I applied user-centric principles to create a low fidelity, mid fidelity, and high fidelity wireframes as well as a prototype and mockup of the Annual Home Energy Report which was used by Oracle’s utility customers, as well as designed impactful UI elements and intro illustrations to enhance visual engagement. This report was launched at the start of the New Year, allowing customers to retrospectively assess their energy-saving performance, identify areas for improvement, and gauge their energy usage against that of their neighbors.
The challenge was to enhance the user experience of Oracle's Annual Home Energy Report, catering to utility customers by creating a prototype that not only delivered pertinent information but also ensured that users could easily navigate through the report.
The challenge extended beyond creating a user-centric and visually engaging Annual Home Energy Report; it also involved tailoring the experience for diverse stakeholders. Specifically, there was a need for flexibility in the design to accommodate three distinct versions for different types of utility customers: Duel-Fuel, Gas-Only, and Electric-Only. Furthermore, each version needed to be further personalized to address the unique requirements of individual utility customers, ensuring relevance to their specific energy needs.
My approach consisted of taking stakeholder (Oracle’s utility customers) needs, OPower branding guidelines and adaptability and customization of design into account in order to better inform the final solution. I worked on the design from start to finish, right from the sketching and brainstorming phase to low fidelity wireframes, iterative prototyping, and high fidelity design and visual enhancements.
The goal was to design a flexible mockup and prototype of the Annual Home Energy Report for Duel-Fuel, Gas-Only, and Electric-Only stakeholders. Each version tailored information to the specific energy sources and consumption patterns of the respective group, further personalized for individual utility customers within those stakeholder groups.
Discovery and Research:
The UX design journey began with a comprehensive discovery phase, delving into the needs and expectations of Oracle's utility customers. I set out to answer the following questions: How can the visuals effectively convey the energy-saving performance and areas for improvement? How do we ensure adaptability for different types of customers (electric-only, gas-only, dual-fuel)? How can we address potential truncation issues when viewed on mobile devices? To effectively answer these questions, I sat in on meetings with stakeholders to better understand their goals and hopes for the project, created a user persona, brainstormed and sketched to conceptualize visual elements, selected a final design that was guided by adaptability and inclusivity for different customer types and addressing potential truncation issues of accessing the report on different mobile devices in the layout and composition phase.
Low Fidelity Wire-framing:
The initial design phase focused on creating low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes served as the foundational blueprints, outlining the basic structure and layout of the report. This early stage allowed for rapid ideation and iteration, enabling quick feedback loops with stakeholders. The emphasis was on information hierarchy, content placement, and overall flow.
Iterative Prototyping (Mid Fidelity):
Building upon the low-fidelity wireframes, the design evolved into mid-fidelity prototypes. This stage involved adding more visual details such as illustrations and refining the user interface elements. Iterative prototyping facilitated usability testing, where key functionalities were validated with other team members, researchers and stakeholders.
High Fidelity Design and Visual Enhancements:
The high-fidelity design stage brought the Annual Home Energy Report to life, incorporating impactful UI elements and visually engaging introductory illustrations. This stage focused on refining the visual aesthetics, ensuring a cohesive and appealing design that not only met usability standards but also enhanced the overall visual engagement.
Testing and Perfecting:
I shared the high-fidelity prototype with designers and researchers on my team, incorporating their feedback to ensure the design stuck the right balance between adaptability and personalization for utility customers.
Refinement and Finalization:
Feedback from user testing sessions guided the final refinements to the design. The result was a polished and validated Annual Home Energy Report that not only met the challenge of stakeholder-specific customization but also exceeded the goals of enhanced user experience and visual engagement.