Xantrex FXC Control App

Role: User Experience Flow Planning, User Interface Design, Marketing Design

Tools: Adobe XD

Project Timeline: 8 months

Team size: 1 designer, 1 product manager, 1 developer, 1 QA

Project Summary

I worked with the product management team to design the first iOS and Android app for Xantrex. Users wanted a more convenient and intuitive way to control and monitor their inverter or inverter/charger in their recreational vehicle or boat. Competitors had recently released an app, so there was a need to release a competitive product.

What is the problem?

Users found the physical control panel cumbersome and unintuitive to interact with and wanted to be able to monitor and control their devices on their smart devices. There was a prototype app created by developers, but there was no consideration of the user experience and interface.

Solution

Create a mobile app that simplifies the process to monitor and control the users inverter or inverter/charger by leveraging a well thought out user interface. Incorporate the recent brand refresh guidelines into the user interface.

Context

User Context

Users wanted a better way to control their electrical system and monitor their power consumption in their vehicles. Control panels provided limited information and required unintuitive interaction to navigate and make changes. Customers want a simple experience they were accustom to with a typical mobile app.

Project Context

I worked closely with product management and engineering to understand what was important information to display in the app. I reviewed and analyzed the competitor landscape. I researched mobile app trends and designs and incorporated elements that aligned with the brand.

Functionality and Design

Achieved goals of the app:

Monitor Xantrex inverter or inverter/charger without having to get up and interface with a control panel.
Get up to date power consumption and generation information at any time.
Visualize the electrical system.
Allow users to easily understand settings and provide options to change settings with more context.
Provide alerts from the inverter or inverter/charger.

Feature: Status

Users were able to see a simple diagram of their electrical system.
Users were given simple settings to turn the product on and off.

Status: Incorporate key data and warnings if settings are adjusted.

Features: Alerts

Users may set up the app to receive notifications on mobile devices for any warnings and were able to see detailed information if necessary.

Alerts: Notifications and descriptions for issues with system.

Feature: Settings

Settings are organized by product type and products sections are expandable/collapsible.
Included a description of each setting from the user manual on each settings page.

Settings: Detailed information to ensure user understands what they may be adjusting.

Ideation

The product management team already had a frame work of the Xantrex FXC Control App designed, but it was in a very preliminary form. I was given the freedom to redesign the entire interface and explore new features and ideas.

I leveraged Adobe XD to create high fidelity mockups for smart phones and tablets.

I worked closely with the product manager to ensure I understood how the app would interact with our products. I explored various ways of how users may control the key settings on the status screen and various ways of showcasing the electrical system diagram.

A challenge with this app was that the inverter or inverter/charger was sending very limited data, so I was constrained with what features I may be able to add to the app. I was able to incorporate the new brand guidelines I developed into the user interface. I was constrained with using icons from the Schneider Electric (former parent company of Xantrex) icon library.

The app went through various rounds of feedback and approval with key internal stakeholders, before I worked with the developers. I was involved with providing assets and feedback through each sprint.

Impact and Next Steps

The Xantrex FXC Control App was released in 2019 on iOS and Android. Users were overall pleased with the experience and ability to monitor and control their inverter or inverter/charger from their smart devices. The user interface and design of the app became the foundation for any future app that was created in partnership with any vendor. Throughout the years, Xantrex had developed several standalone apps, but users wanted an all in one app. This app is being replaced by the new Xantrex App in 2022, which solves the problem of having to use multiple apps.