Tradhus
Sustainable living and Behavior change
Trädhus for Umea Energy
Approach
The project is set up as learning platform for service design with the participant of various stakeholders. Which we conducted service safari, interviews, journey mapping, field and desktop research and co-creations much more effective tools/approach. Followed by our concept proposal we prepared our research report for the Umea Energy.
Project Info
Spring 2019, 5 weeks
Partners: Umeå Institute of Design, Umea Energy
Team: Annie, Leonor, Jose, Mehmet ( Visuals redesigned by myself after the team work )
Focus: Service Design, HCD, User Experience, UCD, Design Ethnography, UX Research, Community of Practice
As you might know “Trädhus” means treehouse in Swedish. We decided to name our concept this way because we liked the idea of a shelter build on a foundation of roots creating a wide network. The tree is symbolic for many of our values and sustainable way of living. Those types of principles are what inspired us to create Trädhus. We believe student dorms have so much more to offer than a place to live in. Therefore, we created Trädhus; as a pilot test cohabitation context aimed to make student living better by designing sustainable dorms service which brings integrating community and matching dorm mates together. As by-product Umea Energy will be able to build a closer relationship with young people and students who aren’t aware of Umea Energy’s service. Students would leave this service with a lasting impression and positive brand association to all the participants that helped them have a good experience during their student life.
“How can we create a service that connects Umeå Energi with young students by providing them solutions to consume less electricity and create community?”
First day of project unfortunately I do not have cool model looking picture :)
Main research insights
After interviewing over +20 people from all over Umeå, we found out: /
Young people aren't aware of how much energy they consume //
They aren't aware of sustainability and they don't know so much about Umea Energi ///
They don't know they can use Umea Energi outside of Umea as options ////
Durning the project I used my skills in 3D software to break orthodox presentation of Stakeholder map or any other similar tools. I used them as props to observe how we can use AR while conducting UX research.
Who said I don’t enjoy model making as well :)
How we created our Trädhus project ?
SMOOTHNESS COMMUNICATION
WORKING ON RELATIONSHIP USER – COMPANY
TRANSPARENCY TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY
CUSTOMER INDEPENDENCE.
Understanding application of basic service design tools was significant part of this course. During this project, we used shadowing method/service safari to understand current system, its opportunity points pressure points. We sketched out significant touch points for the customers. We focused on creating and recognize how ecosystem attached to each other, what are the role of the different actor plays in the ecosystem.
We use brain storming techniques such as what if questions, 5*why and 10 plus method enhance our discussion points, push our self-thinking outside of the box as well as building upon each other ideas. Furthermore, we organized co design events using tools such as 3D props while doing this event we use body storming to act out speculative cases.As summery of our research we decided to focus on about this point.
Some young people don’t know where their energy is coming from, young people aren’t aware how much energy they spent. People aren’t conscious about sustainability. Customer who are from outside of Umea think they are local and other ward, being part of north gives, Umea energy impression on extra focus on sustainability and integration with cultural heritage of northern.
Creating holistic solutions for our stakeholders
Service Overview
People living in Umea or people who has knowledge about exciting stakeholder and their integration reflect on Umea energy is monopoly and which brings ethical question in their mind. We played out various situations and conducted focus group testing to understand HMW break Umea Energy impression monopoly company. Thats why we decided on focus on project who needs support from institutions.
Service Blueprint
This is the simplified version of the service blueprint. As a team, we focus on understanding socio-economic conjecture and parameters of the our user thus we reflected on three stage interaction with our service. Service blueprint divided into five categories which are physical evidence, customer action, onstage contract, backstage contact and support progress.
1. Before moving in Before students moving in, they will hear about the service through the internet and get interests in it first. Once they decide to commit with this kind of dorm lifestyle, they fill the online application then wait for acceptance. Those ones who got accepted will have Skype interview with Bosaden and Umeå Energi staff. When they are got admitted into the dorm room, they shall pack and get ready for their new amazing new life. Bosaden and Umeå Energi will hand them information beforehand, regarding to the new lifestyle they are going to have.
2. During the service Students will meet the Trädhus ambassadors regularly, guiding them how to live sustainable. There will be activities around, conversation about the energy consumption lifestyle, fika sharing session and make life-long friend in this community. By communal living we aim to orchestrate behavior change on the user whom is not well educated around small detail which leads into creation of big impact to fight against climate chance.
