Sundial

Sub-Saharan African reformer, progress remains uneven. While the nation boasts impressive social, economic, and political advancements, rural areas grapple with a different reality. Persistent poverty and limited access to basic public services like electricity paint a stark picture for many communities. Bridging this urban-rural divide will be crucial to solidifying Rwanda's development story and ensuring prosperity for all.

Within our agile team, I doubled as UX strategist and UI design, driving the creation of a user-centric experience that exceeded expectations. From crafting the UX strategy to shaping every key design deliverable.

Fueled by an audacious vision from the team lead and product owner, I embarked on a thrilling design journey: crafting a platform that would revolutionize the solar device experience through DIY assembly and endless user-driven functionality. It was simplicity meets boundless creativity, a playground for solar innovators in the making.

In the sun-drenched landscapes of Rwanda, a silent revolution is brewing.This is the revolution of democratized power, where communities are stepping away from the grid and harnessing the sun's bounty to light their homes, charge their phones, and power their dreams.

At the heart of this movement are modular solar devices, designed to be simple, versatile, and accessible. These are not sleek, monolithic panels shipped from distant factories. They're adaptable kits, built for tinkering hands and creative minds. Imagine interlocking blocks connecting into solar lamps, phone chargers, even mini irrigation systems - all assembled by the users themselves, tailored to their specific needs.This is where SunDial comes int's a launchpad for empowerment. It guides users through assembly, troubleshooting, and creative customization. It connects them with a vibrant community of fellow "solarpreneurs," sharing tips, ideas, and stories of light-powered transformation.

Designing solar solutions for African communities meant going beyond blueprints and technical specs. To truly understand their needs and preferences, I adopted a participatory design approach. Collaborating with local artisans, community leaders, and potential users, we conducted workshops, built prototypes together, and iterated based on their invaluable feedback. Solar power wasn't just a technology to implement; it was a shared journey towards sustainable energy independence, fueled by local knowledge and cultural understanding.

Our mantra? Collaboration through lean UX. Whirlwinds of creativity danced through our open offices, powered by quick sketches, lightning-fast prototypes, and an insatiable appetite for user feedback. This open loop ignited a sense of ownership across departments, weaving a tapestry of fantastic ideas with everyone's thread.

Bringing solar power to rural Rwanda is one thing, but understanding how people will embrace and utilize it? That was the exciting (and complex) challenge we faced. We needed to delve deep, both technically and into the lives of potential users.Our discovery phase was an immersive sprint. We scoured existing research, studied competitor solutions, and most importantly, we listened. We spent countless hours in villages, understanding daily routines, needs, and even local interpretations of "power”

Amidst the diverse perspectives, one thing became clear: a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn't work. So, we crafted personas - fictional characters embodying distinct user types. They weren't just names on paper; they became our guiding lights, reminding us of the different lives our solution would touch.

Unveiling the needs expressed by families was just the first step. We then embarked on a meticulous mapping exercise, meticulously aligning those needs with the capabilities and potential of each product in our portfolio. This comprehensive analysis equipped us with the insights to define the ideal feature set for each product, ensuring maximum value for our users.

In designing the solar device experience, we used experience mapping. This wasn't just about charting touchpoints. We painted a vivid picture of the user's entire journey, their emotions, and potential roadblocks. This helped us pinpoint areas for improvement and ensured our design fosters the positive feelings we wanted to cultivate in African users, like excitement, empowerment, and pride in adopting solar energy.

Equipping families to not just consume electricity, but to become stewards of their energy resources, with the skills to pinpoint and build solutions that optimize their household's potential.

Embracing chaos to find clarity: Our design journey began with sketching the big picture, a canvas filled with possibilities. Through countless storyboards and revisions, we wrestled with button placements, menu structures, and tap interactions. Initially, a whirlwind of ideas swirled, but gradually, order emerged. We distilled our brainstorming into a comprehensive design guide, a cohesive blueprint for how the app would look, feel, and flow.

https://www.figma.com/file/rt1nLISGnajJI9wTFY4gp1/Sundail?type=design&node-id=0%3A1&mode=design&t=Kxphum1AQKeGHgwU-1