Watt-E: a workshop with beta testers, and what it taught me

Watt-E is a small round screen with a companion app that shows the electricity price, so you do not have to take your phone out of your pocket every time you want to be price-conscious. I build it together with Morten Hilger from Nordic Power Services, who knows the energy field and the open data from Eloverblik and Energinet's Datahub.

I wanted to know whether people understand the product, whether they can set it up themselves, and what is missing. That takes real users in the room, not assumptions.

On 6 October 2026 we gathered beta testers at Spinderihallerne for a workshop from 5 to 7 pm. We had planned for eleven in person and two hybrid. The workshop was held with support from NRGI Puljen.

The evening had six steps: icebreaker, a short intro to the grid and open data from Morten, an intro to Watt-E from me, a phase where participants unboxed it and set it up through the companion app, a structured workshop of about 35 minutes with post-its and exercises, and finally a wrap-up and an imagination phase we called Watt-If, for ideas for new features.

We asked about the screens, the graphic and physical expression, placement at home, the companion app and the setup, and who participants would recommend it to.

I was both builder and facilitator. That means I am not neutral. On the other hand, the distance from feedback to understanding is short.

Thirteen sets of notes (flipcharts, post-its, workshop sheets and a sketch) were photographed and written out. What I could not read with confidence is marked as uncertain. Afterwards I grouped them in an affinity diagram with seven themes and a spider map.

The seven themes: understanding the product; setup and connection; the right electricity price; Explainer; a screen you understand in seconds; Watt-E should act, not just display data; personal and physical context.

Seven learnings:

1. Participants missed a presentation of the concept and target group before we started. It now comes first in the flow.
2. Two Wi-Fi steps in the setup confused people. It needs more guidance, or Bluetooth.
3. The price must be the one you actually pay: subscription, balancing fee and surcharges. The difference between hourly averages and quarter-hour prices made people check their own app.
4. "Wait until" must always have a concrete time, and alerts should come both in the app and on the device.
5. It should sit where the big consumers are, or where you naturally pass by. Needs vary: the kids, the partner and the electricity nerd.
6. An idea came up in the imagination phase: an Explainer where you upload your electricity bill and have it and the recommendation explained.
7. Smartwatch UI as a design reference for information-dense small screens.

These are not solutions. They are directions to test.

Want a workshop like this one? See workshops and focus groups.