DesignManagement + InteractionDesign

Improving the Consumer-Facing Strategyand Innovating the System User Interface

DESIGNTOREDUCEENERGYUSEINTHEHOME

DesignManagement

DESIGNTOREDUCEENERGYUSEINTHEHOMEIMPROVING THE CONSUMER-FACING STRATEGY

DesignManagement

Current state limitations of Powco Customer-facing Strategy

DesignManagement

PROBLEMS OUT THERE

Dependence on consumer to moder-ate home energy usage.

Existing incentives are not enough to catalyze change.

General lack of consumer awareness of energy supply limits and POWCO strategic goals.

DesignManagement

COMMUNICATION

POWCO wants to communicate a complex message. “We want you to use less, but we are capable of providing.”

Ambiguous, ineffective service brand messaging.

Large, unmet challenges in shaping communication. Obtusely communicated incentives and promotions. No active feedback loops (conversations). Lack of tailored/targetted consumer messaging.

DesignManagement

TECHNICALPower companies require the customer to do the vast majority of the legwork

Site energy calculators are hard to use, ineffective

Until recently with the implementation of smart meters, there was no feedback as to the user’s energy consumption until the monthly bill arrived.

RAISE AWARENESS

How do customer feel about interacting

with the power company?

Do they think it works?Why?

Do they think it is broken? How?

What is their experience from the first phone call

to paying the final bill?

What would get them excited?

DesignManagement

Ideas for a proposed solution

DesignManagement

RAISE AWARENESSSolutions

It isn’t just the service, it is how that service makes the customer feel.

Free home energy diagnostic with account setup for residences.

Use real numbers to shock them or make them feel their choices really do matter

Send energy saving tips via the web, email, or text

INCENTIVESCredit Union or COOP approach

Rebates, Point/Reward SystemsCommunity-Based.

Challenges/Competitions/Partnerships

Tailored Incentives for Generational/Demographic Groups.

Upgrading Older Homes/Appliances

DesignManagement

DesignManagement

IN-HOME DEVICE

CONVENIENCEAssociate new behavior with an existing routine

Less work for customer

Easy to understand

Convenient features such as auto bill pay, local weather,efficiency mode

DesignManagement

USER CENTERED

DesignManagement

Introduce ownershipUser is in control of total home energy profile.

User can create settings and goals around personal preferences.

Mobile app options for greater flexibility, control

DesignManagement

FEEDBACK

Detailed energy usage

Real-time savings/loss

Understand consequences and make better choices

Choice bracketing - daily vs yearly totals

Tips for saving energy

Give user frequent feedback about the consequences of their actions.

Introduce or increase present gains

DesignManagementTEAMWORK

Powco reaching out to customers

Educational institutions are important partners.Develop better customer relationships

TEAMWORK

MARKETING MESSAGE

“Save Energy: For your home and yourself”

Communicate specific goalsSocial networkingPossible message

DesignManagement

BENEFITSFor the power company

Improved customer and community relationships

Decreased strain on existing facilities

Poised to usher in new, sustainable technologies

DesignManagement

BENEFITSFor the consumer

Ownership of home energy usage

Greater savings

Sense of responsibility—home own-ership, energy usage, conserving re-sources

DesignManagement

BENEFITSFor the environment

Less energy waste

Reduce carbon footprint

Explore renewable energy sources

DesignManagement

Topics:ResearchPersonasScenarios

RESEARCH RESEARCHMETHODS

RESEARCHOBJECTIVES

• In-home interviews

• Behavioral observations

• Written and photographic documentation

• What we saw

• What we learned

• What it means

• What we can do

PERSONAS

Sue

John

Jessica

Cody

Jake

Amy

Boomers Gen-Xers Gen-Yers

Energy Attentive

Energy Passive

PERSONAS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

JOHN: ENERGY ATTENTIVE

“I try my best to be efficient with energy,

but there’s often a battle between saving

and keeping Sue comfortable.”

SUE: ENERGY PASSIVE

“Now that I’m home more, I usually just set

the thermostat to what I need in order to

stay comfortable.”

