Glen Dimplex

Glen Dimplex
PD7 2010
Carlijn Vis
Lotte van den Berg
Silje Bøthun
Glen Dimplex
Introduction
This report presents the findings of internal and external analyses
performed for Glen Dimplex Nordic. These analyses have been
executed in the autumn of 2010 over a period of five months.
The results presented in here are recommendations to the company
about what they should do to achieve their objectives in the future.
An important part of the recommendation is a home automation
system that has been developed to strengthen the company’s
portfolio.
Since these recommendation concerns Glen Dimplex Nordic only,
this report is confidential.
A word of thanks goes out to Elin Ausen Idsø for providing us with
useful information on the workings of the company and helping
us to organize a generative session with employees from different
departments of the company. The dialogues have always been
constructive and useful.
Charlotte van den Berg, Silje Bøthun, Carlijn Vis
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Due to confidentiality some pages have been
removed from this online version of the report
List of contents
Introduction
List of contents
2
3
4. User Research
4.1 Introduction User Research
4.2 Personas
4.3 Results and Analysis
43
46
53
4
5
5. SWOT Analysis
64
6. Recommendation to Glen Dimplex
67
1.
1.1 Original design brief
1.2 Research goal
2. Internal Analysis
2.1 The Glen Dimplex Group
2.2 Glen Dimplex Nordic AS
Objectives and strategy
2.3 Company Structure
2.4 Product Life Cycle Analysis
2.5 Strategic Gap Analysis
2.6 Analysis of the Workshop at Glen Dimplex
6
7
8
10
12
15
17
7.
7.1 New design brief
7.2 Problem Definition
7.3 List of Requirements
8. Idea Generation
68
69
71
72
9.
3. External analysis
3.1 Heating and Control Market
3.2 Competitors - Heating
3.3 Competitors - Control Systems
3.4 Environmental Factors
Technological Developments
A variety of heat sources
Energy saving houses
Energy efficiency in public buildings
Political and regulatory factors
Ecological influences
Economical influences
Social and demographic factors
3.5 Consumer Behaviour
21
22
25
9.1 Three Concepts
9.2 Selection of Concepts
9.3 Further Idea Generation
74
77
78
10.1 Design Proposal
10.2 Link between Product and Analysis
10.3 Roadmap
80
98
100
10.
28
31
33
34
36
38
38
40
42
11. Final Recommendation
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104
1.1 Original design brief
level of sustainability of their own ways of living. In addition, from 2020
new regulations which involve energy use will become operative.
This timeframe will allow Glen Dimplex to get a clearer few of what might
happen in the future, which is very important and valuable knowledge
to have, in order to determine the future strategy for the company.
Glen Dimplex is currently the market leader in electrical heating systems
worldwide, but it is important to maintain this position.
The task in the original design brief was to design an energy control
system for the future for Glen Dimplex Nordic AS.
The future is here defined as ten to twenty years ahead, and usability for
all is a key factor. There are no restrictions as to what current or future
technology can be applied. The product should be designed across Glen
Dimplex’s brands. This means that the product does not have to be
directly connected to the identity of any of Glen Dimplex’ brands, such as
NOBØ, ewt or Dimplex.
Glen Dimplex Nordic AS is an internationally operating company, selling
products in over twenty-five countries worldwide. Currently, the products
are not adapted to the country in which they are being sold. Whether
this would be recommendable to do, might be interesting to investigate.
However, this is will not be included in this project, since it is not the aim
of this project.
As it will be very difficult to develop a realistic, plausible future scenario
which includes all the European countries in which Glen Dimplex Nordic is
currently selling its products, and in which they might start selling in the
near future, the scenario will focus on Norway.
By focusing on Norway it will possible to make a more reliable future
scenario. Furhtermore, the user research will be conducted in Norway
and making an precise evaluation of the market in energy control systems
for Norway is better than doing this for all the European countries. The
developed interface might later be adapted to implementation in other
countries, if this would turn out to be necessary or recommendable.
