UX Concept for a Virtual Solar Experience
Who?
I worked for the Shell Consumer Energy Product Hub (which teamed up with Sonnen GmbH - a company that is selling solar batteries for home use.)
What did I do?
I was a part of the project “Product Ecosystem”, which focus was to engage consumers to start and continue their energy transition with Shell.
Me and @Iris.van.de.Kieft (Product Manager) had the task to create a concept for a virtual solar experience with a try before you buy approach.
Overview
Goal: Discover, design and develop a consumer-centric ecosystem service that integrates, interlinks and mutually reinforces Shell consumer energy products.
Lowering entry barriers to clean energy and providing consumers the guidance and motivation to start and continue their journey with Shell.
Problem Definition: How can we create an experience for expensive products like solar systems that users can feel the benefits before they buy?
Idea: Personalized experience in an app (was not clear from the beginning) so the user can see the effect on their house
USP: Free try before you buy-Solution without Sales Talk
Steps to get there:
(1) Understanding the User (Pains)
What Shell already knew from their former research:
Target Group:
House Owners, Interest in Cleaner Energy products & services, Mid-High Income
Pains:
→ Energy products are perceived as a complex topic, especially large assets
→ Low self-efficacy → High dependency on third parties (e.g. installer)
→ Lack of understanding of the real benefits (environmental, financial)
→ Most models used by installers show unrealistic and non-personalised numbers (e.g. savings, independence)
→ Uncertainty of how this change will affect life and whether one’s lifestyle is suitable
Benchmarking:
What do other clean energy suppliers offer that customers get an active role in the pre-purchase phase?
(2) Create a concept & concept test
We created a concept that tries to cover all the problems of our potential customers. The concept was based on an energy tracking device. Known as a "smart meter", this device can, over time, recognize the different patterns of electricity-consuming devices in your household and display your consumption per device. This smart meter was also the basis of the energy tracking app, into which we integrated the virtual solar experience - as we later decided.
Concept Test #1
Outcome of Concept Test
We found out that the usage phase was the most interesting for users. That said, the ability to gain insights from a virtual system while receiving recommendations on how to save more energy for their specific living situation created excitement for our customers. Most users weren't interested in sharing their energy insights, rewards for following recommendations, or sharing insights in a community.
So we decided to focus on the use phase and make it engaging and exciting for our customers to lower the hurdle of buying a photovoltaic and battery system for their home as they see the benefits in real time.
(3) Concept Iteration
User journey over a time period of 3 months or more to see the effects also when seasons change. The concept includes
- a setup and configuration phase
-a system recommendation based on the roof size and the smart meter (that tracks your energy consumption per device)
- a live simulation showing the energy flows (taking the local weather into account)
- insights of battery usage and overtime production
- tips to improve your consumption
- and a System Purchase recommendation after three months of using the service
Concept Test #2
Feedback
From our user testing, we found that pretending to use the product for three months is complicated. This was also the reason why the prototype felt too long for our users. They wished for a better explanation of the benefits of a true solar system. They really liked that they could see the possible production of their house on their roof. Since we also got feedback that the navigation wasn't always understood, we worked on that as well.
But overall they find it very convenient to get such a tool and couldn't wait to use it for their home.
Final prototype
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