Elevating scalability in intelligent power monitoring and analysis

FlexLite Power @ ABB Electrification Smart Power
FlexLite Power microgrid overview shown across an industrial site, aggregating multiple power distribution rooms

Project type

  • B2B
  • Industrial Automation

Team

  • 1 Product Owner
  • 1 Product Manager
  • 9 Engineers
  • 1 Product Designer (me)

Role

Product Designer

Timeline

  • July - Sept 2025 (UI Redesign)
  • Jun 2026 - now (New Features)

Status

Shipped (CN) (opens in a new tab)

OVERVIEW

Product

FlexLite Power is an intelligent power distribution management system. Integrating a high-performance industrial touchscreen device with an intuitive dashboard, FlexLite Power visualizes real-time energy data, monitors device status, and supports energy and carbon management.

What I Did

As the only UI/UX Design Intern in summer 2025, I improved the system consistency and scalability through redesign of 11 core modules, including power distribution dashboard, alarm monitoring, energy/carbon analysis, etc. In fall 2025, I continue to work as a contract Product Designer on the same team, where I built on that foundation to design a new Microgrid layer that aggregates data across multiple distribution rooms to extend the system from single-room operation to station-wide oversight.

Result

Starting from 2025 Q4, the new version of FlexLite Power is active in 30+ stations in China. It was selected as one of the Top 10 Digital Innovation Solutions at the 21st China Electrical Industry Development Forum in 2025.

PHASE #1: REDESIGN

Strengthening the drill-down hierarchy and improving visual clarity

I unified the navigation, color language, and components across 11 modules.

Before

Demo of the original FlexLite Power dashboard, showing power distribution room metrics — cabinet and device counts, alarms, an overall score, circuit breaker health, carbon emissions, and transformer load — packed into a dense grid of cards.

After

Demo of the redesigned FlexLite Power dashboard, showing the Microgrid layer's Energy Overview: a central site visualization (PV, battery, generator, HVAC, charging piles, power grid) alongside carbon emission, energy consumption, and renewable energy utilization panels, in a cleaner, more spacious layout.

PHASE #2: SCALING TO A NEW LAYER

Operators need to monitor overall performance of multiple power distribution rooms at one station

Working with the PM and conducting a focus group of 4 on-site operators, I broke it down into 4 specific needs.

For operators

Easy understanding

Operators want to easily view and understand key metrics that aggregate multiple rooms’ performance.

Local focus

Their primary focus is still monitoring and controlling the local room where they are standing in.

Familiar patterns

They hope to stay consistent with the system they already knew

For our team

Low-cost to extend

Engineers on our team hope to keep it low-cost when building for a new requirement upon the current structure.

Evaluating 3 design options

I came up with the following design ideas and evaluated them upon specific needs.

Option #1: Local/Station Toggle

Option 1 mockup: FlexLite Power dashboard with a Local/Station toggle set to Local, showing the Power Distribution Room Overview for the room the operator is standing in.Option 1 mockup: the same dashboard with the toggle switched to Station, showing Station Overview, Energy/Carbon Trends, Operation Monitor, and Microgrid Power Flow tabs.

Pros

  • One click to view
  • Keeps operators inside the interface they already know
  • Easy to build

Cons

  • Station and local are not the same level, so this layout is confusing
  • Station overview feels secondary

Option #2: Start with Overview

Option 2 mockup: FlexLite Power station overview screen listing all 6 power distribution rooms as cards, each with an Enter button.Option 2 mockup: after entering a room from the station overview, the local Power Distribution Room #1 dashboard, with a tab to return to Station Overview.

Pros

  • Station structure is clear
  • One consistent entry point for the entire station

Cons

  • Pulls attention away from local control
  • One extra step to reach the local room

Option #3: Dedicated Microgrid Tab

Option 3 mockup: FlexLite Power dashboard with a dedicated Dashboard item in the primary nav, above Station Unit, giving the station-wide overview its own persistent place.

Pros

  • One click to view
  • Gives the station overview its own layer without changing local control
  • Stay consistent with the navigation and drill-down patterns
  • Builds on the existing code structure with low engineering cost

Cons

  • One extra step to reach the local room

Option 3 surfaces the station-wide overview without competing with operators’ focus on their local room, and it extends the system by building on the existing hierarchy rather than restructuring it. I offset that extra step by making the current station unit the landing screen.

REFLECTION

This is my first time working as an independent designer on a complex enterprise-level product

Systems thinking

Think beyond individual module screens. Consider how modules are connected, how information flows across the entire system, and how things should be organized to better match users’ mental model.

Speak the right language to different stakeholders

Internal (e.g. PM, engineers, and sales) and External (e.g. users) stakeholders have different priorities. Use tailored ways of communication and terms to smooth collaboration.