Target group
The control system should be designed for private houses and their
inhabitants. People who frequently visit should also be able to operate
the system. This means that the system should be usable for the 12-yearold who comes home earlier than the parents, as well as grandma, who
is babysitting. Geographically, the European market is the targeted area.
Modification
After the initial research phase, the design brief was modified in terms of
two factors; the time span and the geographical target area.
To prevent designing something which will be outdated by the time it is
supposed to reach the market, the time span was shortened to the years
2020 and 2025. This time span was chosen, for it is in the near future, but
on the same time it is far enough from now to allow changes to take place
on, for example on social and technological grounds. Investigating these
changes is interesting, since they might mean that Glen Dimplex Nordic
has to rephrase its future goals.
In ten to fifteen years it is likely that peoples needs on heating and energy
control have changed. Furthermore, they might become more aware of
the amount of energy they use, they might want to control more things
with just one controller and they might want to get more feedback on the
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1.2 Research goal
The research goal for this project is to find out what the current and
future energy and home environment needs of people are, as well the
market context of Glen Dimplex.
•
•
Home environment includes factors such as indoor temperature
and humidity, in addition to other factors that create a pleasant
atmosphere.
Energy need is defined as how much energy is being used for different
purposes, appliances, areas, and which appliances are in use.
Research questions can be found in appendix A.
Research methods
To accomplish the research goal, a number of research methods will be
applied. These comprise of:
• generative session with Glen Dimplex
• generative sessions with users
• informal interviews with users, sales personnel at retailers and
sustainability experts
• observations in private homes and excursions to low-energy houses
• online search
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2.1 The Glen Dimplex Group
Glen Dimplex was founded in 1973 as Glen Electronics in Newry,
Northern Ireland. At the moment, Glen Dimplex is the largest electrical
heating business worldwide and also holds strong market positions in
the domestic appliance industry worldwide. Last year, the turnover of
the company was €1.5 billion. The group currently employs over 8500
people.
process. Therefore Glen Dimplex has five hundred design and development
engineers working for them.
New Technologies & Renewables
Today, Glen Dimplex occupies a leadership position in the heat pump sector
in Europe. The company invests in the development of innovative and
energy efficient products. For example, they are developing total heating
systems, through its next generation of heat pumps, and expansion into
solar thermal, heat recovery and ventilation, smart controls, and wood
pellet heating systems.
In order to maintain market position, Glen Dimplex focuses both
on continouis development of own brands and ongoing product
development. The group focusses not only on current techniques, but
also invests in research and development for the future and alternative
heating technologies.
Brands by Glen Dimplex
Belling
Campa
Dimplex
Faber
Ewt
Morphy Richards
Nobø
New World
Noirot
Riedel
Roberts
Business philosophy
Building strong, vibrant and effective businesses. The company envisages
on high standards of efficiency, quality and ethics. The group is privately
owned, financing its constant development with own resources.
Multi Branding Strategy
The Glen Dimplex Group has 33 businesses. Each business has different
focuses and offers different products, depending on the company brands.
Each business owns his own brands. With its multi branding strategy,
Glen Dimplex is constantly investing in its different brands, in order to
make them stronger and more successful. Hereby, Glen Dimplex is able
to maintain large market shares. Wholesalers like to offer their clients a
choice between brands. With its strategy Glen Dimplex is able to offer
their wholesalers several brands. Each brand is positioned differently in
the market place, according to its heritage in their product sectors1.
1
Design
Since customers over the years have become increasingly demanding
and fashion conscious, design is an important part of the development
2
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Stoves
Electromode
Galaxy
Burco
EIO
Symphony electric
fireplaces
Electraflame
Optiflame
Unidare
Cygnet
Chromalox
Pelgrim
Ako
NewWorld
Glen
Carmen
Glen Dimplex Group. Great brands deserve world class products” http://www.
glendimplex.com/brandstour.php
Glen Dimplex Group. ‘Welcome to the Glen Dimplex Group’. http://www.glendimplex.
com/. Last visited on 19.10.2010
2.2 Glen Dimplex Nordic AS
History
Glen Dimplex Nordic AS is part of the Glen Dimplex Group. Currently, Glen
Dimplex Nordic (GDN) is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers
of electrical heating, both in the Nordic countries and internationally.
