IMENCO - Impactful Energy Consumption
IMENCO - Impactful Energy Consumption
Encouraging and assisting individuals live a more sustainable life by consuming energy mindfully, saving on bills, and lowering their carbon footprint.
Encouraging and assisting individuals live a more sustainable life by consuming energy mindfully, saving on bills, and lowering their carbon footprint.
Role
Product Designer & Researcher
Timeline
6 weeks
(Sep '22 - Oct '22)
Project type
A concept-based academic project
Team
6 Product Designers

Overview
A brief intro about the project and the backstory
A brief intro about the project and the backstory
IMENCO, the household energy app, optimizes consumption through real-time tracking, goal-setting, and cost-saving tips. Users can schedule and control usage, promoting energy savings and sustainability.
IMENCO, the household energy app, optimizes consumption through real-time tracking, goal-setting, and cost-saving tips. Users can schedule and control usage, promoting energy savings and sustainability.
Driven by the urgency of global warming, our team, intrigued by sustainability, focused on electricity consumption waste as a critical environmental challenge, unveiling shocking pollution realities in supposedly clean Indianapolis.
Driven by the urgency of global warming, our team, intrigued by sustainability, focused on electricity consumption waste as a critical environmental challenge, unveiling shocking pollution realities in supposedly clean Indianapolis.
Goal
What was our goal?
What was our goal?
The project goal is to reduce electricity consumption waste, achieve cost-savings, and enhance sustainability.
The project goal is to reduce electricity consumption waste, achieve cost-savings, and enhance sustainability.
Consumption management
Cost saving on consumption
Reduced carbon footprint
Problem & solution in a nutshell
A synopsis of the problem and solution
A synopsis of the problem and solution
Confronting Household Electricity Waste Challenge.
Confronting Household Electricity Waste Challenge.
The challenge lies in the widespread electricity waste in households, which hampers sustainability efforts and contributes to pollution.
The challenge lies in the widespread electricity waste in households, which hampers sustainability efforts and contributes to pollution.
Introducing IMENCO, an efficient tools to optimize energy consumption.
Introducing IMENCO, an efficient tools to optimize energy consumption.
IMENCO, a mobile app empowering users to reduce energy waste and costs through efficient monitoring and scheduling of individual appliance usage, fostering sustainability.
IMENCO, a mobile app empowering users to reduce energy waste and costs through efficient monitoring and scheduling of individual appliance usage, fostering sustainability.
Feature 1: Insights & Motivations
Users track daily energy usage, savings, and carbon footprint, with weekly consumption limits and thermostat
tips for a greener impact.
Users track daily energy usage, savings, and carbon footprint, with weekly consumption limits and thermostat
tips for a greener impact.


Feature 2: Planner & Milestone
Users receive a personalized weekly
plan tailored to their preferences, accompanied by personalized recommendations.
Users receive a personalized weekly
plan tailored to their preferences, accompanied by personalized recommendations.


Research & Analysis
Understanding & validating the problem
Understanding & validating the problem
We initiated our research to comprehensively understand and validate the reasons behind the wastage. To achieve this goal, we employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques, including:
We initiated our research to comprehensively understand and validate the reasons behind the wastage. To achieve this goal, we employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques, including:
Field observation photos to understand the reasons behind energy wastage
Field observation photos to understand the reasons behind energy wastage




Survey Findings
Survey Findings
To understand user behavior and attitudes, we crafted closed-ended questions. Here are the key insights:
To understand user behavior and attitudes, we crafted closed-ended questions. Here are the key insights:
66.7%
66.7%
users got slightly or mostly higher electricity bill.
users got slightly or mostly higher electricity bill.
79.2%
79.2%
feels smart devices don’t save on electricity bills.
feels smart devices don’t save on electricity bills.
25%
25%
users have a smart or semi-smart home setup.
users have a smart or semi-smart home setup.
User interview insights
User interview insights
Users often forget to turn off appliances in a rush, highlighting the need for solutions addressing absent-mindedness and time constraints.
Lack of awareness and guidance on electricity consumption calls for educational initiatives and practical tips for users.
Reluctance to adopt sustainability stems from inconvenience, emphasizing the need for user-friendly solutions.
-Co-living challenges highlight the importance of solutions fostering shared responsibility and efficient resource use.
-Co-living challenges highlight the importance of solutions fostering shared responsibility and efficient resource use.
Why IMENCO? Why not Google home, Alexa and other?
Why IMENCO? Why not Google home, Alexa and other?
Most competitors focus on remotely monitoring and managing household appliances, often designing their systems with specific devices in mind.
Most competitors focus on remotely monitoring and managing household appliances, often designing their systems with specific devices in mind.




