Niall QuinnSenior Product & Interaction Designer
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ElectronConnect

Designing the Operating System for Local Energy Markets

Responsive Web Application

ElectronConnect is a flexibility market platform that enables utilities and system operators to design, launch and scale distributed energy markets.

As the sole product designer, I partnered directly with the Head of Product to translate a complex wholesale trading system into a clear, configurable and operationally safe platform. I led UX strategy, interaction design and the evolution of a scalable design system to support multi market workflows across onboarding, bidding, dispatch and settlement.

The result was a production ready MVP and reusable UI foundation that enabled Electron to transition from a single market pilot to a multi region platform trusted by UK distribution operators.

  • Role
  • Lead Product Designer
  • Year
  • 2021
  • Disciplines
  • Product Design · UX Strategy · Design System · Data Visualisation

The Electron TraDER platform

Overview

Following the success of Electron TraDER, a proof of concept flexibility marketplace, Electron set out to build a scalable market platform for utilities and system operators.

ElectronConnect enables operators to design and run local flexibility markets that coordinate distributed energy resources such as batteries, EVs and heat pumps. The platform supports onboarding, qualification, bidding, dispatch and settlement across multiple concurrent market types.

I was the sole product designer, working directly with the Head of Product to translate a technically complex energy trading system into a clear, usable platform.

The Electron TraDER platform

The Electron TraDER platform

The Challenge

ElectronConnect differed from the earlier TraDER platform. Instead of supporting a single local market, it needed to:
  • Run multiple configurable market products
  • Operate across different time horizons including long term, day ahead and real time
  • Integrate with external systems such as DERMS and trading platforms
  • Reflect regulatory constraints and real world failure states
The core challenge was clarity. How do you make wholesale energy trading logic understandable, trustworthy and operationally safe?
UX Design Whiteboard
Design Approach

Mapping the System

Initially I partnered with Electron’s Head of Product to focus on system and workflow mapping.

Working sessions with Product and Engineering helped define:
  • The full market lifecycle from qualification to settlement
  • Actor types including system operators and asset providers
  • Time based mechanics such as epochs and dispatch windows
  • Edge cases including failed dispatch and non response
This allowed us to translate technical and regulatory language into structured interface models.
UX Design Whiteboard
Design Approach

Designing for State and Time

Energy markets are state driven and time sensitive.

I designed dashboards and workflows that prioritised:
  • Clear hierarchy in data dense layouts
  • Consistent visual signalling for state transitions
  • Predictable interaction patterns across modules
  • Reduced cognitive load during live operational periods
Trust and clarity were the key things I was keeping in mind at all times.
UX Design Whiteboard
Design Approach

Extending the Design System

Building on the foundations created for TraDER, I expanded the component library to support a more configurable platform.

This included:
  • Modular dashboard layouts
  • Standardised data visualisation patterns
  • Reusable components for market configuration
  • Clear design tokens to support future scaling
All assets were delivered through Zeplin to support engineering build and iteration.

The Electron TraDER platform

Outcome

  • Delivered high fidelity prototypes and a scalable design system
  • Enabled Electron to build and iterate the MVP in house
  • Supported the evolution from single market pilot to multi market platform

ElectronConnect is now deployed across multiple UK distribution regions and supports live flexibility markets.

Niall Quinn 2026