The head office is situated in Stjørdal, close to Trondheim, Norway. GDN
has approximately 250 employees in Norway, but the company has
employees in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Great Britain as well.
Geographical coverage
GDN has sales businesses in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark,
and exports to over twentyfive countries worldwide. The main markets
are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, Australia, New Zealand,
Greece, United Kingdom and France.
In Russia, GDN is the market leader on electrical heating products. After
farmed salmon, these electrical heaters are the second largest export
article of Norway’s total exports to Russia.
The company was established on the first of April 2007, when Siemens
Electrical Heating and NOBØ where merged. Siemens started its
manufacturing of electrical heaters in Trondheim in 1909. The current
factory premises in Trondheim however, were built in 1965. Recently
the production lines of Siemens were transferred to the NOBØ factory in
Stjørdal. NOBØ was founded in 1918 as a manufacturer of metal buckets.
Later on the factory broadened its production line with other metal sheet
products, like oil heaters. From the first of April 2010 Siemens heating
products changed its name to Dimplex, so now GDN has three strong
brands; NOBØ, Dimplex and ewt.
The company focuses on solutions for warmth and comfort and develops,
manufactures and sells energy efficient products. Their products range
from wall mounted heaters, radiant heaters, closed panel heaters, glass
radiant heaters, RF energy control systems, timers, room and floor
thermostats, GSM control to a wide range of traded goods, such as heat
pumps, air curtains, air barriers, portable products and electric fires.
The products are manufactured both for professional and private
consumers. Glen Dimplex Nordic states that the value of these products
is based on highly qualified, motivated employees, good quality and
proactive use of technology. The company has a strong focus on
product development and emphasizes quality, reliability, functionality,
environmental friendliness and attractive design in its products.
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2.5 Strategic Gap Analysis
A strategic gap analysis, is an anlysis of the number of products
sold over the last few years and the amount of profits made. Since
GDN has undergone some big internal changes, due to the merging
with Siemens, making an accurate indication of the strategic gap is
difficult. In addition, the NOBØ factory has resently been merged
with the Siemens productionlines. And the brand Siemens has
been canceld out.
GDN’s products range from wall mounted heaters, radiant heaters,
closed panel heaters, glass radiant heaters, RF energy control
systems, timers, room and floor thermostats, GSM Control to heat
pumps, air curtains, air barriers, portable products and electric
fires.
Since analyzing each product separately is not feasible, the products
have been analyzed according to the product groups indicated on
the website of GDN; thermostats, air conditioners, free standing
ovens, electric stoves, heat pumps, control systems, wall-mounted
ovens. The graph that resulted out of this analysis is depicted
below. The graph shows an estimation that has been made for the
seven product groups. This estimation has been composed out
of analyses of sales numbers from GDN over the last three years,
trends which take place on the market and research in upcoming
technologies. The resulting graph is depicted in figure 6.
Figure 6 Strategic
Gap Analysis
resulted in less people moving and less newer houses to be build.
This trend will still be apperent the comming few years. In addition,
new building regulations will be introduced in 2020, which state
that from then on all the new build houses have to be build as
passive houses. Already companies are making the transfer to this
new way of building, which means that more and more low energy
and passive houses are being build. Those houses will need less
heating, which means in reduced sales numbers of current heating
systems. GDN could adjust to this trend by for example selling
smaller heaters with less wattage.
Conclusions
Out of this graph a few conclusions can be drawn. The graph
shows for example that the sales of wall mounted heaters and free
standing ovens will show a minor decline in the coming ten years.
This is due to a number of facts. The economic crisis for example
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The market for thermostats shows a minor reduction in sales
numbers as well. This is due to the fact that the market for electric
control systems in growing. The need for buying a seperate
thermostat is therefore expelled.
