National energy company

A flooded field of grass near a dense tree line with dark storm clouds overhead.
Screenshot of Oliva Energy customer service menu with options for paying bills, starting or stopping service, saving energy and money, reporting outages, and getting help.

Role
Executive Creative Director

Year
2024 - 2025

URL
Visit the website

Website transformation

A national energy client launched a customer-first website transformation to deliver a seamless, intuitive, and emotionally resonant digital experience that redefines what it means to serve as a modern utility.

A national energy provider faced mounting pressure to modernize its digital presence. Its website, last redesigned in 2019, had become outdated—burdened by content sprawl, inconsistent navigation, and a lack of personalization. Customers struggled to complete essential tasks like paying bills or reporting outages, and internal teams cited the need for a more agile, scalable platform that could evolve with shifting expectations. The organization sought to redefine its digital identity—not just as a utility, but as a trusted, community-focused partner.

Challenges

Strategy Phase
The transformation began with a seven-week experience strategy engagement that included:

  • Customer & Stakeholder Research: Over 1,600 customer survey responses and interviews with internal stakeholders revealed key usability pain points and opportunities for improvement.

  • Persona & Journey Mapping: Four personas were developed to represent core user mindsets, each aligned to critical “Moments That Matter” such as starting service, paying bills, or restoring power.

  • Strategic Pillars: The team defined three guiding principles—transactional simplicity, personalized and predictive experiences, and a brand identity that goes beyond utility

Approach

A person holding a large credit card beside a 'Pay my bill' button with an arrow.
A woman holding a smartphone with smoke rising from it, indicating the phone's power is out.
Two sections with text and images. The top section shows a woman with two children sitting on a couch, using a tablet, with a blue background on the right containing text about family and energy services. The bottom section features a couple on a bed, with the woman lying down and the man sitting and eating pizza, with text about bill assistance and a "Learn more" button.
A senior man dressed in a denim jacket and a black cap walking outdoors on a sidewalk with autumn trees in the background.
A detailed infographic of Hank's customer journey for fixed income senior assistance program, including steps, touchpoints, goals, emotions, content, and phases.

Concepting Phase
The concepting phase translated strategic insights into a creative direction:

  • Mood Board Development: The team introduced “The Confidant,” a concept that embodied warmth, trust, and clarity—evoking the feeling of a reliable partner anticipating user needs.

  • Design Themes:

    • Mobile-first experience

    • Streamlined navigation (e.g., mega menu for desktop, hamburger for mobile)

    • Expanded color palette and refined typography

    • Emphasis on empathy, community connection, and brand storytelling

  • Feedback Integration: Stakeholder feedback led to refinements such as reducing story content, toning down color usage, and removing unnecessary visual elements

Design & Usability Testing

  • Template Design: A comprehensive set of page templates was created to support key user journeys, including homepage, landing pages, FAQs, and transactional flows.

  • Design System: A robust design system was developed with over 40 reusable components, ensuring consistency across mobile and desktop breakpoints.

  • Mobile-First Approach: All designs prioritized mobile usability, with responsive behavior scaling up to desktop to ensure accessibility and performance across devices

  • usability testing: Three rounds of usability testing were conducted to validate design decisions and gather actionable feedback:

    • Methods: Included pre/post-review questions, A/B testing, mobile evaluations, and feedback from customer panels.

Screenshot of the Ovo Energy website homepage showing a family having breakfast at a table, with a message about saving energy and money.

The redesigned website has launched, with expected outcomes including:

  • A streamlined, intuitive user experience across devices

  • A scalable design system with reusable components for future growth

  • Improved content governance and SEO performance

  • A roadmap extending into 2027, including personalization, AI integration, and continuous optimization based on user feedback

Outcomes