Empowering utilities in the era of energy transition

Exnaton develops cutting - edge software solutions designed to prepare utility companies for the challenges and opportunities of the future. Our product empowers utilities to effortlessly retain their customer base while fostering the creation of innovative offerings that establish sustainable business models, ensuring their resilience in a rapidly evolving landscape.

In an age defined by the transformative energy sector transition, utility companies confront unique needs and distinct challenges that our Exnaton product is equipped to address.

Guided by a relentless commitment to continuous learning and an unwavering dedication to enhancing our solutions, we have embarked on a journey to revamp our product. This endeavour underscores our commitment to staying at the forefront of industry innovation and delivering excellence to our valued clients.

Our goals:‍

• simplify complicated energy, financial, and data tasks, making them easier to understand and use
• empower customers with increased independence to improve their operational efficiency
• offer a comprehensive overview that enhances the supervision and management of energy products

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Challenges:

Our journey began with an immersive exploration of utility companies' experiences. This involved:

• engaging in user interviews
• identifying pain points tied to managing end users and data-rich processes
• discovering needs poised for innovative solutions
• crafting an engaging approach for utility companies to excel in the green energy landscape

Key revelations:

• utility companies sought a product that visualise customer energy performance and offered interactive features to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs
• the mission was clear: enrich the dashboard's interactivity, making it indispensable for daily operations; this evolution demanded a revamped structure and intuitive information architecture for simplified navigation
• a fresh user interface was imperative to align with these transformations

Our central character, Stefan, a seasoned 54-year-old entrepreneur, encapsulated the challenges of utility companies' challenges. Stefan's journey, evolving alongside digital trends and macroeconomic shifts, emphasised the urgency of adaptation to seize new business prospects.

As I started creating great user experiences, I had gathered lots of useful information from research, and there were many possibilities. The task was to turn all this information into a clear and intuitive design.

Drawing the first sketches of information architecture was a moment of artistic revelation. It was like capturing the essence of ideas in their purest form, bringing to life the aspirations of our users. Each line, each node, held the potential to simplify complex processes and lead users on a journey of discovery.

As the sketches transformed into structured frameworks, the true artistry began. Moulding the Information Architecture was where the magic happened. It was a task that transcended mere organisation. It was about sculpting an experience that felt instinctive, empowering users to find their way effortlessly.

Given time constraints, I delved directly into UI design, considering existing features. Utilizing Figma, I crafted a high-fidelity prototype facilitating energy community and member navigation. The revised data display structure triggered a series of changes, enabling logical data presentation and a refreshed information architecture. Merging observation functionalities with CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) ensured a seamless experience.

We tested our design with our customers and found it to be quite promising. I made some improvements to the logical flow to make things clearer. I also worked on improving the breadcrumb navigation for a smoother user experience. While as a team we shifted my focus to the end-user products, we made sure that the basic elements were implemented for utility companies. And I came up with new features designed specifically for utility companies, which we planned to implement later on.

Key utility company functionality designs:

• electronic PDF invoice: revolutionizing invoice management
• rate plans for energy communities: empowering dynamic energy management
• PDF upload functionality: streamlining document integration
• user onboarding: an unprecedented feature directly on the customer's homepage.

One of our notable achievements was the introduction of a registration process for joining energy communities. This feature was unique in the market and the design process involved several steps:

• crafting initial sketches to capture the concept's essence
• designing the user flow to map out the user journey
• creating wireframes to turn ideas into visual representations
• developing a high-fidelity prototype to bring the concept to life digitally, which was well-received by customers

This achievement not only advanced our product but also increased its value for utility companies.