The market for electric stoves on the other hand is growing. This
product type is still in the growht phase, which means that they
are being bought by the early majority. In the comming years it is
expected that more and more people will start buying this kind of
products, which will lead in growing sales numbers.
Another market which is growing, is the markted for heat pumps.
Over the last few years a quick growht in the sales of those kind of
products could already be noted. It is expected that this trend will
keep on developing, since more and more people are becomming
aware of environmental problems and are starting to choose for
more environmental friendly products. This trends is also inforced
by the new trends on the building market for example.
A relatively new product type are the electric control systems.
The market for this products in growing and is being pushed even
more by the developments on the housing market. For GDN it
will therefore be interesting to keep on developing those kind of
systems. Developing a strategy to sell more of the products in the
growing phase will be important, in order to reduce the strategic
gap.
Currently, there is already a gap between the actual sales numbers
and the sales numbers that were expected, this is meanly due to
the economic crisis and the merging of the production lines from
the two different factories.
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Technological Developments
If smart grids become more widely used, new energy control systems
could also have the option to view the house’s energy in and output over
the last day. This might be interesting for the users. In addition, this option
might be used to save money; when the systems can indicate the best
time to swich on a device such as a laundry machine. This should be done
when the house is generating more energy than it is using in that moment.
Technological trends are trends in the field of technology. These can
influence the market, in which Glen Dimplex Nordic is active, in terms
of who their competitors are and how the company should manage its
portfolio. Analysing new and upcoming technologies might also lead to
new product ideas. Maybe a new technology can be implemented in an
existing product to enhance the product. Or a new technology might
used as a different technique which can replace the old. Some interesting
techniques are discussed below.
Compatibility between products
The European Installation Bus (EIB) EN 50090 is the system based on
European guidelines that MicroMatic uses to make their products
compatible with those from other suppliers. Together with EHS and
Batibus, EIB merged into the KNX Association. To be able to make products
worldwide compatible with each other, KNX has developed a standard
and hands out certificates to products that are in accordance with this
standard.
Smart Grids are becoming more popular
The smart grid is a system that deals with how to provide energy in a more
efficient way. The main principle is that energy that is being generated
but not being used can be delivered back to the network, where it can be
used by other consumers that need more energy at that time. This energy
could be energy that is generated in buildings that actively generate
energy by using for example solar panels.
Their mission is “To develop and promote the KNX standard so that it is
recognised as: The worldwide STANDARD for home and building control
for the control of applications in industrial, commercial and residential
buildings worldwide.” 2
This system requires a two-way communication system; possible energy
suppliers need to measure how much energy they are using and how
much they are giving back. This also generates possibilities for controlling
devices in households. In some countries energy prices vary during the
day dependent of the total demand. Here one could program electrical
devices to be used on moments where the network is less loaded, thus
spreading the network load more evenly over time. The Smart Grid has
been a success in the United States already, and it is expected that this
success will spread globally as more governments are supporting the use
of it.1
The introduction of the Smart Grid system poses both a threat and an
opportunity to Glen Dimplex. It may cause a decrease in sales of electric
heaters. On the other hand, the need for control systems might increase,
which is an opportunity for Glen Dimplex.
A new home automation system that is compatible with many other
devices might be more appealing to customers, since they do not have to
have heaters and other appliances from GDN, they can also have devices
from other suppliers. For GDN it might therefore be wise to make use of
th KNX system that was designed by the European Installation Bus.
In Norway NTNU and Sintef, in cooperation with stakeholders from
businesses and other Norwegian research and educational institutions
are working together to establish a Norwegian center for research,
development, testing and demonstration of SmartGrid.
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Solar power technologies are advancing
The technology behind solar energy is constantly evolving. Portable
devices that charge up gadgets from the sun are becoming smaller and
more powerful. A new generation of portable solar chargers can plug
straight into a laptop and provide up to a quarter of its power needs
while in use.
The Solargorilla charger by Powertraveller, for instance, can also level
out the electrical spikes caused when clouds obscure the sun, hereby
efficiencies of 22% can be achieved, see figure 12.
