Creating an Enterprise-level Carbon Footprint Verification system with Advantech
Role
Timeline
UX/UI Design Intern
Jun. 2022 - Sep. 2023
Team
Chelsea Cheng - Project manager
May Cheng - UX/UI Design lead
Tracy Hsu - UX/UI Design Intern
Advantech is a leading company in the fields of IoT intelligent systems and embedded platforms,
holding the No.1 position in the Worldwide industrial PC market with a 41% share.
During this UX/UI Design Internship, I ...
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Streamlined daily energy data reconciliation process, improving operational efficiency by 50.8% during pre-launch testing
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Collaborated closely with product manager, marketing team, and developers, designed a front and back end dashboard for managers and data collectors to enhance management of enterprise carbon footprint
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Contributed to creating a design system to keep consistent digital experience and ensure high quality implementation
The Team
Collaborated with
5 different local and international teams
As one of the two UX/UI designers within this project team, I worked together with the project manager to organize collaborative schedules and presentations of the product's phasic results throughout the 3 month timeline.
Engineering Team
Engineering Team
Marketing Team
Sustainability
Department
GHG
Consult
Engineering Team
(China)
The background
Taiwan plans to reach
net zero emission by 2050
Organizations in Taiwan need to learn and execute the ISO-14064 Organizational GHG(Green House Gas) Inventory Process to fulfill carbon emission deduction KPIs.
The Users
Sustainability department managers
and Data Collectors
Sustainability Department Managers
Sustainability department managers are responsible for data regulation, insights finding, and generate reports on GHG inventory progress for internal/external audits.
Data Collectors
Data collectors are responsible for recording carbon emission data from meters in production areas or lines.
The Process
Architected an Agile and lean inspired custom process that facilitated the rapid 3 month timeline
I collaborated closely with the project manager In the initial research stages, to meticulously formulate the comprehensive project plan and timelines. We engineered a tailored process, seamlessly blending Agile and Lean UX principles.
User Research
Competitive Analysis reveals the most applicable intervention in the
Carbon Inventory Process
Competitive analysis of 6 existing solutions tells us the most popular interventions in organizational carbon inventory process, which allows us to discuss with the project manager and high level executives on our product's potential positioning in the market.
Popular interventions:
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Scope 1, 2, 3 emission break downs
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KPI tracking for sustainability goals
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Automated carbon emission unit change
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Supports multi country and metrics report generating
Competitor analysis findings
User Research
User Interviews indicate that efficiency in data collection and report generation is the key
We conducted two rounds of interview each with 3 critical stakeholders, 2 of who are managers in the sustainability team and 1 enterprise sustainability consultant. Findings showed that excessive manual operation procedures and communication gaps between collectors and managers makes report generation time consuming and complicated.
Carbon emission data collection user flow
Key Insight
We Found Out That The Current Data Collection Process Spend More Time Communicating Than Collecting.
The Problem
What are the main challenges?
ISO-14064 Carbon Verification Process and User's Pain Points
Calculating Process
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Manual data collection is time-consuming and labor-intensive
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Communication costs are high, and if data is missing, the data source must be requested from the collector
Report Generation Process
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Compiling historical data involves reviewing multiple files, which can be overwhelming
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Lacking comprehensive comparisons across the organization facilities
The Solution
A Unified front and back end management system
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Streamlining data collection process through standardized user flow, reducing communication costs between managers and data collectors
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Implemented a robust dashboard that aggregates data collected, simplifying data management and personnel oversight for managers
ECO Enterprise Product Structure
UX Design
Designed 5 main dashboards and a data library with 25+desktop screens
Based on research findings and numerous design alignments with cross-functional team, I created 5 main front-end desktop dashboards and a back-end data library. Additionally, I worked with UI designers to create a pattern library for this solution, adhering to the design system.
Front-end Dashboard Wireframe
Visualize energy usage and fluctuation trends on individual factories, improve energy data transparency and management
General View Dashboard
Scope 1 - 3 Emission Dashboard
Emission Factor Library
Front-end Dashboard Information Architecture
1st Version Front-end Dashboard Interface
General View Dashboard
Scope 1 - 3 Emission Dashboard
Emission Factor Library
Back-end System Information Architecture
Strategically categorize data and updates, streamlining the data collection process and eliminating redundant data entry and communication tasks.
1st Version Back-end Data Library Interface
We Implemented 5 Main Changes Based On User Testing Interviews.
Usability Testing and Iterations
3 Critical design reviews by actual users and consultants
To validate our solutions, we conducted 3 rounds of design critic reviews from actual managers and data collectors, which we revised on information structure and function alignment to better fit the real world carbon inventory process in organizations.
Iteration 01
Information Structure
General View / Scope 1 & 2 Dashboard
Modification:
Only showing the organization's general carbon emission intensity, instead of showing for each operating areas.
Reason:
According to user feedback, not all operating areas have output values and revenue data, therefore it is not an essential data.
Iteration 02
User-Centric Function Alignment
Back-end Data Library
Modification:
Refining functions based on real-world use cases by adding missing components and removing unnecessary features.
Reason:
To bridge the gap between real-world implementation and the ideal collection process, we modified the interface with a more user-centered approach.
Solution
Streamlined Dashboard and Data Library that Simplifies Complex Carbon Inventory Workflow
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Breaking down complex carbon data into clear, actionable insights through effective dashboard design
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Automating data Collection and streamlining missing data requests
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Centralizing data sources to reduce the complexity of searching for emission factors
Impacts
Currently implemented in 12 factories in Taiwan headquarters and overseas branches
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Increased operation efficiency by 50.8% during pre launch testing after hand-off
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Accounted into the WISE-iEMS product ecosystem along with 6 other solutions to continue create impact in organizational carbon and energy management
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Advantech's WISE-iEMS Intelligent Energy Management Solution was honored with the Outstanding Award in the Energy Electronics Industry Innovation Competition
What did I learn?
Reflection
As my first UX/UI design internship, my time at Advantech taught me so much, especially in research and delivering skills on a complex topic like the carbon inventory process. Over the three-month internship, I became familiar with the intricate world of enterprise energy management. One of the key skills that I developed was to adapt and learn quickly in a team. Me and my partner Tracy mapped out a clear roadmap and database from the start to track our progress and consistently aligned with the project manager. This approach helped us quickly onboard to the product development process.
One of the highlights of this experience was connecting with an amazing group of interns from diverse backgrounds. I especially enjoyed exchanging ideas with my peers and receiving feedback from different perspectives—it was one of my favorite aspects of the internship!
Overall, this was a very rewarding experience and I’m so grateful to have spend the most amazing summer at Advantech!
Timeline and Data organized by me and Tracy
throughout the internship