1st Step Solar
THE BASICS
COMPANY
1st Step Solar
TEAM
ZBOX
TIME
2 Months
ROLE
Lead UX/UI & Brand designer
INTERACTIVE PROTOTYPE
THE BRIEF
1st Step Solar is an app created to give the cost break down of a solar panel based on the home solar kits the companies sell. Using phone data such as location, compass direction and tilt position, the app can provide an estimate of how much money you will save yearly , and how many years it will take to payback .
Solar Power has unique readings for every home due to the home type and region. This app was created to shed light on how much switching to solar will cost the homeowner.
Inquiries
An uprising trend of people and companies making efforts to “Go Green” and reduce carbon foot prints. One of the ways is Solar power.
Concerns that switching to solar power is both complicated and expansive.
Apps and resources that are on the market today are complicated and use very technical lingo such as Azimuth that can be very off putting to the average homeowner and small business.
Creating a simple non threatening way to get solar curious information about solar energy and show the long term savings.
THE PERSONAS
Outdoorsy Chic Homeowner
Age: 33
Personality: Organized, Outdoorsy, Eco Friendly
Sara is a young homeowner owner that is eco conscious. She uses technology on a daily basis such as phones and computers. She is not afraid to of Do-It-yourself projects and getting her hands dirty in the backyard growing her own produce. She loves to find new ways to be eco friendly, but likes to keep to a budget. She hears from her friends about 1st Step Solar and how easy it is to convert to solar power and instal the panels. Sara downloads the app and starts consider to buying the kit to instal her own solar panels on her home.
The Green Brewer
Age: 39
Personality: Adventurous, Ambitious, Laid back
Zack owns his own Brewery and is always trying to find new creative ways to update his brewery. Zack has been hearing more and more about other bars going green. He decides to look into solar power, seeing all costs to hire professionals to install, he decides it is not in his budget. One day on app store finds 1st Step Solar app starts exploring the app. Finds that buying/installing Solar panels is not a costly or daunting as he initially thought. Excited by this he shows his friends visiting his brewery the app and starts up discussion about how they all can easily can make the transition to converting to solar energy.
IDEATIONS
Client presented one page App concept for 1st Step Solar app. Some of the main goals of the phone app was present an estimate savings and cost of solar panels that can be easily understood by everyone and shared easily via, cocktail parties, book clubs and any social outings.
Although the one page app concept was the initial criteria, it became apparent that there was too much information that need to be covered for this to work. There would need to be more explanation of the concept of the app so people would understand the purpose it served. We from there started to have discussion of having a home page that would present clearly the Company name, the information sourced by PVWATTS.com and a tutorial to give a brief explanation how how the app works.
WIREFRAMES
The first initial wireframe followed the initial one page design layout, with the idea of breaking up the information User testing of other solar apps found that including interactive elements has more appeal. This design challenge was met by adding a compass, which would turn and spin and the user did taking advantage of iOS compass widget. This would give the relative information of cardinal direction in a format that would be familiar to most people.
DELIVERABLES
In the end the decision was made to have a welcome page built into the app. Besides giving precedence to the App’s name 1st Step Solar and that info was sourced from PVWATTS.com an opening page would also show a simple tutorial to explain the main function of the app and help negate user error. Here are some of the design goal:
Client wanted the app to be so simple that minimal instruction would be used and the example was Ikea directions and branding.
Have color scheme not be only green, client wanted the app to feel fresh and read as eco friendly but be able to stand out from other apps.
PUBLIC RECEPTION
ABOUT THE AMERICAN-MADE SOLAR PRIZE
The American-Made Solar Prize is a $3 million prize competition designed to revitalize U.S. solar manufacturing through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country. The American-Made Solar Prize is directed and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office
LESSONS LEARNED
1st Step Solar app was an experience that taught me a lot about designing for more technical and marketing a product for a specific audience. These were some takeaways:
Design a interface that is simplistic, easy to use and fun that conveyed the purpose with minimal explanation.
Work within a tight deadline to have the app design that both accomplishes design needs as well as technical
Successfully create an App that met design goals set out by the client.