The Canadian university has
installed sun canopies in the
roof of the British Columbia
Institute of Technology to direct
light through tunnels in the
ceilings above every floor, figure
13. Each tunnel has a highly
reflective coating to bounce the
light round the building. When
a cloud moves in front of the
sun, the fluorescent light starts
working to maintain brightness Figure 13 Solar canopies
until the sun returns. Allen
Upward, a research engineer at the University of British Columbia (UBC)
said the system is seven times more effective than traditional solar
methods. “As a system for lighting a building, it’s far more effective than
using solar panels to generate electricity and then turning that electricity
back into light,” he explained.
Consumers can currently use portable panels only for charging up small
devices such as phones or music players. Last spring Powertraveller
launched a portable four-panel folding array that can run a laptop and
charge the battery at the same time.
Consumers are also increasingly exploiting the sun’s energy in the home.
In 2008 the number of people looking to
generate their own electricity doubled in
just twelve months.
SRS Energy has developed what it
hopes is the next generation of panel
power. They have created ‘sole power’
tiles, which are coated with thin-film
fl
exible photovoltaic cells. The roof tiles
Figure 12 Solargorilla
are a dark blue colour to maximise the
absorption of sunlight. Newer materials are helping solar panels become
more efficient. According to Professor Tony Day, director of the Centre for
Efficient and Renewable Energy in Building, London South Bank University
“The next generation of materials it looks in the laboratory to be moving
towards 30%, and in some specialist applications even 40% efficiency”.
Just outside Seville, hundreds of mirrors face the sun as it crosses the
sky and reflect their beams to a single point at the top of a tower. The
intense heat is used to boil water and create steam to power a turbine which creates electricity. Engineer Valerio Fernandez, at Abengoa which
runs the solar farm, says the resulting heat is the equivalent of 4,000
times the power of direct sunlight. “With this amount of energy we
can generate very high temperatures, about 2,000 degrees Celsius,”he
said. A consortium of twelve European businesses plans to build a huge
solar project in the Sahara desert. Desertec Industrial Initiative plans to
produce solar-generated electricity with a vast network of power plants
and transmission grids across North Africa and the Middle East. It aims
to supply Europe with 15% of its energy needs by 2050. Te plan has the
backing of huge companies including Deutsche Bank, Siemens - and needs
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$500bn of investment.3
If GDN wants to develop a product with an environmentally friendly
appearance, the usage of techniques with solar energy supply might be
interesting. On the other hand, solar powered technology forms a threat
to GDN, since they currently are not working in this area.
selected the desired temperature. It will take six minutes for a typical
wine bottle, and three minutes for a can to get the desired temperature.4
An energy control system is a product which could well be presented as
a gadget. This might be an interesting opportunity for promotion when
GDN wants to bring a new home automation system onto the market.
Domestic gadgets are becoming more popular
Domestic appliances are becoming more popular, brought into to market
as ‘gadgets’. The apparatus are getting more and more independent and
working on their own. A few of those new gadgets for the home will be
discussed below.
The I-Robot Roomba is a robotic vacuum cleaner, which can be scheduled
to clean your home to perfection when you are out. It has a system which
recognizes staircases, so it can avoid them. However there are still some
hazards to overcome. Vacuum cleaning by hand is still vaster and more
thorough, also cables need to be placed aside.
The Philips 4885 kettle is not just a simple kettle to boil water or a cup of
coffee, but it also enables the user to heat it to different temperatures.
The idea behind this is that you do not drink your coffee at boiling point.
This machine makes it possible to drink your coffee at the temperature
you want.
The Kenwood Virtue toaster has a special system, which avoids your
bread from getting burned while toasting. The toaster has a wide variety
of settings, but if you forget to change the settings when putting in a
different kind of bread, the toaster cuts down the toasting time by itself,
so the bread does not get burned.
