BESS System
The BESS project focuses on designing an intuitive and user-friendly Battery Energy Storage System interface.
- A very effective and easy-to-use energy storage management system.
- For Business:
- Better efficiency and lower costs, because the new system helped manage resources and make decisions better.
- With the creation of the product, along with the marketing strategy and customer experience plan, we meticulously track the product's evolution based on user feedback. This approach ensures that the product continuously improves and adapts to meet user needs and expectations.
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For users:
- The simple interface and better usability made their experience much better, letting them do tasks faster and with fewer mistakes. This meant lower costs for technical support and customer experience for the company.
- Discovery: Workshop with stakeholders, CSD Matrix, Challenge Outline, Lean Startup Canvas, Value Proposition Canvas, Goals and Metrics SWOT Analysis, Empathy Map, Affinity Map, Survey, Interviews, (Needs, Problems, Desires / Potential Requirements)
- Define: Context Map, Survey Analysis, User Personas, Archetypes, Stakeholders Map, Customer Journey, Clustering, System Requirements, (Needs, Problems, Desires / Potential Requirements) Map, PoV
- Ideation: How might we, Brainstorming, Prioritization Matrix
- Prototyping: Storyboard, Low-Fi Prototyping, Style Guide, Hi-Fi Prototyping, Usability Testing
- Customer Experience: Diagnostics, Voice of Customer, Service Blueprint, Strategy, Metrics Definition
- Feasibility and Viability Analysis: TELOS Feasibility Study, Business Model Canvas (Viability), Income Model
- Marketing: Strategy plan, KPIs definition
- Branding
Design Process
Discovery
A workshop was conducted with the stakeholders to define the requirements and the business model to be developed. During this workshop, key aspects such as user needs, technical specifications, and market strategies were discussed in detail to ensure that the project's objectives aligned with both user expectations and business goals. The collaborative effort helped in establishing a clear roadmap for the project's development and implementation phases.
Insights and business goals
- Target the Residential Sector: Focus on applications for homes, residential complexes, and urban developments, especially in rural areas and regions vulnerable to natural disasters. Our beneficiaries will be the residents of these homes, ensuring they have an uninterrupted energy supply.
- Gain an Understanding of the Target Market's Knowledge of Renewable Energy Technologies: By collecting data on this aspect, we can focus our attention on critical project areas, ensuring that our solutions align with the market's familiarity and needs.
- Develop an MVP or Prototype of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for Hardware/Software: The system consists of two main components: the hardware, which includes the battery and installation components, and the software, a cloud-based application that allows the system owner to manage their energy storage. The application requires a monthly subscription, with varying levels of service and support depending on the selected package.
- Create an MVP or Prototype of the System Components from an Ecosystem Perspective: This includes developing the necessary elements for the system's online presence, such as a website and social media platforms, to ensure a comprehensive and integrated approach to user engagement and support.
Business - Discovery session
Using SWOT analysis and Empathy Map activities, an Affinity Map was created to identify key issues in the development and promotion of the product. The following challenges were observed:
- Misconceptions in the Target Market: The target market holds incorrect perceptions about energy storage systems due to a lack of knowledge.
- Potential Legal Issues: Each country may have distinct legal challenges in managing this type of energy.
Work with potential final users
- A survey was conducted to gather comprehensive information about the product's perception and reality.
- The interviews were conducted with experts in the field to obtain precise and detailed information about the final product.
These two activities were conducted with the objective of gathering sufficient information to be thoroughly analyzed in the subsequent step.
The data collected provided valuable insights into user needs, preferences, and potential challenges , forming a solid foundation for the next phase of the project.
This analysis helped ensure that the solutions developed were both relevant and effective in addressing the identified issues.
Define
Based on the initial information, the following analyses were created to provide a comprehensive understanding of our target customer, their challenges, and their point of view:
- Context Map: A summary of the research conducted through stakeholder workshops and fieldwork, providing an overview of the project's environment and key factors affecting the development process.
- Survey/Interview Analysis: Essential data gathered from surveys and interviews, crucial for creating detailed user personas and identifying core problems. This information helps us understand user needs and preferences, ensuring that the solutions we develop are well-aligned with their expectations and address their specific challenges effectively.
