DTE Energy
A decade of mobile utility innovation
Detroit Labs partnered with DTE Energy, Michigan’s largest utility, across more than a decade of mobile product development. This case study captures two major initiatives as well as the steady stream of enhancements, platform updates, and customer-driven improvements delivered in between. Together, these efforts helped more than 2.2 million customers report power outages, track restorations, manage energy usage, and pay bills—all in real time.
DTE Energy serves about 2.2 million electricity and 1.3 million natural gas customers across Michigan’s southeast region. They initially approached Detroit Labs to develop a mobile experience that could act as a self-service channel and support their call center—with the goal of improving emergency response, transparency, and convenience. This case study reflects a decade of evolution—from a focused outage reporting tool to a comprehensive mobile platform—punctuated by two major initiatives and continuous iteration in between.
The Challenge
The challenges evolved over time. In the beginning, DTE needed an efficient way to handle outages and support overwhelmed call centers. As the app matured, new challenges emerged around billing, usage transparency, and system scalability.
Customers lacked self‑service tools during service interruptions. Reporting outages meant calls, long wait times, and uncertainty. Internally, DTE needed real-time status updates and analytics to improve communication and operational efficiency.
The Vision
What began as an outage reporting tool evolved into a full-service mobile platform, with capabilities for billing, energy tracking, and account management. Each feature addition was shaped by user feedback, growing trust in the platform, and DTE’s desire to improve service delivery.
To support this growth, DTE remained committed to a scalable, user-friendly experience. They needed architecture that allowed for rapid updates and cross-platform consistency—achieved through shared UI components and a performant native mobile foundation.
The Process
Phase 1: Building the Foundation
Our early work focused on essential support during outages. Launched in 2011, the mobile outage app was one of the first native smartphone apps from a U.S. utility—positioning DTE as a digital leader. It prioritized outage reporting, restoration updates, and even included a built-in flashlight, novel at the time.
We designed and developed fully native apps for both iOS and Android, tailored to each platform's unique requirements. As we tested prototypes with customers in high-stress situations, we refined the UI around clarity, responsiveness, and accessibility.
Phase 2: Continuous Expansion
Over the years, we expanded the app into a broader service platform—adding billing, energy usage insights, account management, and streamlined payment flows. Each new feature was shaped by customer feedback and built to work seamlessly across both platforms. We prioritized native design, consistent UX, and rapid iteration.
Throughout this period, Detroit Labs remained a close partner, embedded with DTE’s teams, supporting ongoing sprints, monitoring performance, and making continuous improvements.
Phase 3: Full Redesign in 2023
In 2023, we led a complete overhaul of the app—drawing on a decade of insights. We modernized the architecture, refreshed the design system, and unified the experience under DTE’s brand language. This second major initiative delivered smoother workflows, improved accessibility, and better performance—all while setting the stage for future growth.
The Solution
The app gives customers a streamlined way to report outages, locate issues on a live map, and receive real-time restoration updates through push alerts. It includes interactive charts to track energy usage by day, month, or year, and a secure payment system for managing bills—either one-time or recurring. A reusable UI component library ensures visual consistency and speeds up the release of new features. The platform is built for scale, with native apps that pull real-time data from DTE APIs and have earned more than 1 million downloads and 30,000+ reviews averaging 4 stars on Google Play.
The business impact has been substantial. Call center congestion has dropped as more customers self-serve during outages. Real-time updates have shortened resolution times and improved customer satisfaction. The app’s adoption and engagement metrics reflect its value—over 1 million installs and consistently positive ratings. The shared component system and cross-platform approach have accelerated product delivery, enabling faster updates and long-term maintainability. And through our continued partnership, Detroit Labs supports ongoing feature development and UX improvements across the platform.
