ESN
Energy Insights Dashboard
Reducing dependency between operators and plant managers by developing dashboard for efficient energy management.
Role
Product designer
Time
2-3 months
Team
Samar Adhikari, Santhosh Kavanadala, Srithika Suvarna
01
The Problem
Indiana's small to medium-sized manufacturers lack the tools to optimize energy use, missing opportunities for efficiency, growth, and investment in advanced technologies.
In order to address this, Energy System Networks (ESN) introduced a program named Energy Insights to deploy smart manufacturing pilot projects to Indiana’s small-medium manufacturers.
02
Design Direction
“How might we empower diverse user groups to make informed energy efficiency decisions and actions while minimizing communication time and dependency.”
Kick off
As newcomers to the energy industry, my team and I initially found it challenging to fully understand the complexities of the problem.
To gain a clearer picture, we began the research by conducting interviews with our stakeholders (Operators, Integrators and Developers).
INSIGHTS
Operators need sufficient amount of resources and guidance to make important decision during emergencies to avoid factory accidents.
Operators need something that notify the real time status of the entire plant.
Operators need a way to reduce communication delay between them and the plant manager to avoid friction in decision making at workplace.
Resources for Decision Making
Real Time Status of the Plant
Reduce Communication Delay
03
Ideation
Personas
Abram Weaver
Manager
54 yrs
Indianapolis, IN
Pain Points
Limited real-time visibility into plant operations data.
Operators are reluctant to adapt new technologies.
Timely communication of action items with operator on shop floor.
Jamie Palmer
Operator
32 yrs
Indianapolis, IN
Pain Points
Difficulty in identifying energy-related issues.
Lack of user-friendly tools for monitoring data.
Feeling overwhelmed by complex energy management technology.
The plant manager finds himself frequently bogged down by constantly guiding operators through issue resolutions as operators struggle to effectively communicate due to their limited understanding of the dashboard.
Feeling - Which makes him feel frustrated and incapable as it creates a dependency.
Feeling - Which makes him feel annoyed and overwhelmed as it hinders progress in plant operations.
Sketching & Brainstorming
We first framed our problem statement and then moved on to ideation and brainstorming, utilizing the Crazy Eights technique to rapidly generate eight ideas in eight minutes.
04
Proposed solutions
Intuitive Dashboard for Operator & Customizable Dashboard for Plant Manager with in-app communication. AI-powered Analytics and Recommendation system. Reducing dependency - Energy Efficiency Guides
Why this design solution?
Solution 3: Reducing dependency - Energy Efficiency Guides
The dashboard provides videos, use case scenarios, and error guides for operators to easily access and learn from.
Operators, including those new to the system, can quickly understand and utilize it through the dashboard's training materials.
In case of system errors, operators can refer to the dashboard's resources to make informed decisions and resolve issues efficiently.
Figma prototype
06
Takeaways
As someone new to the energy industry, I initially found the problem space quite challenging to grasp. However, once our research efforts commenced, everything started falling into place, becoming much simpler and clearer to follow.
I want to extend a special appreciation to my team members for their invaluable support in helping me understand various concepts and processes whenever I encountered obstacles. This client project has reinforced my belief that team collaboration goes beyond merely completing individual tasks. Instead, it's about synergizing everyone's efforts and understanding to deliver successful outcomes collectively.