User Archetypes
In the previous exercise (survey analysis), five potential user personas were identified based on age segmentation. These personas are defined as follows:
- The Conscious: 20 to 30, Homeowners
- The Environmentalist: 31 to 40, Homeowners (Chosen Archetype)
- The Adventurer: 31 to 40, Not Homeownerss
- The Explorer: 41 to 50 (Chosen Archetype)
- The Skeptic: 51 and above
By focusing on these archetypes, we can better understand the motivations and behaviors of our target audience. The Environmentalist and The Explorer archetypes help us tailor our products and marketing strategies to meet their specific needs and preferences.
User personas
User personas were created based on two selected archetypes from the previous list: The Environmentalist and The Explorer. This criterion is related to the purchasing power of the archetypes (they are homeowners) and are at a stage of maturity where they make decisions based on economic factors and environmental consciousness.
Customer Journey
The customer journey was created using the information we obtained from the survey and interviews. The user persona used was Daniela Mata. The opportunities to consider in the creation of the MVP were the following:
- Creation of a blog as a reference point about this technology in Spanish
- Creation of a website that is easy to update
- Creation of alternative informational channels, such as social media
- Seeking alternative suppliers for the sale of this system
- Developing guides or information in inclusive language about the product
- Working on a technical support plan
Clustering
From previous activities (workshop with stakeholders, survey, interview, customer journey), information was gathered for the following tasks:
- Point of View and How Might We for the ideation phase. Developing a clear perspective and generating questions to guide the ideation process.
- Product requirements for the prototyping phase. Defining the essential features and specifications needed for creating the prototype.
A clustering exercise was conducted to finalize the list for each point.
NPD Matrix (Needs, Problems, Desires) and Point of View
The NPD Matrix (Needs, Problems, Desires) is based on the results of the clustering exercise. This matrix provides a comprehensive overview of the information collected through various activities, including workshops, surveys, interviews, and the customer journey.
For the Point of View, the main problem identified is the limited knowledge of BESS storage systems due to lack of information. This leads the target market to rely on myths and misconceptions, hindering the adoption of these technologies.
Point of View
"The user needs to have knowledge about sustainable technologies such as BESS storage systems because it is a way to learn how to obtain an alternative energy system that can keep the home's electrical system stable."
Ideate
How might we?
“How might we create alternative sources of information about BESS systems that make it easier to find information and also allow users to find and purchase our product?”
Brainstorming Workshop
From previous activities (workshop with stakeholders, survey, interview, customer journey), information was gathered for the following tasks:
- 10 in 10: The 10 by 10 workshop helps teams think quickly and objectively, focusing on their priorities. It started with the HMW chosen in the previous activity.
- Co-Storming 360: This tool allows the team to strengthen ideas together, as it is a form of brainstorming where each participant takes someone else's idea and complements it with questions.
- What If? : Through this tool, we can explore various types of interactions that could be suitable based on the opportunity identified in field research.
Prioritization Matrix
In this case, we worked on the following scenarios simultaneously, which resulted in two different prioritization matrices:
- Product MVP: Based on the initial client requirements and the information obtained from end users, a tangible product MVP was created to present to potential investors.
- Product Ecosystem MVP: A product ecosystem was developed, consisting of a set of alternative products, services, and related components that interact to provide comprehensive value and meet user needs around a central or main product.
Products to develop
- The physical components of the BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) integrated with solar panels include several key elements that work together to store and manage solar energy.
- Creation of a mobile application for end users to configure the BESS system.
- Creation of an easily updatable website
- Creation of a blog with information from experts about sustainable energy that directs to the official site
- Creation of social media accounts to display updated product information, with an emphasis on YouTube
- Develop guides or information about the product in inclusive language
Prototyping
Storyboard
The storyboard covers the different prototypes to be created and tested: Blog, Website, BESS System (the product), and Mobile Application.
Global Style Guide & Pattern Library
Application - Hi-Fi Prototyping
Website Prototyping Process
Blog Prototyping Process
Customer Experience
Voice of Customer
Understanding and capturing the voice of the customer is crucial for developing products and services that truly meet their needs. By creating a customer voice map, we can systematically gather and analyze customer feedback, identifying key pain points, preferences, and desires. This structured approach ensures that our product development and marketing strategies are aligned with actual customer demands, leading to higher satisfaction and better market fit.
- Feedback from blog posts or social media
- User ratings on review sites
- Surveys
- In-depth interviews
VoC Strategy
Service Blueprint
This was the work for creating a startup as a thesis project for the Master's in Product Design. This is an opportunity to create transparent and organized processes from scratch.
The MVP of the first solution in the Service Blueprint focuses more on autonomous work rather than personalized interactions for the initial user engagements.
However, there is a technical and professional team maintaining these processes smoothly.
