iOS app case study
SpotVahti
Monitoring spot-price-based electricity in a useful and approachable way.
- Electricity price awareness
- Smarter home energy decisions
- Clear and useful mobile experience
Product overview
SpotVahti makes spot-price electricity easy to follow, understand, and act on. It brings together live pricing, forward-looking forecasts, device cost planning, and grid status into one calm, glanceable experience across iPhone, widgets, Live Activities, and Apple Watch.
Why it was designed
The inspiration came from news headlines, stories about people lighting candles because spot electricity was too expensive, or commuting to the library just to save on electricity bills. It was clear people were making real sacrifices without actually knowing what anything cost. I wanted to build an app for the Finnish electricity market that answered the questions nobody else was answering: how much does it cost to charge your laptop right now? What does three hours of TV add to your bill today? On top of that, I had not seen any electricity app that showed a price forecast, so you could actually plan ahead rather than just react.
Product decisions
Decision 01
At-a-glance clarity
The app is built around immediate understanding. Current price, upcoming price direction, and price level are surfaced with clear visual hierarchy and simple color coding, so users can tell in seconds whether electricity is cheap, normal, or expensive.
Decision 02
Real costs, not raw numbers
Most apps show cent-per-kilowatt figures that mean nothing in daily life. SpotVahti includes a device cost calculator so users can see exactly what it costs to run their washing machine, charge a laptop, or watch TV for a few hours at the current spot price.
Decision 03
Forecast before you act
SpotVahti was among the first electricity apps in Finland to show a price forecast. Instead of only seeing what prices are now, users can plan ahead, deciding when to run heavy appliances based on what is coming, not just what is happening.
Decision 04
Always available in the Apple ecosystem
Electricity prices matter in the moment, so the product was designed to live beyond the main app. Widgets, Live Activities, Dynamic Island, and a full Apple Watch app bring the most relevant information to places where users can check it quickly throughout the day.
Outcome
SpotVahti aims to make following electricity prices feel effortless and useful in everyday life. Instead of opening dense tools or reacting too late, users can build a natural sense of price patterns, plan electricity use more intelligently, and stay aware of the wider state of the power system, all without creating an account or giving up their privacy.