StrømKontroll
Designing Energy Management for the real world
I've spent three years improving the core user experience for Futurehome’s main energy management product, StrømKontroll. The goal was to help users lower their bills by managing complex real-time prices and tariffs without them ever seeing the technical details.
Company
Futurehome
Role
Product Designer
Team
4 designers, 2 PMs, ~15 engineers (rotating)
Year
2022-2025
Case summary
Context: Core energy product handling complex pricing, hardware, and automation.
Role: Product Designer on StrømKontroll for 3 years.
Challenge: Hide technical complexity without losing user trust or control.
Solution: Outcome-driven UX across setup, automation, EV charging, and errors.
Impact: Sustained retention, improved reliability, and scalable energy savings.
The Core Challenge
Hiding Complexity to Drive Adoption
Smart energy is naturally complex, involving multiple hardware devices, real-time grid data, and changing pricing rules. Most users don't know or care how this works. The biggest challenge was building a reliable and flexible system that hid all that technical complexity and felt simple enough for anyone to use.
Trade-Offs & Decisions
Extensive user research and desk studies
My work on StrømKontroll required bridging the gap between how people think energy works and how it actually works. This meant making design choices that simplified complex data streams.
Tension
We had to balance giving users control (to feel safe) with automated decision-making (to save them money). Exposing too much detail confused users; hiding too much made them distrust the system.
Decision
We built interfaces and flows that focused on the user's outcome (saving money, charging their EV) instead of technical status codes. This involved constantly translating complex algorithms into simple, actionable language and clear visualizations.
Solution & Initiative
Extensive real-world observation
My approach was grounded in extensive real-world observation with both installers and end users. I joined live installations, ran user tests, and observed behaviors firsthand, which fundamentally shaped how we handled everything from setup to error states.
My work included:
Launching EV Charger Integration
This was a major project that required deep collaboration. I had to thoroughly understand the new hardware's capabilities to design a smooth onboarding and provisioning flow. I specifically designed a user journey that guided both our clients and electricians through setup without frustration.System Simplification
I designed UX flows for setup, smart features, and error handling, making sure the UI translated complex logic into simple, everyday terms.Deep Hardware/Software Alignment
My role required a deep understanding of our hardware's technical behaviour and the specific context of Norwegian energy rules. I focused on aligning the user experience directly with what the hardware could reliably deliver.
Impact & Results
What made this work unique
Business Value
My long-term involvement ensured the continuous improvement of StrømKontroll, the company’s main product for energy savings, driving user retention and customer satisfaction over three years.
System Reliability
By focusing on simplifying complex setup and error states, we improved the overall reliability of the system, which is crucial for a product that makes autonomous financial decisions in the background.
Cross-Functional Leadership
The success of the EV feature launch demonstrated my ability to quickly learn complex hardware requirements and translate them into simple user flows for two different user groups (clients and electricians).
