Sunrun Brightbox
Home Energy Management App
I led design for Sunrun's Brightbox home energy management app, taking a small team from research through final UI. The work included competitive analysis, data visualization design, and creating dynamic graphics to represent energy flows between solar panels, battery storage, and the grid.
The Problem
Sunrun needed an app that could show homeowners their energy usage, solar production, battery status, and grid interaction—all in a way that was actually understandable. The data was complex, but the interface had to be simple enough for anyone to use.
The Results
The app launched in beta to positive user feedback. The data visualizations made complex energy flows understandable at a glance, and the interface matched the modern aesthetic Sunrun wanted—similar to what I'd done on the Panasonic Smart Cities project, which the product manager had referenced as a starting point.
Smart home tech was taking off, and Sunrun wanted an app that would let homeowners actually see and manage their energy usage—not just get a monthly bill.
The goal: make complex energy data feel simple. Homeowners should be able to glance at the app and understand what's happening with their solar, battery, and grid usage.
I started by researching competitors, including Tesla's app, to understand what was working and where the bar was set. This shaped the functional requirements and gave me a sense of how others were handling energy data visualization.
The product manager wanted to design along the same lines aesthetically as the Panasonic Smart Cities project I had recently completed.
The design prioritized clarity—homeowners needed to quickly see their energy consumption, solar production, grid interaction, and battery levels. I developed a visual language that could communicate all of this without overwhelming the user.
As the Brightbox system's capabilities became clearer, the interface evolved to match. I iterated on the design based on feedback and created dynamic graphics to show energy flows—making it easy to see where power was coming from and going to.
