Hilo, the new smart home powered by digital technology

Hilo, the new subsidiary of Hydro-Québec, has chosen lg2 and its partners to plan, design and develop its mobile app and e-commerce platform. This multi-phase project, launched to the general public earlier this fall, had an ambitious vision: to reinvent Quebecers’ relationship with their energy. Working together with lg2, the Hilo team reimagined a new kind of smart home where everyone shares the technology. lg2’s digital experts collaborated with the public utility for more than two years prior to the project’s completion, including developing data tracking tools, user testing, and designing and developing the e-commerce site and Hilo app.

It was a daunting task to launch a brand-new service to change energy habits while keeping user information as clear as possible. “Powered by lg2’s expertise, we created a mobile app and an e-commerce experience to support the user every step of the way," said Anik Roy-Trudel, Vice-President Strategy, Sales & Marketing at Hilo.

“The digital, educational and scalable nature of the tools developed promotes user retention and reinforces changes in daily habits. And that aligns with Hilo’s main objective,” said Vanessa Moisan-Willis, Marketing Director at Hilo.

To define, create, reflect and validate such an initiative, Hilo relied on a team of UX and UI experts, plus lg2’s front-end and back-end developers, to build an app and a transactional website to meet their needs. “It was an incredible challenge to create a brand from scratch with a mission to spark a real societal transformation,” said Nicolas Baldovini, Partner, Vice-President, Executive Creative Director, Digital Experience at lg2. “We were able to deliver effective products for a brighter future in Quebec through step-by-step co-creation, upstream preparation and meticulous attention to the entire user experience. Like our relationship to energy, these tools will continue to improve, day by day, by taking the user’s pulse and considering Hilo’s needs," he added.

The Hilo and lg2 teams’ close collaboration was crucial to the mandate’s iterative development, from strategy and design to development. The various talents of strategists, UX experts, designers, solution architects, developers, engineers and analysts made it all happen. Discover their illuminating work on the Hilo app, available on iOS and Android

, as well as on the transactional website. In addition to Hilo’s digital tools, this new offering will shine across traditional and social media with advertising, educational and sponsored content.