ecoino

Energy Control System

EcoIno—Energy management platform with descriptive data insights.

OVERVIEW

My Role

Product Designer

Team

Alex Trinh

Sally Liang

Oswaldo Medina

Timeline

January 2024 - April 2024

Breakdown

At EcoIno, our goal was to increase awareness in energy consumption. We wanted to develop an application where users could manage their smart outlets and stay informed on their energy usage.

As a product designer, I spearheaded the design process and ensured the quality of our final product.

Our final deliverable received excellent marks from our mentor and peers.

HIGHLIGHTS

CONTEXT

Unfamiliarity with phantom power.

Phantom power is the energy consumed by electronic devices even when they’re turned off but still plugged in. This wasted energy can add up over time, increasing electricity bills and environmental impact.

THE PROBLEM

Conducting a competitive analysis.

Existing platforms for energy management have plenty of important information but they lack a cohesive integration with physical products and extensive data.

Kasa

Kasa provides ways for users to automate their features into smart plugs

Real-time energy consumption data

Detailed scheduling

Difficult initial setup

Wemo

Wemo allows users to mange their connected devices from their smartphone

Seamless with new technology

Lack of useful data for energy usage

Lack of versatility, difficult to schedule devices independently

RESEARCH

Our main questions.

Do people understand the breakdown of their electricity bill?

Are people familiar with phantom power?

How often are people's electronics plugged in but not in use?

What methods do people use to conserve energy?

Our findings.

Our study involved 54 participants selected through convenience sampling.

Most people didn’t understand the breakdown of their bill

Provide information on specific sources

Electronics plugged in while not in use

Gave us insight to make it convenient to unplug devices

Lights were the most commonly ‘turned off’ device

Automating the disconnection and connection of devices

Unfamiliarity with the concept of phantom power

Analyzing our research.

Affinity diagram

We grouped up several quotes from our survey into main points that were brought up in regards to energy.

Wall walk

We then looked at each of these quotes and wrote a solution to these issues that could be implemented in our prototype.

Hot ideas

We then brought those ideas together and thought about how we could group them.

Storyboards

We drew up storyboards to get an idea of how this could be applicable to everyday users.

DESIGN PROCESS

Laying the groundwork.

We developed a user flow to guide new users efficiently through the platform, enabling quick task completion with minimal clicks while encouraging exploration of additional features. Intuitive icons served as visual cues to simplify navigation and reduce complexity.

Our preliminary ideas.

We developed some low-fidelity prototypes to visualize our user flow.

Prototype testing.

Testing our ideas.

Our participants were two college students who lived off campus and paid for their own electricity bills. We conducted a usability testing where they looked at the functionality of our prototype below.

Reviewing the feedback.

Aesthetic changes

Participants noted that the color scheme and layout lacked an energy app feel

Overwhelming info

Participant one felt as if the content was too much to digest and understand

Lack of variability

Participant two felt there should be unique ways to manage your devices within your home

Making necessary changes.

Layout

We decided to change the layout of the app so the user can see as much information without feeling overwhelmed

Additional features

We added competition features allowing users to compete with friends and family for money or gift cards, encouraging better energy management

Data distribution

We divided the data into sections to allow users to filter information, making it easier to process

FINAL DESIGNS

Defining the look.

We designed EcoIno to merge efficient energy management with collaboration, combining a clean, data-focused utility app look with vibrant accents for an engaging experience. A cohesive design system ensures consistency across all features.

Home

From the main page, users can quickly see and manage their energy consumption

Data visualization

Various data points are provided from different outlets

Scheduling

Creating automated schedules for each device is made easy

Competition

Friends can get together and put in a prize pool to encourage saving energy

Demo.

CONCLUSION

Reflecting on the process.

Our studies revealed the lack of awareness in phantom power and its correlation with energy waste. Through the testing phase, we came to an understanding of the importance of iteration, highlighting the value of approaching design from the viewpoint of a new user.

Future steps.

Physical design

To make this idea a reality, we’d develop a smart outlet that connects to users' devices, allowing them to control and monitor their devices remotely.