RE:Poweric
SAAS
WEB
PROJECT PITCH
Asset Management & Control Platform for the Renewable Energy.
CLIENT
Respect Energy
ROLE & TEAM composition
2x Product designers (continuing work)
PM
2xQA
2x Back-end
3x Front-end
PERIOD
December 2021 - October 2023 (22 months)
TOOLS
Figma, MUI X, Blender, ChatGPT, Miro
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Gathering business logic from stakeholder
Conducting end-user interviews
Refining requirements and designing them into features
Design system maintenance and synchronisation with front-end
Designing new features
Improving existing functionalities
KEY DELIVERABLES
Design system
Mockups & prototypes of new functionalities
Design notes for developer handoff
STATUS
COMPLETED
A note on the process…
The design thinking approach described here is applied to subsequent new or existing features as this project continues.
Emphatise
Throughout the empathy stage, I primarily concentrated on conducting discussions with our platform's expert users and involved parties to assess areas where our product might be deficient in features or user-friendliness.
How and why
EXPERT USER INTERVIEWS
Interviewed the expert users to identify areas where the platform might need improvements. This was then discussed with the PM to plan into sprints and a general roadmap.
How and why
HEURISTIC REVIEW
I have conducted a detailed analysis of the existing platform to identify commonly used patterns and potential issues related to misaligned designs during production. Additionally, I followed the Nielsen-Norman 10 heuristics as a guideline.
How and why
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
I examined the products of our competitors that our users were familiar in order to develop a feature matrix. This assisted us in preparing for future enhancements to our platform, which we documented in JIRA epics.
How and why
✨ AI / CHATGPT
Using ChatGPT, I was able to conduct initial research on industry-specific standards and processes, which in turn allowed me to deliver the initial verification design more quickly. An example of that was for the SCADA diagrams, and Solar Farm dashboards described later in this case study.
Define
Data gathered from users and additional feedback from other parties gave me and the team a deep understanding of what we need to create in each sprint and consequent epics.
EXAMPLE OF DEFINED PROBLEM STATEMEnTS
"I cannot find the device I've just added to the site."
"I cannot manage a solar farm correctly because the dashboard doesn't have the relevant data."
"We're missing the functionality to manage the E2Tango located at the solar farm."
FEATURE TO DESGIN
FIX PLATFORM DEVICE MANAGEMENT
Previously device management was split into standalone views that the user had to navigate to by them selves. The solution proposed was to give the user at the end of each views flow a way to continue it onto the next.
FEATURE TO DESGIN
SCADA MANAGEMENT DIAGRAMS
The function was initially unavailable on the platform, but after conducting further research, the team and I created and implemented a solution, which was eventually integrated into the main platform.
FEATURE TO DESGIN
SOLAR FARM DASHBOARD
The platform provided standardized dashboards for different types of sites, including residential and solar farm installations. However, I have customized the solar dashboard to meet the specific requirements of a particular client and their solar farm site.
Ideate
While brainstorming each assignment given to me, I prioritized synthesizing the collected data into a functional solution and confirmed its efficacy with the primary user.
How I've handled it
STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK
Initial wireframes and diagrams were sent to stakeholders for feedback and acceptance.
How I've handled it
MIRO BRAINSTORMING
Together with core team members we've brainstormed some ideas about what functions and flows each developed feature required for MVP.
How I've handled it
SCAMPER
In the initial design process asking SCAMPER questions helped to narrow down functionalities that had the make the cut for the MVP, and what to post-phone for later sprints.
How I've handled it
✨ AI / CHATGPT
ChatGPT helped me to understand some technical and nuanced parts of the developed functions. I've used detailed structured prompts to convey the essence of the task, along with the persona the AI needed to impersonate.
Prototype
The deliverables that I’ve created to each roadmap feature were meticulously structured and documented for handoff in Figma. To cases that required a flow I’ve created seperate prototypes that give better understanding of how the feature should work.
EXAMPLE FUNCTION: SCADA MANAGEMENT DIAGRAMS
Challenges & Solutions
Throughout the lifespan of this project, I've gained substantial knowledge about the sustainable energy sector, its equipment, and operations. The obstacles that my team and I faced were intricate and required excellent collaboration, supplemented by expert insights.
How I've handled it
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE
Although I had a good understanding of residential energy management before joining this project, my knowledge of its industrial counterpart was limited. By conducting online research, leveraging ChatGPT, and conversing with my team members, I was able to acquire the essential knowledge needed to successfully accomplish my tasks.
How I've handled it
DESYNCHRONIZED DESIGN SYSTEM
The project’s design system was not properly maintained, leading to a reflection of poor quality in the product. However, I was able to enhance the design by replacing detached or custom elements with library components, thereby addressing issues with broken or duplicated patterns that hindered platform usability.
Key outcomes and impact of the team
BETTER SUPPORT FOR
WHITELABEL
Fixing the project design system and working with devs made the product sale and deployment much easier by customizing predefined elements to customer needs.
PLATFORM DEPLOYED FOR
2
clients
Two big clients were signed up for the platform as a result of the team’s work on this project.
MAJOR FUNCTIONALITIES SHIPPED
2
Implementation of SCADA-based systems as a digital twin of an asset, for controlling, monitoring and maintenance, Implementation of Solar Farm dashboards for optimizing farm production, maintenance, as well as implementing MODBUS adapter to connect various hardware.
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Last updated: 25.03.2024