Designing an attractive user experience in a fast-paced Design Track

Digital Product Design

Cozie is a Belgian start-up and a spin-out of energy giant Engie Electrabel. Their goal is to make people's homes more energy-efficient with sustainable technologies and digital solutions.

Cozie is a Belgian start-up and a spin-out of energy giant Engie Electrabel. Their goal is to make people's homes more energy-efficient with sustainable technologies and digital solutions.

One of those solutions is the Homefit, an intelligent energy advice tool. Home-owners or tenants answer a number of questions and get a scientific energy advice report. The Homefit is the first of its kind, taking it a few steps further than most energy audit tools.

While creating the Homefit, Cozie and their research partner EnergyVille gathered a lot of scientific data and composed an extensive questionnaire. The rub lay in translating all of that into a tool that is easy to use for any homeowner, including those who aren’t digi-savvy.

That was Cozie’s challenge for us.

What we created

During a Design Track, we

  • mapped out the user's journey through the Homefit tool
  • shortened the scientific questionnaire for homeowners from 48 to 16 questions
  • built a clickable, user-friendly prototype of the tool
  • made a visual design for the tool and for a clear and shareable advice report

'From day 1, we had faith that this was going to work out great. There was a clear action plan & the team knew what they were doing.'
Bert Resseler, CEO Cozie

How we did it

Cozie’s team joined forces with our designers and strategists for a Design Track. Together, we created an effective interface during a number of well-structured workshops.

The track took about 1 month: the perfect timing for Cozie to start development of the tool.

The outcome

Cozie wanted to create an energy advice tool that was easy to use for everyone. Together, we managed to take a very complicated scientific process and turn it into an attractive tool. The Homefit is accessible and pleasant for everyone, from digital natives to digital immigrants. Thanks to its engaging user experience, it will certainly be a great asset for Cozie to attract people to their brand.

With its unique scientific algorithm, the Homefit is the first of its kind and we are proud to have been a part of it. We definitely hope to work with Cozie in the future again.

Our approach

1. Pinpointing the core problem

The first step was to get to the core of the problem. We zoomed out and defined the fundamental goals of the Homefit.

After we determined these goals, we were able to set priorities. That made it easier to make the right decisions later on. Which questions could we leave out or combine? Which design choices should we make?

1. Pinpointing the core problem

2. Creating a balanced user experience

With goals and priorities set, it was time to dive into the Homefit tool itself. We experimented with different versions of the questionnaire. For each version, we weighed ease of use against the data gathered, until we found the perfect balance. The questionnaire could not demand too much of the user. At the same time, it should provide enough information for a truly useful advice report.

2. Creating a balanced user experience

3. Designing the tool and the report

The design for the interface was another balancing exercise. It had to look very accessible, yet exude the professionalism and scientific accuracy the Homefit is built with.

Another challenge was to visualise a home's energy score and the accompanying renovation advice. For this, our product designer drew a set of clarifying illustrations.

3. Designing the tool and the report

4. Communication with Cozie’s engineering team

Our final task was to share our design with Cozie’s engineering team. As we work component-based, this went rather smoothly. We made sure they had all the separate components and necessary details, making development a whole lot easier.

4. Communication with Cozie’s engineering team

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