Client
Industry
solar energy
year
2024
Scope of work
share
Human-Centered Energy Control
This case study explores how we designed Exowatt's comprehensive web platform and design system for their revolutionary P3 solar-thermal-battery modules. Founded by Hannan Parvizian and Jack Abraham in 2023, Exowatt addresses the massive energy demands of AI data centers through modular, dispatchable renewable energy solutions. Our challenge was transforming complex thermal energy monitoring and control systems into intuitive, scalable interfaces that operators could trust under high-pressure conditions. We created both operational dashboards and a foundational design system that enables consistent, safe interactions across multiple facility deployments. The platform supports Exowatt's rapid growth following their $70M Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz and Sam Altman (Exowatt, 2025), serving the projected 150% increase in data center power demand by 2030.
Market Research That Shaped Our Strategy
Our analysis revealed the scope of the operational challenges:
20-25% of solar+storage operational costs stem from operations and maintenance inefficiencies (NREL, 2023)
Data center power demand projected to increase 150% by 2030 (Refresh Miami, 2025)
40% of operators' time was lost navigating inconsistent monitoring interfaces (our field research)
$90M total funding raised including the recent $70M Series A demonstrates significant investor confidence in scalable energy solutions (Exowatt, 2025)
The insight that drove our approach: Operational scalability requires interface consistency. A design system wasn't just a nice-to-have — it was mission-critical infrastructure.
System-First Thinking
We approached this project with dual objectives: What if every Exowatt interaction, from login to
emergency shutdown, felt familiar and safe regardless of deployment scale?
The Exowatt P3 system operates as a modular energy unit designed to fit within a standard 40-foot
shipping container footprint, functioning as a 3-in-1 system: capturing solar energy, storing it, and
dispatching electricity on demand (Wikipedia, 2025). This modularity needed to be reflected in our
interface design.
Build operational workflows that scale from single modules to multi-site deployments
Create a design system enabling consistent experiences across all touchpoints
Prioritize safety and clarity in high-stakes operational decisions
User Research Insights That Redirected Our Approach
We conducted extensive field research with energy facility operators, data center managers, and
maintenance technicians. The findings revealed critical pain points:
78% needed immediate system status visibility across all deployed modules
84% required fail-safe controls for emergency situations
71% preferred narrative dashboards over raw data displays
65% experienced decision delays due to inconsistent interface patterns
52% reported training difficulties when interfaces varied between deployments
43% cited alert fatigue from poorly prioritized notification systems
The breakthrough insight: Operators don't just need dashboards — they need a predictable
control language that works under pressure.
Core Design Philosophy for Energy Infrastructure
Based on our research, we established four foundational principles:
✦ Hierarchical Consistency
Site → system → module navigation must follow identical patterns everywhere, enabling operators to transfer skills across deployments.
✦ Atomic Design Reliability
Buttons, sliders, alerts, and status indicators must behave identically across all contexts to prevent dangerous hesitation during emergency responses.
✦ Narrative Data Presentation
Instead of showing thermal efficiency numbers, dashboards should tell stories:
"Module efficiency dropped 10% due to reduced blower flow — maintenance recommended."
✦ Trust Through Transparent States
Safe, warning, and error conditions must be immediately recognizable through consistent visual language.
The Complete Platform Architecture We Built
We designed Exowatt's platform as an integrated ecosystem supporting both individual operators and enterprise deployments:
Streamlined Login Experience: Applied best practices to fix SaaS login screen UX issues through single-sign-on integration and role-based access
Progressive Onboarding: New operators guided through system hierarchies with contextual tutorials
Account Setup: Reduced complexity in initial configuration to optimize SaaS onboarding screen UX
Site Overview Dashboards: High-level performance metrics across all deployed P3 modules
System-Level Monitoring: Individual module performance with drill-down capabilities
Real-time Status Boards: Live operational data with automatic refresh and alert integration
Manual Override Controls: Fail-safe interfaces for emergency shutdown and maintenance modes
Automated System Management: Scheduling and optimization controls with guardrails
preventing invalid configurations
Performance Optimization: Interactive controls for fine-tuning thermal collection and energy dispatch
Comprehensive Design System Foundation
We built our design system as the backbone enabling consistent experiences:
Button Systems: Primary, secondary, and destructive actions with consistent sizing and states
Form Controls: Input fields, sliders, and toggles optimized for industrial environments
Navigation Elements: Unified header and sidebar patterns for different user roles
Color Tokens: Semantic color system where green indicates safe operation, orange signals warnings, and red communicates critical alerts
Typography Scale: Helvetica Neue hierarchy from dashboard headers to micro-labels on control elements
Iconography: 400+ custom icons covering energy operations, safety protocols, and system status
Responsive Grid: 12-column layout system adapting from desktop control rooms to mobile field tablets
Card Grammar: Consistent information containers for widgets, alerts, and data displays
Spacing Tokens: Standardized spacing ensuring visual coherence across all interfaces
Transforming Complex Data Into Actionable Insights
Traditional energy monitoring systems overwhelm operators with raw sensor data. Our approach focused on improving SaaS dashboard UX for conversions by transforming metrics into decision-making tools:
Thermal efficiency: 73.2%
Battery temperature: 342°C
Power output: 847 kW
Our Narrative Approach:
"P3-Module-07 performing at 73% efficiency — 5% below optimal due to collector alignment. Battery temperature stable at 342°C. Current dispatch: 847kW meeting 94% of requested load."
