Smart Heat, Safer Work: Designing Milwaukee Tool®’s HEXON™ Powered Heated Gear App
Milwaukee Tool®’s Heated Gear app, using HEXON™ smart batteries, lets users control their heated apparel from their mobile device. On cold jobsites, workers can adjust heat levels and zones without stopping work. With Bluetooth connectivity and on-device caching, the app keeps users warm, hands-free, and focused—making jobsites safer, more comfortable, and more efficient.
Trade professionals working in extreme cold face a constant challenge: staying warm while completing physically demanding tasks. Existing heated apparel solutions required manual adjustments, meaning workers often had to stop what they were doing, open pockets, or fiddle with battery packs to change heat levels. This not only slowed workflow, but also introduced safety risks, distracted users, and reduced overall comfort on the jobsite.
The goal was to design a mobile app experience that put complete control of HEXON™ smart-enabled batteries in the user’s hands. Users needed to customize heat zones and levels, monitor battery health, and save or recall presets—all in a way that was fast, intuitive, and hands-free. The app had to integrate seamlessly into the workday, providing real-time feedback and minimizing interruptions, while empowering users to stay warm, safe, and focused in extreme conditions.
As Milwaukee’s first smart, fully controllable battery product, the team approached the project with a year-long research and testing cycle, combining both in-person and remote studies. The goal was to validate core interaction models, ensure the app structure supported real-world use, and set a foundation for a seamless user experience.
Key Considerations for Jobsite Use:
Fast: Users needed instant access to controls without interrupting workflow.
Hands-Free: Minimizing manual adjustments was critical for efficiency and safety.
Safe: Reducing distractions in cold, active work environments was essential to protect workers and maintain productivity.
Identifying User Needs
Interviews with three persona groups—general consumers, crib managers/admins, and small contractors—revealed four universal needs that guided the design:
Adjustable Heat Levels
Users wanted precise control to achieve the “just right” temperature for comfort throughout the day.Individual Heat Zones
The ability to heat specific areas of apparel independently gave users tailored warmth where it was needed most.Runtime Customization
Users needed flexible options to manage battery life:Set Duration Mode: Run for a specific period, regardless of heat output.
Efficiency Mode: Adjust heat automatically to last the full runtime.
Battery Health Visibility
Clear, glanceable indicators were essential for users to monitor battery life, plan usage, and avoid unexpected downtime.
Putting Users in Command: Designing for Control, Comfort, and Efficiency
Our solution centered on creating a user-first, highly configurable experience that addressed real jobsite challenges. By combining precise control, clear feedback, and low-friction interactions—including widgets and lock-screen complications—users can manage their heated gear efficiently, safely, and hands-free. The design balances flexibility with simplicity, enabling workers to focus on their tasks while staying warm.
Key principles guided the design:
User-Centered Control: Users can adjust heat levels, toggle individual heat zones, and manage runtime without unnecessary steps.
Clear, Glanceable Feedback: Battery status, remaining runtime, and heat settings are displayed clearly, reducing cognitive load and preventing unexpected downtime.
Hands-Free, Jobsite-Ready Interactions: Widgets and iOS lock-screen complications let users check and control settings without opening the app, minimizing distractions while working in extreme cold.
Scalable & Flexible Architecture: The interface accommodates future product expansions and multiple device connections, while remaining consistent and intuitive.
The result is an app that balances flexibility, speed, and safety, letting users stay warm, maintain focus, and operate efficiently—even in challenging work environments. It translates complex, multi-variable device interactions into a frictionless, user-first experience that improves productivity and safety across the jobsite.
ADDING VALUE
Testing played a critical role in shaping the final app experience. Through iterative usability sessions, we validated preferred interaction models, ensuring that users could intuitively control heat levels, toggle individual zones, and manage runtime without confusion or delays. Iconography and control layouts were rigorously tested to confirm that users could understand each function at a glance, reducing cognitive load and minimizing errors during active jobsite use. Research also directly informed the design of companion experiences, such as widgets for Android and iOS lock-screen complications. Metrics from testing highlighted which information and controls users needed most immediately, allowing us to prioritize features that delivered real, measurable value. For example, the complications enabled users to view battery status and adjust settings without opening the app—keeping interactions hands-free, fast, and aligned with the demands of cold-weather work environments. To ensure the product focused on real user value, companion experiences were evaluated through early testing to establish a clear baseline of what users actually wanted. While several “nice to have” ideas were explored—including a smart watch app—research quickly revealed limited impact. Only 45% of users said a smart watch app would be useful, largely because many didn’t wear smart watches on the jobsite. Based on this data, smart watch development was deprioritized. With clear validation, the focus shifted to widgets—where testing showed much stronger alignment with jobsite needs. Users helped define the right balance of data density and clarity, guiding which information was most critical at a glance. This research also uncovered a platform-specific opportunity: iOS lock-screen complications. Complications allowed users to see battery charge instantly by simply waking their phone, without unlocking the device or accessing the battery physically. This companion experience significantly reduced friction, supported hands-free workflows, and enhanced safety by keeping interactions fast and minimal.