Enphase Homeowner App Reimagined
Your Energy, Your Way
Redesigning for
Efficiency
Enlighten App is designed specifically for Enphase system owners, offering seamless monitoring of their system status from any location. We identified and resolved existing UX flaws that had been affecting the app's functionality, enhancing the overall user experience.
Setting
The Context
Problem
Homeowners who invested in solar systems, expecting to harness advanced technology, were left frustrated by the app's inefficiency, which led to a low app store rating of 2.1.
1. Lack of Clarity and Insight: The legacy Enphase Enlighten app fell short in delivering a comprehensive and user-centric experience. Users struggled to understand their energy usage, system performance, and the potential benefits of solar power. They were unable to verify whether their systems were performing optimally.
2. Missing Features and Poor Engagement: The app lacked real-time updates, visualizations, and other important metrics, which are crucial for users who are both energy-conscious and financially motivated to optimize their solar systems.
My role
As the UX designer leading this project, I was responsible for conducting user research, identifying and prioritizing pain points, developing a new design strategy, and executing the redesign of the app. My role involved close collaboration with product managers, developers and stakeholders to ensure the new design aligned with both user needs and business goals.
Legacy App
The legacy Enphase Enlighten app fell short in delivering a comprehensive and user-centric experience. Users struggled to understand their energy usage, system performance, and the potential benefits of solar power.
4.0 million
Home Installations
150+
Countries
2.1
App store rating
Gathering Insights
We conducted research by engaging directly with homeowners to understand their pain points and frustrations with the app.
Additionally, we gathered extensive user feedback from emails, app store reviews, and other channels. We carefully analyzed this feedback, sorting and categorizing it into various sections to identify the most critical issues.
Persona
This user persona helps us understand our users' needs, behaviors, and goals. By focusing on this profile, we can design better solutions that truly meet their expectations and improve their overall experience.
Empathy Mapping
To gain deeper insights into our users, we created an empathy map that helped us understand their behaviours, thoughts, feelings, and needs. This process allowed us to step into the shoes of the homeowners, ensuring that our design decisions were truly aligned with their expectations.
Key Insights
Need for Real-Time Data
Quick, real-time insights about his solar system's performance that are easy to understand.
Desire for Energy Control
Ability to manage his energy flow actively especially during peak demand or power outages.
Optimisation & Efficiency
Actionable insights and tools that align with his goal of optimising energy usage and reducing costs.
Design
Strategy
To address the identified pain points and achieve the user's goals, I employed the following design strategies:
Simplify the interface & prioritise key metrics
Streamline the information architecture and reduce visual clutter. Highlight essential information like energy production, consumption, and storage levels.
Visualise data effectively
Use charts and graphs to present complex data in an understandable way.
Personalised recommendations
Provide actionable insights based on user behaviour and system performance. Give users more options to customise their app experience and manage their solar system.
Ideation
We mapped out the entire Enphase solar system journey, from initial estimate to homeowner engagement. The process starts with the System Estimator, where potential customers get a preliminary quote based on their energy needs. Installers then convert these estimates into detailed proposals, including system design and permitting. Once installed, the system is configured using the Installer Toolkit. Finally, homeowners can monitor their system's performance and health through the Enphase Home Owner App.
Information Architecture
Created the IA to streamline the user journey.
We created the architecture flexible & scalable because it needs to be adaptable for different region, different kinds of devices.
Bringing
Designs to Life
During the app revamp, we collaborated closely with stakeholders to understand the entire process, refine the information architecture, and create wireframes based on continuous feedback. Starting with a simple, linear flow, we progressively expanded to include multiple systems, region-specific configurations, and various device types, guided by stakeholder input and user feedback.
The legacy Enphase Enlighten app had notable gaps, leaving users struggling to understand their energy usage and system performance. We conducted user research, identified pain points, and spearheaded the redesign, ensuring the new design aligned with user needs and business goals.
Transforming the Experience: Design Journey
Streamlining Navigation for Clarity
" Our new design emphasized detailed visualizations and comprehensive metrics, creating a more engaging and informative interface that empowers users to monitor and optimize their solar energy systems easily."
Streamlining Navigation for Clarity
Based on feedback from usability testing and input from internal stakeholders, we iterated on the designs to fine-tune the user experience. We enhanced visual elements, streamlined navigation flows, and introduced new features that closely aligned with user needs.
The Impact
The app store rating improved significantly, with most users offering positive feedback, resulting in increased engagement. Enhanced navigation and a more intuitive design greatly improved overall efficiency.
73%
Positive Feedback
4+
App store rating
Better
User engagement
Takeaways
A user-centric approach is paramount in design. By continuously gathering and incorporating user feedback, we ensured our design effectively addressed real-world challenges. Strong collaboration with stakeholders was also essential for aligning design goals with business objectives, leading to a product that exceeded user expectations.
