Energy, Internet of Things
blip Energy
Bringing affordable energy savings and storage to everyday people
Timeline
3 Months
Services
UI Design
UX Design
UX Research
Team
Product Management
Founding Team
Software Engineering
My Role
Responsibilities
I led UX/UI design efforts, driving the end-to-end experience from research through implementation, ensuring alignment with both user needs and business goals.
Collaboration
In collaboration with the amazing Ashley Yamaguchi and founding team.
Project Summary
Challenge
blip, an early-stage startup, needed an intuitive way for users to set up and manage their IoT Bluetooth smart battery. I designed a seamless onboarding flow and an improved dashboard experience to increase product adoption and engagement.
Deliverables
Create an intuitive onboarding process to set up our smart battery
Enhance tue user dashboard to support and allow users to control all aspects of the battery.
Results
An all new onboarding and connection app for the BlipOne smart battery.
A revamped dashboard with more robust functionality meeting user needs.
15% increased efficiency on the battery management dashboard.
Initial Discovery
Research Goals
Understand the breadth of knowledge that users have concerning IoT devices such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home Mini
Map out industry standards and competitors
Gain an understanding of the blipOne battery and how to convey its functions to users
Empathize with users on what matters in regards to energy savings, cost and use habits
Understanding Industry Standards
Because the onboarding would be brand new it was important to consider how we could keep with industry standards for connecting and setting up bluetooth devices. Competitive analysis would give us the best insight.
Pros:
Allows user to select which wifi network to connect to
Email and Text verification makes verification easy
Simple troubleshooting screens
Simple illustrations to help with setup
Cons:
Have to leave the app for part of setup
Lengthy setup with non-setup questions
Requires a physical code to connect
Understanding the User’s Needs
Through user interviews, I built affinity maps to uncover key themes. These insights informed the creation of user personas, driving the design process.The user interviews helped define key business opportunities, such as emphasizing energy cost savings, a major selling point in Blip’s market strategy.
Cultivating Empathy Through Personas
As we went through our previous research and through ongoing conversations with users, I found commonalities between users. I used these commonalities to create user personas that helped to drive my designs.
Key Research Insights
Simplicity over complexity – Users wanted a quick, frustration-free setup.
Energy cost awareness – Users valued clear insights into their energy usage.
Customization & control – Users wanted direct control over their battery settings.
Envisioning blip
Paper First
I refined the onboarding in wireframes and designed the onboarding from scratch. I conducted a team brainstorming session to understand business goals and translated key ideas into sketches.
Onboarding Focuses
Progressive disclosure – Information was broken down into small, digestible steps to better help users understand their energy usage.
Visual guidance – Simple illustrations guided users through the setup process to enhance speed and learning.
Integrated energy tips – Users learned about energy savings during onboarding rather than after so that they could jump right into their new product.
Digital Wireframes
After cross-referencing proposed designs with common patterns in our competitive analysis, I felt that it was the right time to begin wireframing. This was the perfect opportunity to test out UX patterns, write copy and visualize our initial thoughts.
Onboarding
Dashboard
Bringing blip to Life
Onboarding
The goal of the onboarding flow is to get users set up simply, quickly and to attune them to their new smart batteries. I added visuals to increase delight.
Dashboard
The goal of the dashboard was to give users feedback on their battery and manage its everyday functions. I held collaborative meetings where we discussed issues with the current dashboard and drove user-centric ideas while maintaining business needs.
Dashboard Focuses
Simplified data visualization – Reduced graphs from two lines to one to improve readability and reduce cognitive load.
Prioritized essential controls – Restructured the layout, placing high-usage actions (battery mode selection, scheduling) front and center and increasing button sizing.
User-defined settings – Enabled users to customize battery preferences, addressing the need for personalized energy management.
Validating Ideas
Ensuring Ease of Use and Good User Support
In testing the designs, 10 remote moderated usability testing sessions were conducted. 5 for the Dashboard and 5 for Onboarding. We wanted to validate our designs and ensure that users could simply and swiftly finish their tasks. Test insights directly shaped critical business decisions, balancing user education with a streamlined onboarding experience.
After testing we reconvened to synthesize and write testing reports for each of the sessions.
Onboarding
Key Onboarding Quotes:
“This feels long. Can I skip a section?”
“I don’t really know what some of these words mean”
“How do I find out more about variable rate plans?”
Onboarding Changes Needed:
Simplify the copy and make it more efficient to enable quicker finish times.
Add optional “learn more” popups for additional details to reduce information overload.
Enabled users to skip non-essential sections and revisit later to avoid fatiguing the user.
Dashboard
Key Dashboard Quotes:
“I don’t know how to read this graph.”
“It is difficult to see the graph and use it.”
"The section of the dashboard I want to see is a bit hard to find”
Dashboard Changes Needed:
Simplified graphs with added information buttons to increase readability and reduce confusion.
Increased component size for better accessibility and readability.
Reorganized hierarchy to improve navigation in alignment with user expectations.
Making blip Even Better
Example Iterations Post-Testing
Onboarding
Changes Made:
Simpler copy and more efficient copy that users can understand
Added optional “learn more” style popups if the user chooses
Allowed users to skip unnecessary sections and come back later
Before
After
Dashboard
Changes Made:
Simplified the graph and added an information button to address confusion by users
Increased the size of components to help with accessibility concerns
Reorganized the structure as users were getting lost
Before
After
Reflections
Get Feedback Early and Often
Being on a small startup team was a great opportunity to work directly with stakeholders. Involving stakeholders earlier on reduced the amount of rework I had to do. Every design iteration had to balance user needs with market differentiation, ultimately contributing to Blip’s competitive edge.
Leverage Stakeholder Insights Early
My direct contact with major stakeholders like the CEO and CTO really helped to motivate and inspire me everyday. I was able to get the most out of my designs with this inspiration and stay grounded in both the user and business needs.
Thinking Beyond Screens: Designing for Impact
Owning end-to-end UX/UI in a fast-moving startup taught me to think beyond screens—influencing product strategy, driving cross-functional alignment, and prioritizing high-impact iterations. These lessons shape how I approach design leadership today.
Results
An all new onboarding and connection app for the BlipOne smart battery.
A revamped dashboard with more robust functionality meeting user needs.
15% increased efficiency on the battery management dashboard.
