LG&E and KU
Background
Louisville Gas and Electric Company, Kentucky Utilities Company, and Old Dominion Power Company (LG&E, KU, and ODP), part of the PPL Corporation family of companies, are regulated utilities involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Kentucky and Virginia. Serving over 1.3 million customers, they consistently receive high customer satisfaction ratings and rank among the best companies for customer service in the United States.
LG&E, KU, and ODP contracted with Mindgrub to design and develop an engaging mobile application for their residential and some small business customers, providing them with another secure and easy way to manage their accounts, view and pay their bills, and report and track power outages.
Our Approach
To define the project strategy and ensure that the needs of the LG&E, KU, and ODP teams and their customers were being met, we employed a comprehensive Sprint 0 discovery process and worked in collaborative two-week agile sprints. The information gathered from documentation, stakeholder interviews, technical assessments, API audits, and usability testing helped us create user stories, workflows, wireframes, and designs.
We built the app for iOS and Android platforms and regularly performed quality assurance testing to uncover opportunities to improve the user experience. By understanding the evolving utility customer landscape and utilizing best practices in mobile app design and development, we were able to build an app that helps users easily find the information they need, when they need it.
Building a mobile app solution with convenient self-service functionality leads to positive customer experiences.
Core Features
In order to create a truly frictionless customer experience for LG&E, KU, and ODP, we identified optimal pathways needed for users to complete specific tasks. Each of the following features are an important part of the customer journey:
Human-Centered Design
To accommodate mobile app users with varying levels of technological literacy, we accounted for numerous use cases, incorporated digital accessibility best practices, and leveraged user feedback. Customers with disabilities can easily enable accessibility controls (e.g., screen readers, font size support, user interface enhancements) to assist them at any point.
Since billing is a common pain point for customers, we customized the bill root screen to be unique to each user. We applied different color treatments and design techniques to show distinct levels of urgency and created expandable sections where users can drill deeper into their billing details. We also included multiple animation points in the app to modernize the design and keep users engaged. Animations appear when the user opens and closes the account picker, successfully submits a payment, and more.
Software Development & Integrations
In order to store data models locally and ensure communication between components, we integrated the system with LG&E, KU, and ODP’s backend service. We implemented an MVVM (Model-View-View Model) architecture by utilizing Combine for iOS and data binding for Android. Here are some of the other tools and services we used to develop and deliver a robust mobile app:
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SAP
Validated that the endpoints connected to SAP returned the appropriate data
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Active Directory Federation Service (ADFS)
Used to authenticate and authorize users
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Lottie
Allowed us to easily port Adobe After Effects animations into code
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NowSecure
Performed security-related audits on a regular basis to ensure the security of the app
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Firebase Crashlytics
Used to track specific metrics and crashes in the field—the data from which is evaluated to help make app improvements
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Paymentus
Incorporated LG&E, KU, and ODP’s payment options to allow users to pay their bills with a credit card
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KUBRA
Provided the power outage communication map and associated data points
We built the app in such a way that gives the LG&E, KU, and ODP API team control over any copy that tends to change frequently (e.g., modals, alerts, terms and conditions). The team has the ability to make changes without having to update the app in the app stores.
Empowering our customers by giving them innovative tools to help simplify their lives and make it easy for them to do business with us is a top priority. Partnering with companies like Mindgrub has helped us create a foundational app that we can enhance to continue meeting our customer’s future needs.
Eileen Saunders, Vice President of Customer Services, LG&E and KU