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MISO Help Center Redesign

2023–2024
3 mins
ganesh kumar

i'm ganesh kumar. design engineer. i build with mycelium, figma, typescript, and whatever's in between since 2018 & believe the best interfaces are the ones you forget you're using... read about the work and team i'm after

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Market operators managing millions of dollars in energy transactions, keeping handwritten notes because their digital help center was too confusing.

In 2023.

the problemPermalink

MISO manages one of North America’s largest power grids across 15 Midwest U.S. states and Manitoba. They keep your lights on, your coffee maker running, hospitals powered. Their help center felt like finding a specific book in a library where someone mixed up all the sections and turned off half the lights.

MISO Energy brought us in to “make the help center prettier.” We quickly discovered this wasn’t about aesthetics. It was about fixing a broken system people had learned to live with.

Heuristic evaluations on specific tasks
each red mark was another moment where someone couldn’t find what they needed... this wasn’t about pretty interfaces, it was about trust

Joined as UX designer working with MISO’s CX Manager, Design Manager and stakeholders across market operations, grid management, and support teams.

Timeline: 9 months to research, design, and launch.

Shadowed market operators and grid technicians during actual work hours. Analyzed search logs and Google Analytics. Sat in on support calls. The truth came out during our third stakeholder interview:

“I’ve been here ten years, and I still write down where to find procedures because the navigation isn’t intuitive.”

Visualization of quantitative analysis
data revealed clear patterns... users weren’t randomly clicking, they were following logical paths the interface was breaking

What we discovered… operators had personal workaround systems developed over years. Critical emergency procedures buried under confusing navigation. One market participant created their own spreadsheet of emergency bookmarks. Support tickets piling up for information that was documented, just impossible to find.

The improvements were immediate and measurable.

25% jump in successful searches 30% drop in user drop-off rates
20% boost in user satisfaction 40% less time spent looking for critical information

Real victory was qualitative. Users finding what they needed faster, support tickets for documentation issues plummeted. The Help Center finally living up to its name.

“I don’t have to keep my own notes anymore. The search actually finds what I’m looking for on the first try.” – Market Operator

enhanced search experience Revamped search flow with better filtering, context-aware results. Auto-suggestions based on usage patterns. Surfaced popular searches. Prioritized faster results for time-sensitive emergency searches.

streamlined navigation Modern pop-up design reducing cognitive load. Optimized menu structures based on usage patterns. Quick-access paths to critical emergency information. Accessibility compliance for all users.

knowledge base overhaul Redesigned front page for intuitive access. Improved link styles and clearer paths. Automated update checks. Real-time notification systems for critical updates. Moved from organizing information how MISO thought about it internally to how users needed to find it.

Good UX research isn’t just about understanding users. It’s about understanding the stakes.

In critical infrastructure, every design decision has real-world consequences. Confusing menu isn’t just annoying, it could delay emergency response. Poor search results don’t just waste time, they could cost millions in market inefficiencies.

Start with user needs, not stakeholder assumptions. Our initial brief was completely wrong, but watching people work taught us everything.

Sometimes the best solution isn’t a new feature. It’s removing barriers people learned to live with. Design for impact, not portfolios. What looks good in Dribbble might fail when a grid operator needs emergency procedures at 3 AM.

the solution in actionPermalink

Redesigned search interface
new search interface built around how people looked for information under pressure... no fancy algorithms, just understanding grid operators’ mental models
Modern design components
modern design components that made sense to the people using them... energy professionals appreciate clean, functional interfaces too
Overhaul of knowledge base
knowledge base restructure... organized the way users needed to find it, not how MISO thought about it internally

impactPermalink

Final design flow
final design balanced functionality with usability... clean enough to not get in the way, comprehensive enough to handle complex energy market documentation

“During emergency situations, every second counts. The new quick-access layout means I can find critical procedures immediately.” – Grid Technician

Working on critical infrastructure taught me that UX research isn’t just about making things easier… sometimes it’s about making sure the lights stay on.

Topics:

ux researchux designenergy sectorsaas