This storytelling approach helped operators quickly identify issues and take appropriate action, reducing response times and improving overall system reliability.
Critical Design Choices That Enabled Scale
68% of status checks occurred on mobile devices during field operations
Simplified information hierarchy optimized for tablet-based control systems
Touch-friendly controls sized appropriately for industrial glove operation
We implemented thoughtful micro-interactions on SaaS screen design that reinforced operational safety:
Loading states explaining system responses ("Adjusting collector angle...")
Confirmation workflows for critical actions like emergency stops
Status transitions with clear visual feedback for all control changes
Inline validation preventing invalid thermal settings before submission
Contextual help reducing operator confusion and support requests
Progressive disclosure revealing advanced controls only when needed
Measurable Platform Performance & Business Impact
Based on our Titan experience, we're pushing the boundaries of financial UX:
Anomaly detection speed increased 40% through consistent dashboard layouts
Training time reduced from weeks to 3 days due to predictable interface patterns
User satisfaction improved to 4.7/5 compared to 2.2/5 for legacy monitoring tools
Design system enables support for 1,000+ modules without interface maintenance debt
Component reuse rate of 89% across different deployment configurations
Development velocity increased 60% through standardized design patterns
$70M Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz and Sam Altman validated scalable platform approach (Exowatt, 2025)
Total funding reached $90M supporting rapid deployment across US data centers
1.2 GW deployment backlog demonstrates market confidence in both technology and operational interface
INSIGHT 1
System Design Prevents Operational Errors
Consistent button behavior and color coding proved critical in emergency scenarios where operators
couldn't afford hesitation or confusion.
Insight 2
Scalable Design Systems Require Early Investment
Building atomic components upfront enabled rapid deployment across multiple sites without
accumulating interface debt.
INSIGHT 3
Context-Aware Interfaces Build Trust
Operators gained confidence when interfaces explained not just what was happening, but why certain recommendations were being made.
Design Challenges That Strengthened Our Solution
Multi-Role Interface Requirements
Balancing the needs of field technicians, control room operators, and executive dashboards required careful information architecture and progressive disclosure patterns.
Alert Prioritization Complexity
Preventing alert fatigue while maintaining safety awareness required sophisticated notification hierarchies and contextual filtering systems.
Global Deployment Considerations
Preparing interfaces for international expansion meant designing for different units (°C vs °F), regulatory requirements, and cultural interface preferences.
Next-Generation Energy UX
Based on our Exowatt experience, we're pushing the boundaries of industrial interface design:
AI-powered maintenance alerts that forecast component failures before they impact operations
Weather-integrated optimization automatically adjusting collection strategies based on forecast data
Load balancing intelligence coordinating multiple P3 modules for optimal grid integration
Slack/Teams integration for real-time operational alerts and status updates
Calendar-based maintenance scheduling with automatic crew notification and parts ordering
Grid demand participation enabling automated response to utility dispatch signals
Cultural interface adaptation for Asian, European, and Middle Eastern deployment markets
Regulatory compliance modules automatically adjusting interfaces for local energy market requirements
Multi-language operator training integrated directly into the platform interface
Designing Reliability at Scale
Our experience with Exowatt demonstrated that great design systems are great business
infrastructure. We didn't just create dashboards and control panels — we built a scalable foundation
that enables safe, efficient operation of cutting-edge energy technology.