PERSONAS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

JOHN: ENERGY ATTENTIVE

• John pays the bills

• Average payment plan

• Hang dries laundry to save

• Maintains HVAC air filter

• Fireplace user in winter

• Wants long term results

PERSONAS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

SUE: ENERGY PASSIVE

• Doesn’t pay attention to the bills or cost of energy

• Often leaves lights on

• Sets thermostat for comfort; feels she deserves it at her age

• Thinks CFL’s look strange and are too expensive

PERSONAS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE “We’re not planning on relocating,

so it’s worth it to invest in our home.”

• Empty nesters; spends weekends at lake

• Well insulated house with newer windows

• Have landscaping lights on a timer

• Thermostat:72 in summer and 68 in winter

• Used gov’t rebates for Energy Star appliances

PERSONAS

GEN-X: JESSICA&CODY

JESSICA: ENERGY ATTENTIVE

“I can hear our on-demand hot water

heater click on. It reminds me that we have

some control over our efficiency practices.”

CODY: ENERGY PASSIVE

“Jessica gives me a hard time about the

utility bills. I’m working on it, but our

technology is pretty important to us. We

don’t do well with turning off or unpluging

desktop computers.”

PERSONAS

GEN-X: JESSICA&CODY

JESSICA: ENERGY ATTENTIVE

• Attempts to teach their son, Ben, by constantly reinforcing

household rules to turn things off when finished

• Pays close attention to the utility bills

• Often attributes increases to the cost to actual cost of delivery,

rather than their usage

PERSONAS

GEN-X: JESSICA&CODY

CODY: ENERGY PASSIVE

• Active and likes to spend time outdoors

• Usually the one to take their dog for walks

• Tries to shut down lights and fans but sometimes forgets

• Doesn’t pay much attention to the thermostat — wants comfort

PERSONAS

GEN-X: AMY&JAKE “We schedule our thermostat to be most comfortable

between 5-9pm, the rest of the time it is about efficiency.”

• Have a 3 year old son; 1 dog

• Live in a 3 bed/2 bath suburban home

• Florescent bulbs everywhere

• Keep a big basket of blankets in the living room in the winter.

• Back door has a draft, they roll a towel up in front of back door

to keep the heat inside.

• They adjust thermostat for dog in summer • They adjust thermostat for dog in summer

PERSONAS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

AMY: ENERGY ATTENTIVE

“Those boys will only recycle if I basically

do it for them and make it easy to drop

things in. I swear they wouldn’t even get the

bills paid if I wasn’t here.”

JAKE: ENERGY PASSIVE

“I really want to save energy, benefit the

environment, and my bank account, but

sometimes it just doesn’t fit my schedule.”

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

AMY: ENERGY ATTENTIVE

“Those boys will only recycle if I basically

do it for them and make it easy to drop

things in. I swear they wouldn’t even get the

bills paid if I wasn’t here.”

JAKE: ENERGY PASSIVE

PERSONAS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

AMY: ENERGY ATTENTIVE

• Responsible for keeping track of all bills

• Collects money from all the roommates

• She sets up and empties recycling containers for the home

• Pays the most attention to the electricity used in their home

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

AMY: ENERGY ATTENTIVE

• Responsible for keeping track of all bills

• Collects money from all the roommates

• She sets up and empties recycling containers for the home

• Pays the most attention to the electricity used in their home

PERSONAS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

JAKE: ENERGY PASSIVE

• TV and gaming systems always on

• Keeps an old small refrigerator in his bedroom for sodas/beer

• Habitually opens window in his room when the heat is on

• His room seems to be warmer than the rest of the house

PERSONAS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE “It’s difficult to control the electricity usage

when roommates are always leaving things on.”

• Lights often left on unintentionally

• Either A/C or heat is always on

• Multiple gaming systems stacked up by the television

• Not everyone understands how to use prorammable thermostat

• Live close to campus and frequently have guests coming and going

• Cost of utilities and all household bills are split 3 ways

SCENARIOS

Sue

John

Jessica

Cody

Jake

Amy

Boomers Gen-Xers Gen-Yers

Energy Attentive

Energy Passive

SCENARIOS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

After having their Smart Meter and new

thermostat installed, John and Sue find

out they could be saving money by

programming their thermostat and paying

closer attention to their energy usage.

However, they are out of town a lot and

don't have much time to worry about

their thermostat.

