When the utility companies Eidsiva Nett and Hafslund Nett merged to form Elvia, they needed a clear way to communicate their new brand profile to their customers. With the help of Computas’ UX design expertise, the new profile became an integral part of Elvia’s new website – and most importantly, a solution was developed that meets the needs of users.

As Norway’s largest network company, Elvia supplies electricity to approximately 2 million people in Innlandet, Oslo, and Viken. Following the merger in January 2020, a new brand profile and visual identity were developed, which were also to be reflected on a new shared website. This is where Computas came in. A cross-functional team consisting of developers and specialists in design and user experiences from both

Computas and Anti, the agency behind the new visual identity, worked closely with Elvia throughout the project until launch. At the beginning of the project, a workshop was organized to define a set of design principles that would reflect Elvia’s identity and brand profile. The design principles were used as guidelines throughout the project. The goal was for the new identity to be recognizable on the website, both visually and through the user interface. To ensure that the solution met the goals, the team had close follow-up with weekly design meetings and regular reviews of proposed solutions along the way.

“The specialists from Computas had been working with us for quite some time before this project, which was very valuable. They were well acquainted with the industry and our previous work. This was invaluable when we were preparing for a new solution and new needs,’ says Arnhild Myhr Kveli, product owner at Elvia.

Interactivity with Users to Clarify the New Profile

The new visual identity had an underlying concept with a clear connection to the service Elvia offers, namely to “turn on the power” for its customers. It was therefore important that the website also reflected this – that “something is turned on”. The final solution of the website reflects the concept through the visual and technical design, and the concept is pervasive in the buttons and links on the page. The profile not only addresses design elements such as color palette and typography but also design patterns and user interactivity.

“One of the main goals was to work on how we were going to take the new profile to digital surfaces, and how Elvia would be experienced by customers when they visit the site. The design and user interface have a clear connection to the profile and are both holistic and recognizable,” says Kveli.

The User in Focus

Elvia wanted the website’s content to be tailored to the user as well. The new solution was designed to address the customer and use understandable language, rather than the heavy technical language that the previous websites had tended to use. The design and development of the website were therefore facilitated to make articles and content easy to digest, both visually and typographically. The new solution also allows content producers to edit and set up components on the page themselves, providing a simpler and more flexible way of working.

The user interface was also optimized. For example, the most commonly used functions should be easily accessible on the homepage. With the help of user insights, Computas was able to adjust along the way and optimize the final solution for the benefit of the customers.

“It was important for us that we spoke with, and not to, the customer. The flow of the site is now adapted to their needs and the platform has become more dynamic. In addition, it is also built to be more search engine friendly. We have already received several positive feedback, both internally and externally, that it is easy to navigate and that it looks good visually,” says Kveli.

Design System – a Design Manual 2.0

Computas has also been involved in developing a design system for Elvia – a design manual that shows how all the visual elements should look. This is an internal IT solution and code library that allows everyone working with digital surfaces to easily adhere to the applicable visual principles. The system will be of great value to internal developers in further developing websites or other applications and systems. They will be able to more quickly reflect the desired design and user experience, without having to spend time coding the elements from scratch.

Further Development of the Website

Since the website was launched, Computas has been involved in new projects for Elvia that are currently under development. One of the projects involves bringing business customers into the new platform so that they can benefit from a more user-friendly interface and functionality. In addition, Computas is working on developing and updating the “power outage map” so that users get more relevant information about, among other things, the status of power outages and when they can expect the power to be restored.

“The website is the most important first step in creating awareness and trust in who Elvia is and what we do. Now that this is in place, we look forward to further developing the site. We want to be an even more advisory and supportive actor for our customers and create a closer customer relationship – and then optimizing ‘My Page’ is particularly important in the time to come,” concludes Kveli.

“We are proud to work with a socially critical actor like Elvia who takes user experience seriously in its digital ventures. We are very satisfied with a good collaboration and are pleased with positive feedback on design and user-friendliness. Now we are already working on new projects to optimize the solution, and look forward to the continuation,” says Sigrid Ekremsvik Dragset, customer manager at Computas.