Background
Discovery
Design

GM Energy App Re-Design

Client
General Motors
Service
Product Design / User Research / 3D Modeling / Motion Design
impact
Our re-design improved upon the MVP app by helping customers get more value from their Home Energy System: helping them measure their system’s ROI, reduce reliance on the power grid, and evaluate their environmental impact.

We also simplified the experience with contextual controls and introduced a cutting-edge 3D model as the primary navigation, boosting engagement and helping users better understand their Home Energy System.
Year
2024
In early 2024...
our team was nearing the end of re-platforming the mobile app to a new design system. While this effort was important to improve  performance and usability, we found ourselves creatively unfulfilled.

Along the way, we’d reviewed nearly every feature, collecting dozens of ideas for improvements. Seeing the opportunity, we pitched a redesign to leadership and successfully formed a small team to bring it to life.
Our mission was to craft an industry-leading vision of what the companion mobile app could be. We wanted to leverage our domain knowledge and create an experience that exceeded the expectations of customers and our design studio.

Some questions you may have...

What is "GM Energy?"

GM Energy is a wing of the business that leverages the battery technology used in GM Electric Vehicles to help people and businesses store & use energy. GM Energy sells Home Energy Systems and Commercial Energy Systems.

What is a "Home Energy System?"

A Home Energy System is an interconnected system of products that monitor and control a household's energy use, storage, and generation. The system helps people save money, reduce emissions, or become more self-sufficient.

Where does the mobile app come in?

The mobile app pairs with the physical products in the home energy system, allowing users to visualize the whole system, monitor it's status, and control how it operates.

GM Energy Products

Home Battery
Home Hub (Inverter)
Electric Vehicle (EV)
Solar Panels
EV Charger

Discovery

Our team inherited the MVP app from another team. Therefore, we chose to take time to understand and validate the existing design. Turns out, the original MVP lacked research support, and design was mostly led by the business team. We were left uncertain if the design was (or was not) meeting users' needs.

We decided to do our own research to learn about the motivations and behaviors of Home Energy System owners, and to validate the design decisions of MVP app design.

Through user research and competitive analysis, we gathered insights and transformed them into unique opportunities to improve the MVP experience.
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What research did we do?

Over time, we conducted user studies on specific aspects of the app, such as analytics, motivations for use, and a general usability study. We also spent time doing a comprehensive competitive analysis and inspiration gathering.
3
User studies conducted
(with 5+ users each)
16
Competitors reviewed
500+
Inspiring images curated

What did we learn?

We combed through our research and found common threads amongst all of them. Here are a few of the prominent insights that influenced the re-design.
There are two main user types:
Passive & Active users
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Three main motivations for using a home energy system:
Cost Savings / Reduce Environmental Impact / Power Grid Independence
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Due to the complexity of the system:
Users expect relevant features available when they need it
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The typical user workflow is to:
Monitor the system, analyze the data, and make changes accordingly.
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Due to the complexity of the data:
Users want insights found for them and presented in a storytelling-like manner.
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See more insights

Design

In the design phase, I leaned into leveraging 3D as a way to visualize and control the home energy system. I found that simply making a 3D visual of a house, analogous to how the system would appear in reality, was the most clear method of conveying how the system was operating.

In addition, new Impact and Product pages have been created to demonstrate to customers the value their system is providing them, and to empower them to take meaningful action.

Let's Shake Up the Home Screen

The MVP home page was cluttered and confusing. I focused on removing non-essential elements and simplifying the design. In the re-design, each list item was written as a clear sentence, like a newspaper, providing a quick overview while also acting as a link to more details.
Opportunities Addressed
Simplicity & Progressive Disclosure
Use 3D and contextual UI to provide clarity

3D Navigation

By increasing the size of the home visualization, I gave room for the home itself to be the navigation menu.


‍
Tapping directly on a product navigates you to a page providing details about it, and the UI adapts to the product in focus.
Opportunities Addressed
Use 3D and contextual UI to provide clarity
Simplicity & Progressive Disclosure

System Mode Redesign

Previously, we had to navigate through several settings menus to access the "Operational Mode," a key feature in controlling the system. This was un-intuitive and confusing.
‍
I renamed the feature to "System Mode," redesigned the UI, and moved the feature to the home page for ease of access.
Opportunities Addressed
Tailor the UI to match user workflow
Simplicity & Progressive Disclosure
Before (4 taps)
After (1 tap)

Impact Page

The Impact page measures the “impact” the system has had over a given time period. How well are things going, what could be improved, what might be changed? This page is the essence of measuring the value the system has given to the customer.

Story-Driven Analytics Experience

Home Energy System owners want to clearly understand their system’s performance. By providing insights in simple language with supporting graphs, we deliver a straightforward, engaging experience without complex filters or analytics tools. Key improvements include:
System Performance Score
A single metric to evaluate overall effectiveness over a set period.
Key Insight Cards
Highlighting essential findings from past data.
User-Centric Sections
Organized content based on research-backed metrics, explained in plain, large-text language.

Cost Savings Breakdown

Drawing from user motivations, I introduced a Cost Savings breakdown page, illustrating how the each product in the system is creating value and saving the customer money.
Opportunities Addressed
Measure users' return on investment (ROI)
Create a new narrative-driven analytics experience

Product Pages

The Product page gives insights about a specific product, by providing access to relevant data, settings, and controls.

Making Product Pages Useful

We’ve introduced dedicated product pages, consolidating settings and analytics into a single, streamlined view. Each page features a consistent layout, letting users: view a contextual 3D render, check current status, access controls and settings, and explore detailed data insights.

Battery product page shown above.
Opportunities Addressed
Use 3D and contextual UI to provide clarity.
Electric Vehicle (EV)
The EV stands out with more extensive controls, requiring a unique layout. I redesigned the vehicle controls to integrate seamlessly into the 3D space, demonstrating their functionality in action.
Solar
The Solar page features a live view of how much energy the panels are producing now and over the course of the day.
Power Grid
The power grid page also gives access the utility rate plan used by the home. The system uses the rate plan to determine when to save energy and when it use it.
Home Electrical
The home electrical page gives insight into how the home itself is pulling energy from the home energy system.

3D Home Visualization

The home visualization serves as the app’s centerpiece, requiring thoughtful design and layout. I researched architectural styles, planned product placement on the home, and struck a balance between realism and minimalism. The system is animated to reflect real-time performance, providing users with instant, intuitive insights.

Iterations

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