SCENARIOS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

John turns on the thermostat

for the first time and goes

through the set-up wizard,

and alert settings (including

the monthly bill limit).

SCENARIOS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

John turns on the thermostat

for the first time and goes

through the set-up wizard,

and alert settings (including

the monthly bill limit).

SCENARIOS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

After he's finished entering

the settings, John starts the

programming feature.

SCENARIOS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

He finds out that he can

create specific settings for

home, away, and vacation

modes.

Sue is especially excited

about the vacation mode,

because every time they go

out of town, John sets the

thermostat for extreme

temperatures and she can't

keep her plants alive.

SCENARIOS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

A week later, John notices

the status bar on the home

screen is yellow.

SCENARIOS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

He presses a button on the

status bar and a pop-up

shows that his current

usage pattern will cause him

to exceed his monthly bill

limit; the pop-up says that he

can get back on track by

turning the AC setting up

2 degrees, with a button to

press to approve thermostat

change.

TIP!

Get back on track

by turning the

AC SETTING

up 2 degrees.�

SCENARIOS

BOOMERS: JOHN&SUE

He presses OK, and the

status bar goes back to

green. He notices the AC set

temperature has changed

from 70 to 72 degrees.

SCENARIOS

GEN-X: JESSICA&CODY

Jessica and Cody schedule their

thermostat to be most comfortable

between 5-9pm, the rest of the time

it is about efficiency.

Their programmable thermostat helps

Keep the temperature ranges constant and

prevents them from forgetting to adjust

when needed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KRyjNOkjMA&list=PL93019A1526FC1BE6&index=57&feature=plpp_video

SCENARIOS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

Jake and Amy are college students living in

an old drafty house.

Amy comes home from her evening

waitressing job, sits down at the kitchen

table and counts her tips. After she

discovers that she barely has enough

money to buy groceries for herself for the

week, she tries to take her mind off of

things by opening the mail.

”The electric bill is $149! What are those

boys doing in this house? What can I do?"

SCENARIOS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

She goes to the thermostat

and sees the status bar is

red.

SCENARIOS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

She then presses the

Charts/Graphs icon to look

for clues about what is

causing the bill to be high.

SCENARIOS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

She sees the week

comparison and notices

energy use is much higher

than last week.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

SCENARIOS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

She rolls over to the year

comparison and sees

energy use is also much

higher than last year;

she realizes she had energy

conscious roommates last

year and attributes this to the

higher bill.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

SCENARIOS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

Then she goes to the

program mode and sees the

weekday mode has been

turned off and only weekend

is on, when the thermostat is

set much more comfortably

for lots of company.

SCENARIOS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

She immediately turns

weekday mode back on.

SCENARIOS

GEN-Y: AMY&JAKE

When she finishes,

the home screen shows

a yellow status bar.

She notices that the set

temperature for heat has

automatically adjusted

from 70 to 68.

HOMEENERGYCONTROLSYSTEMLAWRENCETEAM

Marcus Gardner, Adriana Guzmán, Amy Mihalevich, Satoshi Inoue, Meredith Tack, Darren Kennedy, Gianfranco Villagomez

InteractionDesign

DISCOVERY

“I have a couple of Energy Star rated appliances, but I don’t really know why they are good. I like the idea of being efficient, but honestly, I just wanted the rebates.”

InteractionDesign

“We love Christmas lights, and I think they don’t use a lot of electricity, so we leave them on all day.”

“We set the goal to change the temperature on the thermostat by November 1st and the same for June 1st, but sometimes it is so difficult...”

“Yeah, we use those light bulbs but you know I don’t like the color..”

They agree on almost everthing related to theenergy. They use a programmable thermostat that is on from 6:00 and 8:00p.m. Summer is 68 and in winter it is 75.

HOMEINTERVIEWS:WHATWELEARNED

People make an effort to look good in front of others.

Most wanted to conserve energy but didn’t know that much about what to do.

Homeowners often think of efficiency in terms of big projects, rather than daily practices.

Thermostat control can be an area of frustration among members of a household.

People do not have a very clear understanding of how their energy bill is calculated.

Most people are more interested in saving money, than they are in being green.

InteractionDesign

USE CASESAs a (user/role) I want (goal/desire) so that (benefit).

