usage habits and make adjustments and optimizations based on this data. These functions not only help users better control their nicotine intake but also further strengthen the essential harm reduction function of vapor products.
Interactive Animations: Making operations more fun Lastly, we must mention those creative interactive animations. They not only make the operation process more vivid and interesting but also enhance user immersion. Every time a user performs an operation, elements on the screen respond in a smooth, interesting, or trendy way, making simple clicks no longer monotonous.
Design Principles: Key to enhancing user experience
While exploring the logic of large screen vape UI design, we cannot overlook the design principles that support the entire design system. Summarizing, excellent large screen vape UI designs follow several core principles:
User-first Principle: Always prioritize user experience, ensuring that every aspect of the design simplifies user operation processes and provides intuitive and prompt feedback. For example, battery and oil level displays should not only be accurate but also use color coding and animation cues to allow users to judge the current status at a glance without much thought.
Usability and Consistency Principle: Ensure that the user interface is simple and easy to use, minimizing cognitive burden. For example, power on/off and mode switching operations should follow industry-standard conventions, while maintaining consistency in UI design to avoid confusion when users switch between different functions. Innovative designs should aim to enhance usability rather than weaken it.
Customization and Personalization Principle: Modern vape products increasingly focus on personalized experiences, and large screen UI design should fully empower users with customization options. For example, users can set interface theme colors, choose different puff animation effects, and even customize their puff data reports, making vapes truly a part of their personal lifestyle.
Simplicity Principle: Interface design should strive for simplicity, avoiding redundant information that distracts users’ attention. Key information such as power settings, oil, and battery levels should be highlighted, while non-core functions can be designed with hidden or collapsible menus to ensure that users are not disturbed when viewing core data. In addition, a reasonable layout structure can help users quickly locate the desired functions and effectively reduce the possibility of misoperation.
Efficient Feedback Principle: Efficient feedback mechanisms are essential components of a good interactive experience. In large screen vape UI design, every touch or swipe should be accompanied by timely and clear visual or auditory feedback, allowing users to clearly perceive that their operations have been correctly recognized and responded to by the device.
Safety and Accessibility Principle: Considering vapes as consumer electronic products, UI design should also consider safety aspects, such as prominently reminding users when the power is too high to prevent overheating or battery loss. At the same time, to cater to the needs of various user groups, design should consider accessibility for different ages, vision levels, and physical conditions, such as providing zoom functions, voice assistance, and other options.
According to the above principles, the self-checklist for large screen vape UI design is as follows:
From Interactive Design, Make “Computer Chips” not “Potato Chips”
As mentioned in the preface and Professor Deng’s “After Disposable” article:
“Instead of dwelling on the next exterior appearance of vapes after disposables, it is opportune for the entire industry to revisit the fundamental purpose of vaping—harm reduction and providing a superior consumer experience. Involution might only lead to the production of ‘potato chips’ instead of ‘computer chips.'”
With the continuous maturity of touchscreen technology, we have reason to believe that vape interactive design will become more intelligent, convenient, and personalized in the future. In this process, the role of designers becomes particularly important. They need to consider not only how to make products more usable but also how to make them more interesting and resonate with users.
So, what innovative possibilities do you think future vape interactive designs will have? Feel free to share your thoughts