The following are the areas that we identified as being missing in the existing applications:
Energy awareness: Users struggled to track their daily consumption.
Energy awareness: Users struggled to track their daily consumption.
Appliance usage: Users lacked awareness of individual appliances' electricity consumption.
Appliance usage: Users lacked awareness of individual appliances' electricity consumption.
Motivation gap: Users felt uninspired to actively reduce their electricity consumption.
Alert effectiveness: Few applications provided alerts when appliances were turned on, but lacked reminders for ongoing usage and lacked suggestions for effective electricity conservation.
Alert effectiveness: Few applications provided alerts when appliances were turned on, but lacked reminders for ongoing usage and lacked suggestions for effective electricity conservation.
Personas








HMW statement
How might we design a solution for efficient energy tracking, reducing wastage, carbon footprints, and spending habits?
How might we design a solution for efficient energy tracking, reducing wastage, carbon footprints, and spending habits?
Target users
The target users
The target users
The project caters to three types of users — the clueless sustainable, the lazy lads, and the worrier — targeting homeowners and tenants in both single and multi-unit buildings.
The project caters to three types of users — the clueless sustainable, the lazy lads, and the worrier — targeting homeowners and tenants in both single and multi-unit buildings.
Ideation
Creating the User Flow
Creating the User Flow
We created the user flow to map the user journey within the app and ascertain the most effective and efficient user interactions




Mid-fi & User-testing
Lo-fi prototypes for user testing and evaluation
Lo-fi prototypes for user testing and evaluation
Before creating the final design, we further developed the application's structure and layout to map out the navigation and interface components.
Before creating the final design, we further developed the application's structure and layout to map out the navigation and interface components.




Wireframes
User test results:
Primary feedback on our initial iterations included:
User test results:
Primary feedback on our initial iterations included:
Consider reducing the size of insights on the home page for a more compact display.
Simplify the process of turning off devices by minimizing the clicks required, and provide an option to switch on appliances directly from the home page.
Add functionality to edit appliance details on the 'Manage Room' screen.
Optimize the Recommendation screen by reducing text volume for improved user readability.
Ensure consistent placement of 'Recommendation' in the Planner section for a better user experience.
Introduce a convenient barcode scanning button for seamless device addition to the application.
Solution in detail
Visuals
Visuals




Add New Room




Add New Device




Planner & Milestone




Insights




Key learnings
My learnings after leading the project
My learnings after leading the project
Collaborative Design Experience: Collaborated with a team of six designers, prioritizing effective communication and coordination to ensure successful teamwork and idea exchange.
Focus on Sustainability: Engaged in a sustainability project, emphasizing environmental considerations in design.
Applied Academic Knowledge: Executed project during master's studies, applying academic knowledge to real-world scenarios.
End-to-End Design Process: This comprehensive experience enhanced skills in executing end-to-end design projects.
Balancing Research and Implementation: Managed research alongside practical design aspects, highlighting the importance of balancing theory with hands-on application.
Collaborative Design Experience: Collaborated with a team of six designers, prioritizing effective communication and coordination to ensure successful teamwork and idea exchange.
Focus on Sustainability: Engaged in a sustainability project, emphasizing environmental considerations in design.
Applied Academic Knowledge: Executed project during master's studies, applying academic knowledge to real-world scenarios.
End-to-End Design Process: This comprehensive experience enhanced skills in executing end-to-end design projects.
Balancing Research and Implementation: Managed research alongside practical design aspects, highlighting the importance of balancing theory with hands-on application.
That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed it ✨
That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed it ✨
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Like what you see? Let’s chat!

