CTS Expert Responsive Web App

CTS Expert is a power monitoring and diagnostics software that provides insights into the health of your electrical system, Transformer Stations and Solar Farms. Designed to help power-critical and energy-intensive facilities maximize uptime and operational efficiency.

Owner
Company: Neopet Ltd. – www.neopet.bg
Neopet Ltd. is a leader in the production of Transformer Stations, MV systems, HV systems, electrical installation and Automation, Instrumental containers, lightning towers and valve stations.

My role
Project Manager & UX/UI designer

Tools used
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Scope
Sep. 2022 – proceed

What I did
Setting project goals and coming up with plans to meet those goals.
Organizing meetings to discuss project goals and progress between Schneider Electric and Neopet ltd..
Coordinating project team members and developing schedules and individual responsibilities. Competitive Analysis, User Research, Information Architecture, Desktop design, User Journeys & Flow, Card Sort, Sitemap, Usability Study and Product Design.

The Problem: How to design a power software to provide monitoring and diagnostics of Transformer Stations and Solar Farms?

The challenge
I set out to develop a power software for monitoring and diagnostics of Transformer Stations and Solar Farms.

The Industry
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The Iterative Process of Designing CTS Expert

When working on CTS Expert, I have adopted the Double Diamond Strategy which breaks the design process into four stages: Discover, Define, Deliver & Develop. I found this process particularly powerful in validating design decisions, allowing enough space for creative exploration while giving a focus point to come back to.

DISCOVER

What is out there: Power monitoring software & CTS Expert

I conducted a competitive analysis of Power monitoring software with a focus on UX analysis: to evaluate their navigation, layout and overall usability. This helped me to understand what CTS Expert had to provide to stand out from the competition.
I also did a detailed SWOT analysis of the competition and found out their strengths and weaknesses, which greatly helped to build CTS Expert’s competitive advantages.
After detailed analysis, I found that our software CTS Expert is an innovative product and has no analogue, which is a serious advantage over competitors.

User Research: Can you walk me through your process?

It was time to see what Power monitoring software enthusiasts thought about the competitors. Equipped with the preliminary research discoveries, I conducted 4 user interviews with people who have different levels of experience with Transformer stations and Solar Farms. My research goals were:
1. To understand the general attitudes and processes.
2. To uncover what (common) difficulties people might face.
3. To discover if they use any apps or websites to help them achieve their goals.

DEFINE

The Research Analysis: Moving Forward

After the Research phase, I reexamined my assumptions based on the insights from the User Interviews. It was clear that:
• They need software to provide them with monitoring and diagnostics of their transformer stations and solar farms.
• They need secure data.
• They want remotely monitor the performance of their facilities.
• They want accurate data and system protection.

Revision of Problem Statement

I revised my hypothesis problem statement to align better with the users’ needs and goals.

Power monitoring software’ users need to find the right tool for their needs. They expect to receive quality service, flexible software, security for their personal data, and this to help achieve their goal.

User Journeys: What would User’s experience with CTS Expert be?

Informed by each persona’s experience, attitudes & goals, I have created User Journey Maps to outline the processes needed to achieve their individual goals within CTS Expert software. This allowed me to focus on possible critical pain points and plan how to address them in the following design decisions.

User Flows: What would User’s experience with CTS Expert be?

I set out to map out their User flows. This step helped me keep the design user-centered, by showing me what pages or screens of the app will be needed from the perspective of my user personas.

Sitemap after Open Card Sort.

Before starting to work on initial sketches of each feature, I visualized the Information Architecture of the app into a sitemap, based on the user flows. The first version of the sitemap was tested through an Open Card Sort.

DEVELOP

Wireframing: From sketches to first clickable prototype.

Ones the Sitemap information architecture was decided, I began sketching paper wireframes progressing them.

Desktop Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Desktop High-Fidelity Wireframes

Usability Study.

Focusing on navigation and main features, I designed clickable prototypes for Desktop versions of the responsive web app. It was tested in a usability study, conducted remotely with 4 users. The issues, discovered in the usability test were addressed and fixed.

Designing the Look & Feel of CTS Expert: Style Guide

CTS Expert has a stylish and practical design that aims to help people use it easily and affordably.

I used the Style Guide as a starting point and developed a more detailed Design Language document. It’s purpose is to ensure consistency and communicate the language of CTS Expert to designers and developers.

DELIVER

Final Showcase.

When I started working on this project my goal was to create a cohesive brand and design an easy to use and visually appealing Power monitoring software. I believe that CTS Expert has been successful in completing both of these goals as it has its own distinctive style and branding, but also offer a simple user journey for clients.