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PROBLEM SPACE.
reliability
There is lack of communication and reliability between users and power companies. People are unaware of their power consumption and how to save electricity.
consumption
The average person overpays for and wastes energy because they lack knowledge s on what causes waste and how to control it and end up overpaying.
power companies
Power companies struggles estimating and predicting the power consumption for each season and month which sometimes lead to surplus of electricity.
Over 60% of US household energy consumed goes to waste.
Most US power plants barely hit the 33% energy-efficiency mark.
OPPORTUNITY.
Divvy helps people cut down their power bills. It consists of two main components: a physical product and a digital product. The physical product is a smart AF GF Wifi enabled circuit breaker which can be connected to the Divvy app. It connects you to your power company, gives you real time energy consumption data and insights about consumption patterns on where you can save.
Divvy also helps you control and manage your devices. It provides electric consumption breakdown for each circuit, also allowing the user to split the bill if living with roommates, understand where the electricity is being used the most and overall build trust between the power company and the user and save energy.
THE PROBLEM.
An average person in the United States, overpays for and wastes electricity because they lack knowledge on how to manage it. This causes high electricity bills and causes lack of trust between the consumer and the power company. The power companies on the other hand lack information from the user about the user’s electric load for the house, and make anticipations on the amount of electricity that needs to be produced on a daily basis as currently there isn’t much technology for scaling large amounts of electricity.
Divvy.
Your Smart Circuit Breaker
/ electricity app and circuit breaker
UX design | Interaction Design | 10 weeks | 2022 | Tools: Contextual Research Methods, Rhino, Keyshot, Figma
Divvy is a smart circuit breaker and electricity app that helps users save electricity. It consists of two main components: a physical product and a digital product. The physical product is a smart AF GF Wifi enabled circuit breaker which can be connected to the Divvy app. It connects you to your power company, gives you real time energy consumption data and insights about consumption patterns on where you can save.
THE TEAM.
Emily Lee- Project Lead
Aliya Walton- Visual Lead
Sejal Mittal- Product &
Research Lead
MY ROLE.
I was the product lead and research lead for this project. My roles included secondary and primary research, ideation, prototyping, user testing, product rendering etc.
OVERVIEW.
Get access to real time electricity consumption.
Pay bills directly through Divvy app and split with roommates.
View Bill Breakdown and manage circuits.
Cut down bills and save energy.
See your energy impact!
RESEARCH.
Electric consumption survey. 68 responses.
The average maximum electricity bill for the respondents ranged from $140-160 per month.
(most survey respondents live alone or with 1 other person)
Survey Insights
People cut down power bills by
Turning off the lights
Adjusting the thermostat
Unplug devices
However, many people don’t do anything or know how to cut down on bills.
People who live alone spend more on electricity compared to people living with more people.
Devices people don’t use daily basis but consume electricity
TV
Heater
Oven
Washer and dryer
Dishwasher
27 Interviews
3 Expert Interviews
24 Possible Target Audience Interviews
Target Audience Interview Insights
People don’t want to spend money to save electricity.
Seasons and holidays affect electricity consumption and power bills. People don't want to invest in products to save electricity.
Kids don’t know or care about energy consumption/bills as they don’t pay for it.
A lot of interviewees who were parents complained about their kids wasting electricity and not turning off devices and lights.
Setting up electricity & making payments with the power companies is stressful and not user-friendly.
People find power companies unreliable & refrain themselves from setting autopay
Hallidays Hydropowers, Georgia Power
Expert Interview Insights
People don’t save energy - renewable energy resources (like solar power) or investing in technology to reduce energy waste, is expensive.
Power generation works on anticipating and predicting the consumption of power load (demand and supply system)
Power companies predict based on seasons and past consumptions which sometimes leads to surplus and electricity wastage.
Electricity can’t be stored well on a large scale with existing technology, Surplus power either gets wasted or sold to other companies or states that need it.
674 Data Points
70 clusters | 6 HMW | 1 Overarching HMW
How might we create a better communication system between power companies and their users that will help users
save electricity
manage and pay bills
have accountability
and build trust?
TARGET AUDIENCE.
People who currently own or who are moving into modern houses
PROPOSED OUTCOMES.
Providing the breakdown of the energy consumption will give users accountability and build trust with the power company.
Users will feel more secure if they have real time access and control of their energy consumption and can manage bills.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT.
FINAL DESIGN.
ONBOARDING.
A number of questions will be asked during the onboarding process so that the app can be customized to the individual and connect to the power company after setting up the divvy circuit breaker.
HOME PAGE.
Shows current bill, consumption insight and tips, and budget settings.
FLOOR PLAN PAGE.
Floorplans show the breakdown of energy consumption per room
By clicking on an individual room, users are able to view circuits connected to the room and a detailed consumption summary. Additionally, users are able to put the circuit into save mode, and add devices and check electric their electric loads by scanning through divvy app.
KEY TESTING INSIGHTS.
After multiple rounds of low fidelity, mid fidelity testing, tree testing and AB testing, the
key insights that helped develop our final design were:
1. The information layout for circuit control for floorplan page needs to be more visual.
2. Adding new features like, allowing users to split bill if they live with roommates.
3. People didn't use the add devices feature as much and could be included in floorplan page.
4. People want to see insights on how to cut down their bills.
5. Make the profile page more personalized.
PROFILE.
The profile page functions as a settings page. It provides user's information, their energy impact, and allows them to make adjustments.
BILL.
Direct payment of the electricity bill is possible right from the app. They also provide data about your previous payments so you can compare and get insights about consumption. It also provides a bill breakdown and allows users to split bill.
REFLECTIONS.
I really enjoyed working on this project as it involved a lot of research and allowed me to think about an end to end service that won't just benefit the user but how it would benefit power companies and if they would be willing to invest in the business. Although my role was research, product and industrial design, I played a huge role in managing the project and assigning tasks to get work done. I do believe there are a few things that can be improved but overall I am happy how it turned out in the given timeline and distribution of work
Reach out to see our process!
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