3. After moving out Young students who are ready to start the next step of their life with a shared living mindset. The advantage of this experience will result a improvement in terms of user understanding of energy consumption and habit change . Additionally, we hope that our customers will become sustainability activists and take lead into society for positive change. We want to conduct moving out experience quite easy and intuitive and we are aiming to reducing stress of customer as much as possible. Umea Energy will give relevant information and package proposals for their customers so that customers will continue on using Umea energy service in the future. In long run, customers will tie all the possible experience memories they shared with their friends into their family houses/permanent accommodation.
This is service design project of course we needed lego for acting outs :) Connection to our inner child. Lets look into our progress.
SWOT - Senior project implemented by Bostaden
After our realization about this project, we started to conduct SWOT analysis to understand what we can learn from this exciting experiment. Ecoholog designed for individual interaction instead of providing opportunity for multiple user at same point, This mistake taken away change device turning into tangible communication tool. This was one of the main point we discovered as the reason for failure. Moreover, there are semiotics problems in the concept, service of Ecoholog focused on a product instead of the experience of interaction. Ecoholog was close point instead of being an open/ invite solution.
In our concept – Trädhus, we are focusing on more efferent semiotics and logistic with clean, clear intuitive physical products. Poorly designed UI strike against clearly of information system proving. We are aiming for improving consciousness and behavior change, instead of leading users into pure data check. Ecoholog had a logistical problem as well as facilitation problem. Bostaden put on this product randomly with random participant instead of being exclusive in the beginning of the project and conducting pilot with high motivated participant. We aim to start creating an exclusive community with a high level of engagement.
Our vision is to attract or to invite highly motivated users who are ready to take action in influencing others. After our internal reflection and quick field research, we realize the location of the product and touch point of the system was a problem with engagement, therefore, we develop totem interaction. We decide to locate Trädhus smart device in the kitchen, a common place for social interaction. Last but not least, we needed to invent a clever and intuitive touch point. How each individual going to access their private data. We went back to our stakeholder map and realized users can use dorm key as a physical tangle totem to access to the personal data. This idea was well received from Umea Energy service designer after the feedback session.
Path for success
We had cross disciplinary team therefore we used tools which transferred from business design to reflect together in a language which were understandable for every member. Additionally this method bring advantage when we were communicating with our stakeholder which weren’t designers but had more experience on managing and organization.
Brainstorming season again we always star with post notes :)))
What we offer
We believed it was important to decided on values and mission of the project early on therefore when we went to conduct design ethnography interview with random citizens all around Umea. We were able to share our concept rapidly with them.
We used Miro for our collaboration with in the team it was efficient way to mature our concept and work remotely.
After conducting interviews we summered our design ethnography research.
We summered with some young people don’t know where their energy is coming from, young people aren’t aware how much energy they spent, young people aren’t conscious about sustainability intern of energy consumption (Little habits). Young people from outside of Umea think Umea Energy is a local and trust wordy company but they are not aware that they choose Umea Energy in Malmo, Stockholm and Gothenburg as well. Additionally, being part of north gives Umea Energy impression on focus on sustainability and intact with their natural and cultural heritage.
People living in Umea or people who has knowledge about exciting stakeholder and their integration reflect on Umea energy is monopoly and which brings ethical question in their mind. However, when we introduce students this service, they will merge UE local values with suitability will continue to use this project in the future. Furthermore, our concept suits into direction we defined in the research phase of the project.
Which are smoothness and creation of open transparency towards sustainability to customer journey becoming fully adult with their experience in dorm lifestyle provided by Bostaden and Umea Energy.
Stakeholder Mapping
Understanding ecosystem finding out touch point and pressure point was significant for us, Detection of value exchange within different actors. Additionally we talked a lot how energy produce, distributed and how much information will be relevant for customer.
Field research
We were aware that there might be possibility to innovation from ground up. I visited almost all of the building in Fysikgränd area :) Talking with user and involving their reflection for decision making was significant part of design progress and iterative approach.
Involvement of sketching to create visual communication probs aimed to inspire my teammates how to present our works as well as enhance creative energy within the team.
AR
I tested possibilities AR implementation to create various prob for creating conversation with various stakeholders and finalize deliveries. As AR technology get more pioneer, I believe this kind of tool set would handy in the future.
Storyboard sketching
As a designer, I use my strongholds skills and involve them part of my progress. At one point of the meeting one of the our stakeholder, could imagined impact of our concept. Right at that point I sketch out storyboard and pitch our concept as a movie. I find this method quite effective to prepare adequate presentation in limited time.
IN CONCLUSION
In conclusion, when we introduce students this service, they will merge UE local values with suitability will continue to use this project in the future. Furthermore, our concept suits into direction we defined in the research phase of the project. Which are smoothness and creation of open transparency towards sustainability to customer journey becoming fully adult with their experience in dorm lifestyle provided by Bostaden and Umea Energy.