Storm Mode
A Two-Layer Outage Communication System
The 30-Second Version
Consumers Energy has built strong outage infrastructure — a 5-stage ETR tracker, two-way SMS, and a live outage map. During an active outage, customers experience none of it personally. This independent 5-day design sprint produced a two-layer solution: immediate content improvements that ship on existing infrastructure, and a proactive Storm Mode tracker that reaches customers before they go looking.
What CE Was Missing
Regulated utilities face a trust problem that has nothing to do with their grid. Customers don't lose faith when the power goes out; they lose faith when no one tells them what's happening at their address, why the restoration time changed, or how long they'll actually be in the dark.
Consumers Energy has the infrastructure. The communication layer is missing.
Three failure modes drove the design: the outage map shows regions, not addresses. ETR shifts without explanation. And the app is reactive — customers have to go looking for information that should find them.
The solution couldn't just address the user need. It had to account for what CE could ship now versus what required engineering investment.
The emotional arc of a CE customer during an outage. The low point isn't the outage — it's the ETR shifting to tomorrow with no explanation.
What's at Stake
Layer 1 has an immediate ROI. Layer 2 is strategic investment.
A 15–20% reduction during storm events is projected. Every 10,000 calls at $10 per contact = $100K saved per storm event.
An 8–12 point increase is projected by resolving the two highest-complaint categories: ETR accuracy and cause explanation transparency.
Proactive notification drives customers into the app before they call, reducing dependence on phone support.
Outage experience is the primary driver of CE detractors. Better communication during the outage directly reduces likelihood to detract.
"Layer 1 ships immediately with no new backend. Layer 2 earns its roadmap position through engineering validation."
Working With What's Public
All research was conducted via publicly available sources within a 5-day compressed sprint — no primary user interviews, no access to CE's internal data or engineering documentation.
Sources included App Store and Google Play reviews from January–February 2026, Better Business Bureau complaint logs, MPSC audit findings flagging vague cause codes, the live Consumers Energy Outage Center, and utility threads on Reddit's r/Michigan community.
One constraint reshaped the entire sprint: midway through, I discovered CE already has a personalized address-level tracker. That required a full reframe — shifting the solution from building something new to activating and improving what CE has already built, and layering a proactive Storm Mode experience on top of it.
What the Research Revealed
The current state journey map for a CE customer during an outage follows a predictable emotional arc: calm → concerned → frustrated → escalated → defeated.
The emotional low point is not the outage itself. It's the ETR shifting to tomorrow morning with no explanation.
That single insight determined everything. The highest-leverage design intervention wasn't a better map or faster data — it was a "Why the change?" moment. A plain-language explanation of why the restoration time moved, surfaced exactly when a customer needs it most.
Two-Layer Solution
Designing for a regulated utility means designing for two timelines simultaneously. Layer 1 exploits what CE already has. Layer 2 earns its place on the roadmap.
Improving what CE already has: address-level personalization, honest ETR language, plain-language cause explanations, source transparency, and a post-restoration survey with bill credit follow-up.
Layer 1 improves what CE already has. Address-level personalization, honest ETR language, and source transparency — no new backend required.
A proactive experience that activates before the customer goes looking. CE reaches them first via Live Activity lock screen notification, deep linking into a full-screen Storm Mode tracker with crew progression states and real-time ETR updates.
Layer 2 activates before the customer goes looking. CE reaches them first.
The Principles Behind Every Decision
Five principles governed every decision across both layers.
- Proactive over reactiveLive Activity reaches the customer before she opens the app. CE communicates first.
- Honest over optimisticETR shows N/A with plain language rather than a false estimate.
- Personal over aggregateAddress-level status replaces neighborhood-level map data.
- Transparent over polished"Why the change?" surfaces CE's imperfection rather than hiding it.
- Closure over silencePost-restoration survey and credit closes the emotional arc.
If I Had More Time
The sprint produced a validated direction, not a shipped product. Next steps are sequenced by risk.
A full walkthrough of the two-layer Storm Mode solution — from outage notification to post-restoration closure.
What This Sprint Taught Me
This sprint taught me something specific about designing under ambiguity: the constraint that feels like a setback often sharpens the solution. Discovering mid-sprint that CE already had a personalized tracker forced a reframe that made the final solution more realistic, more layered, and more aligned with how a regulated utility actually ships software.
The two-layer structure isn't a compromise — it's a strategy. Layer 1 moves immediately. Layer 2 earns its place on the roadmap by proving the concept through real storm data. Designing in phases isn't a limitation of the sprint. It's what good consulting looks like.