PULSE ENERGY
Year:
2020
My role:
UX/UI Designer
Agency:
Side project
project
briefing
For this project, the focus was on Sustainable development, the renowned perspective that human societies must live and meet their needs without compromising future generations and their ability to meet their own needs.
We had to create a Minimun Viable Product (MVP) that connects with at least one of the 17 goals of sustainable development from the 2030 Agenda. Those 17 goals provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, both in the present and and into the future.
Methodology: Lean UX.
Lean UX is a process and mindset that, in substance, combines the solution-based approach of Design thinking with iterative methods from Agile.
The success or failure is determined by measuring results against a benefit hypothesis implemented by Minimun Viable Products.
Therefore, we had to create a product, not just a prototype.
Time: 3 weeks.
Live: pulsenergy.es
Thinking
stage
Reminiscent of previous design thinking projects, we spent some days researching about 2030 Agenda, studying the 17 goals and investigating other entrepreneur projects that could generate some inspiration, revolving around truly innovative ideas that could fit this project.
But part of the efficiency in Lean UX requires to be a little impulsive and don’t employ too much time in the “thinking” stage that defines other methodologies.
Through brainstorming sessions and constant meetings we tried hard to generate ideas and assumptions.
Then, all of a sudden…
Movement.
Most of the mobile objects and creatures generate kinetic energy naturally.
Is there any way to take advantage of it? Could we use it somehow?
To get energy from impact, friction and other kinds of natural sources has been part of the basic development for mankind. There’s existing technology more than sufficient to support this step-forward.
The target client should be companies, institutions or public bodies with facilities or areas to install the equipment to absorb and accumulate the energy.
This search for self-sustainable energetic resources involves various goals from the 2030 Agenda.
Hypothesis:
Through a prioritization matrix we took decisions towards the most risky and unknown assumptions.
We made 3 assumptions:
- Businesses are truly willing to become more sustainable
- Users want to see successful case studies to cling to a business
- Businesses want to invest time and money
Lean Canvas:
A most suitable tool to improve our chances of success and to define the business model.
Making
stage
MVP:
The Minimum Viable Product is a core concept of the Lean UX Methodology.
We made up our minds to create a landing page as the best way to test the idea.
To point out which ones should be the right functionalities, we write a number of User stories.
Wireframes:
Then we went for the visual aspect.
We developed a primary corporate image.
A solid logo to stress technology and modernity aspects, a chromatic selection, font and size combinations…
But for the MVPl, the logotype alone won’t make it…
We also needed something to make the user sense that could interact. Something real, that’s truly there.
A tangible object.
That’s why we designed an apparently “physical” product, an engine to accumulate the energy that’s the raw material of the whole Pulse concept.
The S.E.A. (System of Energy Accumulation) came to life.
For the visual style we prepared individual moodboards so each member of the team could denote how he envisioned the look and feel. InVision proved quite handy for this purpose once again.
We spent some time looking for the references – actually not much – but luckily enough the whole team had a quite similar approach in this aspect. So we proceed quickly into developing and applying it.
To be continued...
Stage I:
Research
The desk research granted us sensitivity and perception for the florist market. From global market to specific stories and opinions of users and customers.
Netnography lead us eminently to complains for most of the florist shops services. This information always should be handled with care, because negative comments are easily the most shared, based on the fact that disappointing experiences are the ones that frequently motivates customers to publicly express their opinions in this kind of services.
On the other hand, opinions for products purchased first-hand in physical shops were quite the opposite: benevolent remarks indicating satisfaction.
Through Benchmarking we investigated and compared most eminent florists shops and its services working on national soil.
Interviews
Xavi Cardet, UX lead at the start up Colvin, stressed the importance of building up memorable experiences, particularly in a sector so directly cemented in emotions and those special occasions. He also pointed out some of the key moments for the customer in the process.
One of the CEOs from Colvin as well, Andrés Cester, explained the process and how they skip intermediaries.
Maybe above all else, one particular interview with the flourist Donna Stain, due to her more than 30 years experience in different countries in the sector, helped to give the proper shape to our perspective.
Created with different itineraries according to distinct users and un-users, the formulary was quickly yet carefully crafted to avoid any answer to result unuseful.
Some good numbers in collected answers granted reliability to the results.
Some interesting info gathered was that more than ¾ purchased flowers in-person. To see, to touch, to smell the physical product induces this preference, as more of the 60% of the respondents confirms.
The difference between those who identify flowers as an expensive product from those who consider it an adequate price wasn’t so significant.
One of the key points was that the vast majority (more than 80%) verify the both that they eminently buy flowers for others instead than for personal use and that they value counsel along the process of selecting and buying.
The importance of ecological products and their disposition to pay extra for those kind of products was also reflected.
Thanks to this stream of information, the buzz report was nimbly loaded.
insights &
opportunities
All the process achieved until that point flourished in some important INSIGHTS:
Flowers for occasions
The Spanish customer conceptualises flowers as a gift for significant moments. Away from these events, flowers are seldomly buyed in our country.
Messages and inscriptions: they matter
Flowers have their own meaning, but the one who purchases and gives this gift wants to communicate something by him/herself. And it is important.
A greener life
There is a majoritary aspiration of reaching an eco-friendly life. Products improve in the eye of the purchaser if they are environmentally sustainable. Earth wins, everybody wins.
Ethically flawless.
Counsel wanted
The user craves for knowledge, wants that flower lasts as much as possible, wants to know its symbolism, peculiarity and features of the product. Client wants to have the chance of being informed by experts.
Watch, touch and smell
Appearance matters (don’t pretend to be surprised). First-hand sales are decisive for florist shops since the physical aspect of the product are the key and quite hard to tell from distance/online.
So, we understood some major opportunities for this project:
- Strengthen the experience quality
- Strengthen “Green economy”
- Personalise the assistance
ideation
Developed through methods as:
- Brainstorm
- Value proposal
- Business model
- MoSCoW
- Focused benchmarking
- Sitemap
- Flowchart
- Inspirational mood boards
The brainstorming led to organising, voting on and lifting up the ideas, until we finally found our proposal.
The MoSCoW prioritization technique helped to tell what should be part of the main idea and what could be used to complement.
Value proposal and Business model canvas were quite useful again to visualize the outlined formula.
That was the right time for a Focused benchmarking and comparing our proposal with competitors.
our
proposal
We wanted to potentiate the purchase as an experience itself.
Two floors, the first one acts as a classical florist shop, to watch and smell the flowers. Here, plants and bouquets are prepared. The second one extends first floor and offers a recreation area where to have a drink, be guided in case of any doubt and wait for the bouquet to be prepared (just watching or even collaborating with the flourist).
Through itinerancy and the notion of an uncommon event, we would like to build up the perception of a “fashionable place” as well as a chance for the customer to make the most of it, visit the shop and be part of it.
Localization of each stop would be programmed individually and announced both on the shop and the website.
Also, a test is developed for tablets so the customer can select flowers for the bouquet while waiting, watching its preparation live with an overhead camera.
To create a flowchart for the experience was mandatory in order to fully understand it.
Time for low and high fidelity wireframes/Prototype.
* Visual aspect wasn’t but a rough idea of what we could develop with more time.
Conclusions &
future chances
As previously said: we were originally expecting to base our proposals on online products, but as results came, they were conclusive in certain aspects: Users esteem to see, touch and smell flowers prior to purchase. It makes a difference. We needed to take advantage of it and boost the first-hand experience, proposing something unique and fashionable.
Potential future chances:
- Develop the whole web
- In-deep testing of products
- Boost up social media.
- Collaborate with restaurant business.
