Role
Product Designer
Timeline
4 months (Nov 21-March 22)
Core Responsibilities
Product strategy, Market research, IXD, Visual design, Usability test
Our project aims to delve into the underlying reasons behind this reluctance and develop strategies to address the barriers preventing wider adoption, fostering a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
Our project envisions a dedicated platform where customers can seamlessly learn about solar solutions, connect with industry experts, and effortlessly compare quotes from various solar installers.
The solar power industry reaches across several sectors, from engineering companies that manufacture equipment to government agencies that impose regulations and tax rebates. We decided to keep the consumer at the center of our focus, mainly exploring their relationships with solar panel installers and their utility companies.
By conducting research on companies currently offering solar panel services in the market, interviewing solar panel users, and establishing a journey map, we aim to identify and validate design opportunities.
Industry leader in providing solar energy
Incorporate “Invisible solar” panels made to look like windows
Recognizable and reputable brand
App integration for seamless monitoring
Solar installer aggregator
Provides users with quotes from
multiple installers for easy comparison
Solar savings calculator
The interviews were conducted with 4 participants identified as being key stakeholders: the consumer, the utility company & a solar expert.
We followed an interview guide to get a better understanding on what the process is for obtaining solar panels, any problems that may exist in installation, maintenance, and any other areas that may be revealed.
Responsibilities:
Install solar panels, perform maintenance and repairs on exiting solar panels, consult with customer
Needs:
Stable income, safety on the job
Responsibilities:
Connect residential solar panels to the grid, provide permitting
Needs:
Organization, efficiency
Responsibilities:
Research and connect with solar installers, communicate with contractor, purchase solar panels
Needs:
Clear communication, money savings
Navigating the world of solar panels for first-time customers is a difficult and often overwhelming task. There is a lack of proper education regarding the installation and use of solar panels, and far too many solar panel installers out there for customers to wrap their heads around.
Therefore, there is a need for a service that not only removes the confusion from the solar installation process but also educates and helps the consumer feel like a part of a greater community.
In the Impact Map, our central goal is to ease solar panel installation frustrations and provide ongoing customer education. This involves increasing solar panel installations, driving website traffic, and improving homeowners' understanding. We aim to create a holistic solar panel marketplace website that combines sales and education to achieve this.
To better simulate the user walkthrough of selecting and comparing companies, we have chosen to start with a wireframe concept featuring an optional company list. Our goal is to make the platform user-friendly, allowing users to easily navigate and grasp its functionalities
In the refined wireframe, we observed that the functionality of the original Education and Question interfaces was overly simplistic, failing to address the diverse range of user queries. Additionally, there was a lack of comprehensive educational content, making it challenging to meet the needs of novice users.
Before, during, and after getting your solar panels installed, you can find educational materials on the SolSearcher site to take the confusion out of the solar installation process. To continue your solar power education, you can attend and view previous seminars about various relevant topics including the manufacturing and recycling of solar panels.
The platform utilizes user-inputted personal information to intelligently recommend solar installation companies that align with user preferences and are geographically proximate, enhancing the user experience through personalized and localized suggestions
To get more information about potential installers, simply visit their company page to find all of the relevant information you need.
During the user testing phase, we invited four stakeholders to participate. After walking them through the main functionalities, we requested the participants to complete tasks based on a task list. We then collected their feedback at the end.
The information provided by the current user is insufficient for an accurate estimation. It is advisable to include questions in the homepage survey questionnaire that can provide a better understanding of the current condition of the house.
The current webpage interface lacks the display of the current page's location, and once users enter a company page, they are unable to return to their previous search results through the webpage.
In the marketplace search listings, there are no filtering and sorting options available. Users have no means to intervene in the search results other than clicking on merchant windows.
From user feedback, it became apparent that we may have left out some essential elements for the quote. We should have added fields for user to input the size and age of their roof. That information is also important for an accurate quote. Users also mentioned the need to have more contact with existing customers than just the reviews on the company pages alone. This would allow a more direct way to promote community. Generally speaking, the users believed that the flow of the website was easy to navigate, as well as easy to search & compare companies.
Requesting customers to provide more detailed house information on the homepage and allowing users to further refine their house information on the search results page to find installation companies that are better suited for their specific roof type. In the company listings, each company page provides complete basic information.
Establish a clear visual hierarchy by using varying sizes, colors, and typography. This helps user quickly identify the most important elements and understand the content structure. Move the payment calculator to a more prominent position, allowing users to directly calculate their monthly payments.
The current webpage interface lacks the display of the current page's location, and once users enter a company page, they are unable to return to their previous search results through the webpage. Additionally, the website pages do not adequately represent their respective weights or importance in the overall structure.
Moving forward, we consolidated the information we gathered from user testing with 3 areas we could focus on to make the project better.
Mobil app/ Responsive web
As a platform with utility monitoring capabilities, we need to consider customers of different age groups and support a diverse range of devices to provide a more convenient service process
Chatgpt
Trained on natural language inputs, ChatGPT is capable of understanding and interpreting user queries, even if they don't precisely match predefined keywords, and can provide relevant answers. This reduces user confusion and offers more accurate assistance.
Dedicate portal for business account
As a platform aiming to serve both users and contractors, we also need a dedicated business account-centric platform design that enhances their relationship with users and provides better services through SolSearcher.
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