John Jessica Amy

FEEDBACK LOOPData must be measured, captured and stored.

Information delivered to individual in an emotionally relevant context.

The information must illuminate one or more paths ahead.

Recalibrate behavior, make a choice, act, and evaluate.

EVIDENCE

RELEVANCE

CONSEQUENCE

ACTION

Home

Smart Plug

The Controller

Energy Company

SYSTEM IDEATION

InteractionDesign

Home Owner

The device will become the missing link for the user to understand and be in control of the energy consumption in their home. The Controller is the user’s interface for a complete smart home system.

Controller Set Up Wizard1

Account Info

Home Analysis

Set First Goal

Smart Plug Inventory

Interface Tour

Controller Home

2

FLOW

InteractionDesign

Temp Display

Temp Control

Weather

Date/Time

Quick Away

EnergyStats

Goals

Up & DownHeat / AC/ Fan/ O�

Major AppliancesDisplay

MinorAppliancesDisplay

LightingDisplay

Heating/ACDisplay

_Pricing Feedback

_ColorFeedback

_Noti�cationIcons

IndoorsOutsideScheduled

Graphical DisplayView Forecast

Graphical DisplayGo to Scheduler

Toggle to “Home Now”

Go to all home stats

Graphical Feedback DisplayGo to set or edit Goal

View Stats View Stats View Stats View StatsControlPlugs

ControlPlugs

ControlLights

ControlTemp

The user interface includes a set up wizard (1), global controls (shown vertical), feedback displays (shown horizontal), and only one level deep for each area of the interface.

PAPER PROTOTYPING

InteractionDesign

PAPERPROTOTYPES:WHATWELEARNEDIf we don’t put up some parameters, this device could be anything. Time to simplify!

People don’t want to stand at the wall for very long.

Several people wanted a supporting mobile app.

We need a very shallow interface.

People are interested in exploring interfaces that look nice. Not everything needs to be face up.

InteractionDesign

CONCEPTS

SCHEDULER

InteractionDesign

NOVEMBER 2012

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Data must be measured, captured and stored.

Information delivered to individual in an emotionally relevant context.

The information must illuminate one or more paths ahead.

Recalibrate behavior, make a choice, act, and evaluate.

Learn behaviors

Provide tips

Quick away options

Flag milestones

SCHEDULER

InteractionDesign

Goal: $60 // You have spent $42 so far

13DEC1:00 P.M.

o F

Away

60o OUTSIDE

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InteractionDesign

COMMUNITY CHALLENGESCommunity percentage

Challenge your neighbors

Compete for titles

Social gaming

Sponsored challenges

Power in numbers

SMART PLUG

InteractionDesign

$2.30xx Kw/h

Living room

Garage

Ben’s room

Goal: $60 // You have spent $xx so far

15DEC7:00 P.M.

o F

Away

60o OUTSIDE

PLUG CONTROL

InteractionDesign

SCENARIO DEVELOPMENT

InteractionDesign

FORM DEVELOPMENT

InteractionDesign

FORM DEVELOPMENT

InteractionDesign

FORM DEVELOPMENT

InteractionDesign

HOME ENERGY CONTROLLER

InteractionDesign

HOME ENERGY CONTROLLER

InteractionDesign

HOME ENERGY CONTROLLER

InteractionDesign

SET UP WIZARD

InteractionDesign

F

WELCOME

Tell us your goal

Your daily energy consumption should be $2.24

Now, you are ready for the challenge

05DEC10:00 a.m

05DEC10:00 a.m

$7210:00 a.m

o

WELCOMEAccount number

According to our system your average bill is $95Tell us your goal

05DEC10:00 a.m

$

Goal: $60 // You have spent $xx so far

05DEC10:00 a.m

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Away

60o OUTSIDE

Goal: $60 // You have spent $xx so far

13DEC1:00 P.M.

o F

$1.00$1.50

$1.50

$0.50 $0.25$2.30

Away

60o OUTSIDE

FEEDBACK LOOP

FEEDBACK LOOPDECEMBER

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Away

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DesignManagement + InteractionDesign

Improving the Consumer-Facing Strategyand Innovating the System User Interface

DESIGNTOREDUCEENERGYUSEINTHEHOME