UX/UI Design
ComEd
―Center
With a new, highly interactive exhibit, Chicago’s energy distribution utility is reaching out to its community in new ways. Visitors to ComEd’s Chicago North Community Center explore the energy system behind their outlets and discover how they can get involved in their city’s sustainable future. In this project, my work involved the user interface and user experience design of several interactive pieces.
CLIENT: COMED ROLES: UX, UI // ILLUSTRATION YEAR: 2020
TEAM: JULIA KIRWIN (ILLUSTRATOR) // TIM BOUTELLE (PROJECT MANAGER) // ALYSSA FONG (ANIMATION) // RYAN MCQUADE (ANIMATION) TYPE OF MEDIA: INTERACTIVE TOUCH SCREEN
PART I // INTERACTIVE STORY
Energy Efficiency Challenge
In part one of these interactive stories, visitors play through a graphic-novel style interactive story in which they move through the role of a customer service representative. Visitors respond to a customer's call, identify energy problems and help customers save energy.
The intial welcome screen introduces the activity to the visitor, here the players respond to a call from a customer.
Analyze
After the players speak to the customer, they analyze and compare the customer's hourly, daily, and monthly energy consumption by matching the correct graphic.
Navigate
Players then navigate to the customer's home encountering learning checkpoints and energy fun facts along the way.
Checklist Activation
In this final step and after the player reaches the customer's home, the player activates checklist items to reach the energy efficiency zone helping the customer save energy.
Wireframes
Sample of wireframes created for this interactive.
PART II // INTERACTIVE STORY
Energy Generation Challenge
In part two of these interactive stories, visitors play through a graphic-novel style interactive story. They scan a city to identify the best location for the placement of solar panels; they then learn to strategically place solar panels helping to build a cleaner and more sustainable city.
The initial animated screen introduces the challenge to the visitors; they then can touch a solar panel to begin.
Calculate Sun Exposure
In this section of the interactive, players scan a city to find the sunniest roofs. Then, they find the best structures to place solar panels.
Install Solar Panels
Players drag solar panels onto the roofs of the buildings increasing the city's overall clean energy consumption.
PART III // INTERACTIVE STORY
Power Outage Challenge
In part three of these interactive stories, visitors take the role of an energy control room operator; then, visitors identify the source of the power outage and send a crew to restore the power.
This introduction screen prompts the player to start the activity by touching a flashing grid diagram.
Connect the Poles
Players connect electric poles isolating and narrowing down the power outage.
Patrol the Area
Players then drive down the road to locate and fix the problem causing the power outage.
ComEd Installation
A view of the interactive piece installed in the community center.
INTERACTIVE ROUTINE
Smart Home Interactive
Using on-screen menus, visitors build their personal to-do lists for each part of a typical day, then they view animations showing how an AI-equipped smart home of the future may translate their daily routine into an automated set of instructions for their fully-connected devices. Through playful animations, visitors get a sense of the convenience, comfort, and efficiency benefits these technologies provide.
INTERACTIVE STATION
Chicago North Interactive
This interactive touchscreen station provides an interpretation of the ComEd building’s special sustainability features. Visitors interact by setting the conditions of the building -- season, weather, and time of day and learn how the building systems adapt to different scenarios.
Sample image showing a day cycle.