PV-BAKS
Online configurator for planning photovoltaic installations. Replaced an Excel-based workflow with a dedicated tool — designed, tested, and shipped in 3 months.
Project snapshot
Timeframe
Apr 2021
↓
Jun 2021
Discipline
- UX research
- UX design
- User tests
- Support development
Deliverables
↗ High-fidelity Figma prototype
↗ Validated user flows for 5 user types
↗ Production-ready specs for dev team
Toolchain
- Figma
- Clickup - project management
- Google Meets - interviews and testing
The challenge
Without dedicated software, collecting construction elements for PV installations required manual Excel work — slow, error-prone, and unscalable during the Covid-driven photovoltaic boom in Poland.
My role
- Led UX research: user interviews, test scenarios, and user flow mapping
- Designed end-to-end configurator flow for 5 distinct user types
- Ran Wizard of Oz tests with internal stakeholders using Figma prototype
- Supported development team during implementation
Background
The project originated from a configuration file and database created in Excel. This was our client's initial solution for analyzing the demand for construction elements needed in photovoltaic installations.
Without dedicated software to gather every project and match it with technical requirements from the client's engineer, collecting all necessary construction elements was quite challenging.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a need to automate the process of preparing projects and allow potential clients to do this on their own. This coincided with a period of increasing PV sales in Poland.
We began by preparing scenarios for different user types:
- Anonymous user
- Logged-in user
- Sales representative
- Warehouse admin
- BAKS admin
Build
User tests
The main process of preparing a project for PV installation was divided into separate scenarios. Using high-fidelity wireframes, it was tested by a focus group comprising individuals with various roles in the BAKS company. We conducted interviews by presenting the Figma prototype and using the "Wizard of Oz" methodology.
All pages were initially prepared in 1366x768 resolution. This decision was made because most users on our client's side were working on laptops with varying resolutions. When we inquired, we found that most didn't have Full HD displays. Therefore, we chose the second most popular resolution in 2021 to ensure the Figma prototype was accessible to the majority of users. Our scope included focus only on Desktop version.
Key finding: users expected automatic panel configuration before manual adjustments — we reordered the flow accordingly.
Designs
Final screens built on Ant Design system. Focus: functionality and reliability first, UI polish later. This aligned with the dev team's existing React stack and allowed faster iteration.
Outcome
Configurator shipped and deployed to production. Replaced manual Excel-based process with a self-service tool used by wholesalers, sales representatives, and internal teams.
