GE Grid Solutions (now GE Vernova) Outage Management System
From chaos to consistency: a design system that helped ship a quality MVP on time
Project overview
Utility operators use the Outage Management System to track live network outages and dispatch repair crews, often in the middle of a storm. At GE Grid Solutions, I designed every component in its design system together with an interaction designer, maintained the system through the MVP, and designed key user flows.
Impact
Consistency at scale. I maintained and contributed to a new design system, so the team has a single source of truth for UI components and patterns. This ensured a cohesive, consistent product experience at MVP launch.
Smoother collaboration and faster execution. By giving engineers, designers, and product managers a shared visual language, the design system significantly reduced back and forth during reviews.
Better customer onboarding. A consistent UI provided customers with a smoother onboarding experience. It enables new users to quickly learn the ropes and gain confidence with the product early on.
Timeline
18 months, 2018-2020
(ongoing during my time with GE)
Role
UX designer
Skills
Designing for design system
Interface design
Prototyping
Team
Product managers, UX manager, Senior designer, researcher, team of developers and me
Results
On time
MVP shipped on schedule
~81%
Positive UI feedback (estimated)
Fewer
UI review rounds
Retrospective
To say I learned a lot would be an understatement. Working alongside other designers, researchers, engineers, and managers gave me a much deeper appreciation for what it takes to build a digital product together. And perhaps the biggest lesson: a design system is never done. It’s a living system, one that evolves and adapts as the product, the team, and the users grow.
