Latham Australia — Interactive Stair Nosing & Tactile Selector (AR/3D Product Experience)
Client: Latham Australia
Partner: Squid Digital
Overview:
Latham partnered with Squid Digital to upgrade the way its stair nosings and tactile indicators are presented and selected online. The goal was to replace static product pages and PDF-led browsing with a highly visual, configurable product experience that supports real buying and specification decisions.
The resulting solution allows customers to preview products in context, compare models and colour options, and understand suitability earlier in the journey—reducing uncertainty, minimising pre-sales back-and-forth, and helping users reach a confident shortlist before requesting samples, quotes, or placing an order. This approach turns the website into an active sales and specification tool, not just a catalogue, supporting faster decisions and stronger enquiry quality.
Focus: Elevate the online product experience for stair nosings and tactile indicators (tactiles/studs) with a highly visual, configurable selector—so customers can confidently choose the right product, model, and colour before requesting a quote or ordering.
The Challenge
Latham’s stair safety products are spec-driven and visually dependent. Customers don’t just need to know “what it is”—they need to see how it looks in context:
- Stair nosings must match (or contrast) different stair finishes and colourways.
- Tactiles/studs are chosen by model/type and must be assessed for both compliance intent and visual integration.
- Traditional product pages (static images + PDFs) make it hard to compare options quickly, which leads to:
- More pre-sales back-and-forth
- Higher uncertainty and slower decisions
- Increased reliance on samples before shortlisting
Latham wanted an experience that felt modern, practical, and specifier-friendly—without dumbing anything down.
Goals
Squid Digital worked with Latham to deliver a tool that would:
- Reduce friction in product selection by making options immediately visible
- Allow users to swap stair colours/finishes to preview stair nosings in realistic combinations
- Enable customers to change tactile model + tactile colour (and view it as a true 3D product)
- Support the broader Latham website journey with stronger engagement and clearer pathways to enquiry
- Create a standout digital asset Latham could use in sales conversations, demos, and specification workflows
Our Solution
We built an interactive online configurator that brings Latham’s stair nosings and tactiles to life—helping customers explore products visually and confidently.
What We Delivered
1) Stair nosing visual selector
A product experience where visitors can:
- Choose a stair colour/finish (eg. light timber, dark timber, concrete, etc.)
- Preview how different stair nosing options appear against each stair colour
- Compare combinations quickly without jumping between pages, PDFs, or downloads
2) Tactile/studs 3D model + colour switching
A configurable tactile experience where users can:
- Switch between tactile models (eg. different profiles/styles)
- Change tactile colourways
- View the product as a 3D asset (with the kind of clarity you’d normally only get in person)
3) A cohesive “product decision” flow on the Latham website
We embedded the interactive tools into the Latham web journey so it didn’t feel like a bolt-on:
- Clear product context and usage guidance around the configurator
- Stronger product confidence before enquiry
- Cleaner paths to request more info / quote / samples
How We Approached It (Squid-style)
This wasn’t a “design something pretty” project. It was an operator-led build designed to solve a buying and specification problem.
Discovery & Mapping
We worked with Latham to understand:
- The real-world decision-making process (specifier → builder → procurement)
- What customers ask repeatedly
- Where the website experience was creating uncertainty
- The critical options customers need to compare first (colour, model, context)
Prototyping The Experience
We prioritised:
- Fast comparisons (minimal clicks, instant visual change)
- Realistic previews (context matters)
- Usability for busy people (specifier-friendly, not gimmicky)
Build & Integration
We delivered the experience as a practical, maintainable website component:
- Structured so it could evolve with new models/colours over time
- Implemented to support performance, responsiveness, and accessibility as much as possible for an interactive tool
- Designed to feel native within Latham’s brand and site UX
The Impact (what changed)
This is the kind of feature that upgrades the entire product experience:
- Better product confidence: Customers can shortlist options visually before reaching out
- Less back-and-forth: Fewer “can you show me what it looks like in X colour?” enquiries
- Stronger engagement: Visitors spend more time exploring products because it’s actually useful
- A premium brand signal: The experience communicates innovation and product leadership instantly
From Latham’s perspective
“Rob’s communication throughout the project was clear, timely, and collaborative. His team was responsive to our feedback and proactive in offering creative solutions to enhance the user experience and functionality. The entire process was seamless, and the final product exceeded our expectations.”
Technology Notes (simple + credible)
- Interactive configurator components embedded into the Latham website journey
- Product assets structured to allow ongoing additions (new models/colours)
- Built for responsive behaviour across desktop and mobile
- Designed to support sales enablement and specifier workflows
Where This Lives: Latham + Squid Digital
On the Latham website
This work improves the core product experience—turning static browsing into interactive selection, helping customers get to a shortlist faster.
On the Squid Digital website
This is a flagship example of what Squid does best:
- Make complex products easier to buy online
- Build digital experiences that reduce friction and improve decision-making
- Create practical, high-impact tools that support sales teams and customers
About Squid Digital
Squid Digital helps product-led and service-led businesses improve how customers experience (and choose) what they sell—through conversion-focused UX, performance-driven builds, and smart interactive tools that make online decisions easier.
