Choir Power
ROLE
Product Intern
TEAM
1 UI/UX Designer (myself),
2 Web Developers
TOOLS
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Pen and Paper
TIMELINE
​
2 months (April-June 2023)
I oversaw the creation of a browser-based application for government officials to monitor energy consumption for municipal buildings (schools, airports, and warehouses).
Table of Contents
1. Context
2. Statement
3. Research
4. Wireframes
5. Design System
6. Next Steps and Lessons learned
Context and Research
Choir's desktop application tracks the municipal energy trends of building locations, their consumption trends and ways they can be improved. Unlike other products, Choir can monitor energy consumption and recommend upgrades to more efficient energy sources for cities that are currently still powered by nonrenewable sources such as wood and coal. Additionally, it observes daily and seasonal trends, and sets reminders when trends are above or below average.
Statement
PROBLEM
In the city
of Hull,
96%
of all schools
are still powered by two nonrenewable energy sources - gas and coal.
The average carbon dioxide emissions per school is
10.2k
kilograms.
How can we help Hull reduce their carbon footprint?
GOALS
Create a desktop application that will help government officials upgrade to cleaner energy sources.
Hull's goal is to become reliant on renewable energy sources. Infrastructures of inspiration include Spain, which recently announced that it could power the entire country on wind, solar, and water power.
The app will need the following features:
A geographical view
Accurate, live information reporting
Clean, efficient energy recommendations
Research
Our first local government with whom we partnered with was Hull, UK. We looked at different municipal buildings, such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings. One example was The Edge Hub Limited, a coworking space and tech training center.
Functions:
Networking Events, Training Sessions, Meeting Rooms, and Hot Desks.
Current Energy Consumption
Type of Energy
92% Gas, 4% Coal, 2% Solar, 2% Other
Average Annual Consumption
22.9k kilowatts in 2021
The Edge Hub Limited
Location: Hull, UK
Carbon Footprint
3.2k kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Water Consumption
4.2k cubic meters
The Edge Hub, Myton St, Hull HU1 2PS, United Kingdom
Wireframing
Lo-Fi Wireframing
I first began by sketching prototypes with a pen and paper to quickly visualize our key features and ideas. These were quick drafts used to solicit feedback from stakeholders. Then, I moved on more polished digital wireframes based on the feedback that I heard.
Hi-Fi Prototyping
This was the initial prototype that was adapted after meeting with the board of directors of Choir.
INTERACTIVE MAP
View multiple locations at once, and an individualized summary of their data trends. This may help plan logistics of new product distribution.
LOCATION SEARCH SYSTEM
Filter city locations based on building type (school, warehouse, hospital, etc.), energy type (wind, solar, gas, coal), or days since last upgrade.
INDIVIDUALIZED DATA BY LOCATION
Check a detailed overview of all energy-related data for each location, including consumption, renewable and nonrenewable distribution, carbon footprint, and weather data.
Design System
I created a design system to make the product cohesive. Ensuring that elements were consistent through this organization served to enhance the user experience. Maintaining this pattern allowed key components of the design to be memorable for a user. This design system is rough and expected to be adjusted in a future iteration; it is flexible.
Next Steps and Lessons Learned
Work in Progress
As this project is still under progress, this section will come shortly!