Visual & Interaction Designer
Defined and delivered a user-centred strategy along with flows, designs and prototypes.
Problem statement:
“The load shedding programs that ESCOM releases are confusing and very difficult for customers to understand and only come in the form of a PDF or a poster in the newspaper.”
Goal Statement:
To create an app that allows customers to find and understand the load shedding schedule with ease.
Below is an example of one of these programs
Based on some preliminary user research, I found that a growing number of the Malawian public were unhappy with the schedules and voiced their dissatisfaction on all social media platforms. I took this as a chance to solve a UX problem and create a product that a nation could love.
The first step was to understand what exactly the problem was and how the user felt. This required putting internal bias aside and conducting interviews and creating personas. From that point on, I created empathy maps and began ideating the solutions through the kind of user journey and the data structures I thought would provide the best user experience.
After I was happy with the data structure I began drawing wireframes and converted them to digital ones. I carried out usability tests on a lofi prototype then proceeded to developing it into a hifi one after I confirmed the users were able to get from point A to point B in just a few steps and without help.
Although this started as a concept and a personal project, it turned into an actual project as it went viral amongst the twitter Malawi community. It had garnered 80,000 impressions and hundreds of comments giving positive feedback. A few employees and execs from ESCOM as well as a number of software developers had contacted me in order to collaborate and bring the project to life. The app is still underway as we faced more challenges than anticipated however it will be available to the public in September.
© All Rights Reserved. Matilda Kandodo.
