David Energy

David Energy is rethinking how electricity is consumed, managed, and distributed. They operate two product lines: residential (smart home energy management, EV charging) and small commercial (facility energy optimization), sharing one engineering team. Both products needed significant design attention, and the experiences had diverged to the point where they didn’t feel like the same company.

Two product lines, one engineering team

As Principal Designer, I led the redesign across both product lines. For residential: the mobile app experience, including smart EV charging. For commercial: the facility management platform, control room interface, and energy spending dashboards.

Unifying two diverged product lines required more than visual polish — it called for a shared design foundation. I established a component system, interaction patterns, and a unified visual language that served both residential and commercial surfaces. For a deeper look at that work, see the Volt Design System.

Giving facility managers actionable insights

Facility managers needed a clear view of energy usage across all their locations but were getting raw data with no context. We audited every thermostat control flow, mapping backend implications to front-end displays to ensure full coverage of edge cases, success paths, and error states.

Control Room

Built a comprehensive thermostat management interface where staff could spot issues, override setpoints, and ensure smart grid participation across all locations. Every error state and edge case was mapped — the wireflows were some of the most complex work of the engagement.

Energy Spending & Insights

Gave facility managers a clear view of energy demand, consumption, and billing over time. When the system detected anomalies — like a peak demand spike — it surfaced both the problem and the recommended action, with a direct path to meet an energy advisor.

Customer Communications

Designed the full onboarding email sequence to set expectations from day one — from welcome through platform walkthrough, integration confirmation, and ongoing tips.

Making smart charging effortless

The EV charging experience needed to feel effortless — set it and forget it. Users wanted to pay less to charge without needing to understand energy pricing models. The challenge was making complex grid optimization genuinely invisible.

Smart Charging Controls

Three modes designed for different levels of user involvement: Seamless Connection (secure EV integration), Charge Optimization (customizable schedule targeting lowest rates), and Autopilot (fully autonomous). Each mode reduced complexity while preserving control for users who wanted it.

Edge Cases & Error States

Every connection state was designed — from failure to pending to success. Getting this right was critical: a failed device connection is one of the highest drop-off points in smart home apps.