The app design project for OVO Energy improved user engagement, streamlined navigation, and enhanced the everyday experience of managing energy across the OVO mobile app and connected web touchpoints.
Overview
The project for OVO Energy aimed to develop the app user experience by addressing pain points and enhancing key functionalities. Through stakeholder interviews, user research, and data analysis, we identified areas for improvement aligned with business goals and user needs. In addition, we created UI concepts to refine the design with a cleaner layout, better visual hierarchy, and responsive elements, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience across devices.
Discovery
Review & Kick off
During the documentation review and project kickoff for the OVO Energy UX project, we analysed existing materials, including user feedback, analytics data, and current website performance. This review helped identify key areas for improvement and align the project scope with both business goals and user needs.
Business model canvas
In the Business Model Canvas workshop, we collaboratively mapped out OVO Energy's key business elements, including customer segments, value propositions, channels, and revenue streams. This session helped align the project’s goals with the company’s broader strategy, ensuring that user experience improvements supported OVO’s business objectives.
Measurement framework
The Measurement Framework phase focused on defining key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the success of the UX improvements. We identified metrics related to user engagement, conversion rates, task completion, and customer satisfaction. This framework provided a clear way to measure the impact of the design changes, ensuring that the project’s outcomes aligned with both user needs and OVO Energy’s business objectives.
Staff interviews
We conducted a series of stakeholder interviews over two weeks to learn as much as possible and fill any knowledge gaps. The goal was to spot common themes, patterns, and crucial insights from stakeholders — helping us fine-tune our strategies, make informed decisions, and ensure we were aligned on the goals of the project.
Website review
A thorough review of the existing OVO website surfaced what was working well — clear trust messaging, useful comparisons and helpful FAQs — alongside opportunities to improve global CTAs, page structure, content hierarchy and mobile experience. These findings directly informed the redesign priorities.
Define
User archetypes & personas
The creation of user archetypes and personas involved synthesising insights from user research to define key customer segments. These personas represented typical users, their goals, pain points, and behaviours, helping to ensure that design decisions were grounded in real user needs. By understanding the motivations and challenges of different user groups, we were able to tailor the app improvements to better meet their expectations and enhance the overall user experience.
Customer journey mapping
The customer journey mapping process visualised the key touchpoints and experiences users have when interacting with the OVO Energy app. By mapping out each stage of the user journey, we identified pain points, friction areas, and opportunities for improvement. This helped us better understand the user’s perspective, ensuring the design addressed both functional needs and emotional drivers to enhance overall satisfaction and engagement.
Ideate
User flows
The user flows were developed to map the most efficient paths users would take to complete key tasks in the OVO Energy app. By visualising these steps, we identified potential obstacles and streamlined processes to reduce friction. This ensured that users could navigate the app easily and accomplish their goals with minimal effort, ultimately improving overall usability and enhancing the customer experience.
IA & Navigation wireframes
The Information Architecture (IA) and navigation wireframes were created to organise and structure the app’s content in a logical, user-friendly way. By outlining the layout and navigation paths, we ensured users could easily find relevant information and move through the app intuitively. These wireframes served as the foundation for a more streamlined, accessible structure, improving both usability and overall user satisfaction.
Design
Visual audit
The visual audit involved a comprehensive review of the OVO brand design elements, including typography, colour schemes, imagery, and overall branding consistency. We identified areas where the visual design was inconsistent or unclear, as well as opportunities to improve the aesthetic appeal and user engagement. This audit helped inform a more cohesive and visually appealing design that aligned with OVO Energy’s brand and enhanced the overall user experience.
Design system
The design system was developed to establish a unified set of design standards, including components, styles, and guidelines for consistency across the app. This system ensured that elements like buttons, typography, and colours were used consistently, improving both the visual coherence and usability. It created a scalable foundation for future updates and maintained a seamless user experience across different screens and contexts.
Wireframes
The concept wireframes were created to visualise the layout and structure of key screens, focusing on user flow and content organisation. These wireframes allowed us to explore different design approaches, test functionality, and refine the user interface before moving into high-fidelity design. They served as a blueprint for the app’s functionality, ensuring that user needs were met while maintaining a clear, intuitive structure.
Concept exploration
The concept exploration phase involved brainstorming and sketching multiple design directions to explore different visual and functional approaches. This allowed us to evaluate various solutions for key design challenges, considering factors like user needs, brand guidelines, and usability. By testing and refining these concepts, we identified the most effective design direction to pursue, ensuring a user-friendly and visually cohesive experience for the final app.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the UX Discovery & Design project for OVO Energy successfully identified key areas for improvement in their app, focusing on enhancing usability, streamlining navigation, and aligning the design with both user needs and business objectives. Through comprehensive research, stakeholder collaboration, and iterative design, we developed a more intuitive, responsive, and visually cohesive experience. The project laid the foundation for ongoing improvements and a user-centric approach to future design and development, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience for OVO Energy’s customers.
