Context
Rising energy costs meant that energy bills were going to increase by up to 50%. This project was Bulb's solution, first explored at a hackathon, to help its members by advising them on how to improve their homes' energy efficiency. The project's aim was to get as many Bulb-supplied homes as possible to at least EPC level C, from the average EPC level D, before 2030.
Research
Example of an energy performance certificate on GOV.UK
Explorations
In collaboration with the wider team, I've identified the minimum requirements for the MVP. It needed to be discoverable, accurate and easy to understand, action-oriented, link to grants, and to incorporate Bulb partnerships. We've decided to strip out some of the previously explored features, like further improving the home energy efficiency report by getting more data from Bulb members through a question flow, to test out a simpler product first.
I've mocked up low-fidelity wireframes for the simplified product, focusing on:
Keeping it simple
This was one of the main design principles at Bulb, and necessary for the MVP.
Consistency
Following the app UI patterns. Sounds like a given, but with an outdated app UI, there's an inclination for redesign. This was observable in various projects at Bulb, including this one, in which the initial prototype looked very different form the app.
The product story
To figure out how to communicate the product, its value and its impact, I've mocked up several wireframes, focusing on different key points, like savings, or on the efficiency state, etc.
I've shared the wireframes with the wider team regularly, and iterated on them in collaboration with a content designer.
Below are some of the low-fidelity wireframes of the 'Home energy efficiency' page in its various phases.
‘Home energy efficiency’ page layout and product story exploration wireframes
Another aspect of the MVP was matching addresses. We couldn’t confidently match all Bulb account addresses with EPC addresses, so we’ve designed an address matching flow based on the number of addresses that could be a Bulb supplied property.
The address matching flow chart showing 3 scenarios: automatic match, one match possible, and multiple matches possible
Quality Assurance
There was no Quality Assurance (QA) tester on the team working on the MVP, so QA was a shared responsibility. Before launches, I tested the product against the design specifications, content, and accessibility requirements. I tested the product on phone and tablet devices, and I conducted screen reader testing with VoiceOver.
The MVP
The MVP was focused on savings, using an annual savings estimate. It consisted of two app entry points, one on the homepage and one on the account page, the address matching flow, the Home energy efficiency report, the recommendation pages, and a landing screen for a separate funding flow.
We've also created content variants based on the number of recommendations, the EPC score, and possible savings-related errors.
A ‘Home energy efficiency’ entry point and address matching flow previews
'Home energy efficiency' page and ‘Smart thermostat’ recommendation page