App Design
SDG&E
SDG&E
After the devastating California wildfires of the past decade, utility companies increased power shutoffs as a means to mitigate fire risk. Often this resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of customers without power. As the frequency of these shutoffs increased, SDG&E needed a better way of communicating active and planned power outages. They came to my team at Slalom for help doing just that. Their ask: create a first of it's kind mobile app to alert customers of shutoffs, provide updates on status and direct them to helpful resources in the event of an outage. After all, it's bad enough being left in the dark.
Role
UI / UX Design
Company
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
Duration
1 Year
Project highlights
A four step approach was used to address the challenge
A four step approach was used to address the challenge
Team
- 10 engineers
- Asset evaluation
- Asset evaluation
- 1 project manager
- Market analysis
- 1 UX designer
- User interviews
- User interviews
Workflow
- 1x daily standups
- High-Fi designs
- 1x weekly refinements
- Prototyping
- Bi-weekly client reviews
- User testing
- User testing
Research methods
Planning
- User interviews
- Prototype testing
- Wireframes
- Beta testing
Results
Delivery
- Launched September 2020
- Style guide
- 10k downloads within 3 months of launch
- Concept testing
- Concept testing
- 4.5 star rating in the app store
- Concept testing
- Concept testing
Project objectives
Interviews with over 35 users identified 4 needs of the application.
Interviews with over 35 users identified 4 needs of the application.
Interviews with over 35 users identified 4 needs of the application.
Interviews with over 35 users identified 4 needs of the application.
Become a leader in the utilities industry
SDG&E aimed to set the tone in the utilities industry by becoming the first provider to enable its users to track current and planned outages via an app
Users consistently voiced a preference for simplified filtering and sorting functionality over more complex ones; whenever possible our design would err on the side of simplicity over complexity
Build trust with local communities
Streamline decisions
By providing accurate and up to date information, SDG&E hoped to build trust with local communities and ease the pain felt by mandatory shutoffs
Keep users in the loop
Given that some shutoffs are unavoidable, one of SDG&E's main priorities was making sure that customers were in the loop regarding shutoff status and when they could expect their power to be restored
Users enjoyed features that enabled additional control of the overall experience (i.e. the refresh button to manually update fares); as such our design would look to prioritize these components
Integrate with existing systems
Personal not creepy
Personal not creepy
It was important that the app integrated seamlessy with existing systems that were used to track, monitor and communicate status around public safety power shutoffs
Over the course of a year, our Slalom team worked to launch the SDG&E Alerts app in the Play and App Stores before the fire season of 2021.
Based on core user needs, evaluation of existing assets and competitor analysis, a prototype was developed and iteratively tested over the course of four weeks.
The Home Screen
Shutoff Status
A Familiar Intro
The home screens allows the user to quickly view shutoff status in the greater San Diego area and at saved locations. If additional assistance is required, they can easily look up the nearest resource center for support.
The Home Screen
Shutoff Status
The home screens allows the user to quickly view shutoff status in the greater San Diego area and at saved locations. If additional assistance is required, they can easily look up the nearest resource center for support.
The Progress Tracker
Tracking Shutoff Status
Find Your Ride
Find Your Ride
The progress tracker allows the user to access more information about a shutoff and understand what steps SDG&E is taking to address it.
The results screen enables users to quickly identify the best ride through simplified filtering and sorting functionality that allow for customization without cluttering the interface
The Progress Tracker
Tracking Shutoff Status
Find Your Ride
Find Your Ride
The progress tracker allows the user to access more information about a shutoff and understand what steps SDG&E is taking to address it.
The results screen enables users to quickly identify the best ride through simplified filtering and sorting functionality that allow for customization without cluttering the interface
Navigation
Confirmation, Pickup & Dropoff
Navigating the App
Point A To Point B
Point A To Point B
A lightweight nav and links to relevant information help a wide range of users find what they are looking for.
Navigation
Navigating the App
Point A To Point B
Point A To Point B
A lightweight nav and links to relevant information help a wide range of users find what they are looking for.
Initial Setup
A Flexible Setup
A short setup flow gathers the necessary data required to track a user's first location for outages, while allowing the them to skip the flow if desired.
A short login flow gathers key information while allowing users to get into and start using the app quickly
The Setup Flow
A Flexible Setup
A short setup flow gathers the necessary data required to track a user's first location for outages, while allowing the them to skip the flow if desired.
A short login flow gathers key information while allowing users to get into and start using the app quickly
Wrapping It Up
After launching the app, assets, prototypes, research and user testing findings were packaged and provided to SDG&E
Lessons Learned
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good
Minimize learning curve
Initially SDG&E was wary of performing user testing. The fear was information would leak and competitors would be able to replicate their efforts. Despite this, it was critical that the app be tested by customers before launch given the wide variety of users that would be utilizing the product. Ultimately, we were able to reach an agreement whereby we would test the app with Slalom employees who were also SDG&E customers. While, not the perfect solution it was one that worked for the client and led our team to some key discoveries that helped ensure the success of the app.
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