1
2
3
The Cooper Cooler is a high-tech solution to cool a lukewarm bottle of
wine. Just fill the appliance with water and ice, insert the bottle, and
4
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Zpryme Smart Grid Market. (2009) “Report: Smart Grid Market Could Double in
Four Years” http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Business_Markets_
Pricing_News/Report-Smart-Grid-Market-Could-Double-in-Four-Years-1662.html. Last
visited on 25.10.2010
KNX. (2010). What is KNX? http://www.knx.org/knx/what-is-knx/. accessed 10.10.2010
BBC News “Solar power technology takes its next step” 23 November 2009. http://
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8370642.stm
Taylor, R. Domestic gadgets go hi-tech. BBC News, 3 October 2008. http://news.bbc.
co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7649335.stm
A variety of heat sources
night or work hours.
District heating
District heating is also a way of heating households. A district heating
plant distributes warm water to clients, and the warm water allows clients
to heat up their homes and water. This means that the clients have floor
heating, radiators and/or ventilators based on a water based heat battery.
The district heating plants use a number of different ways of heating the
water, for example; geothermal energy, gas or electricity. At Heimdal
near Trondheim, waste
incineration is used as a
basis for district heating.
There are a number of ways of heating houses. When developing interfaces
to control energy consumption, this needs to be taken into consideration.
If the control system is able to communicate with and control a variety
of technologies, it will also be able to compete for a higher percentage
of the market share. How the system should be operated, might also be
dependent on which types of heating appliances people prefer or have.
A presentation of some of the most common heat sources in houses is
therefore presented below, together with heat sources that might be
more popular in ten to fifteen years time.
Electric radiators/heaters
Some heaters have integrated communication with
an energy control system. Other heaters can only
be controlled through an energy control system if
a receiver plug (figure 14) is attached to the heater,
thus creating a link between the oven and the control
system.
In 2006, 2004 and 2001,
1% of the Norwegian
households had district
heating. This percentage,
however,
might
have
increased substantially the
last few years, as district
heating is being used in
new buildings, such as
“Miljøbygget,” built in 2009 Figure 15 Principle of district heating
and part of Teknobyen
in Trondheim. It is calculated that the energy use is 83 kWh per square
meter per year only.1
Figure 14
Receiver plug
The product life cycle analysis indicates that the sales of traditional heaters
is declining, see figure 3. A great part of the nordic households, however,
will still be completely or partially dependent on electric heaters, in two,
ten and maybe twenty years time.
Compared to products such as the heat pump, the electric heaters are
not as energy efficient. While the heaters have an input/output energy
ratio of 1:1, the heat pump has an effect of 1:4.
For single households, geothermal heating is not necessarily financially
viable, but where a group of houses go together, the investment will pay
off after a period of time. Connecting to or establishing a district heating
plant can for example be profitable for a group of households who settle
down and plan live in the same house for many years.
Electric floor heating
Electric floor heating is mostly used in bathrooms, but can also be
installed anywhere else in the house. The higher effect of the cable used
for heating, the quicker it is possible to regulate the heat up and down.
This can be an advantage if users wish to lower the temperature during
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Central heating
A central heater uses firewood, pellets or oil to heat up houses. A central
heater can especially be interesting for single units, such as farms, or
apartment buildings, with for example 16 households.
End note
The different types of heat sources which are described above are
controlled in different ways and are based on different technologies.
According to retailers many people have a combination of heat sources,
such as fireplaces, heat pumps and electric heaters, in the same household.
They may come from different producers. This means that a high level of
compatibility is required, for energy control systems to be able to match
the need of todays market.
Heat pumps/thermal pump
Heat pumps, as in reverse/reversible cycle air conditioners, are situated
on house walls and use thermal energy from the outdoor air. They can
do this even when the outdoor temperature is low and use it to heat up
the indoor air. Thus it is not a ventilator, but circulates the indoor air and
cleanses it through a filter. Today, these pumps cannot be controlled by
Glen Dimplex’ or Adax’ current energy control systems.
Compared to electric radiators, heat pumps are much more energy
efficient, as the ratio between energy input and heat output is
approximately 1:4.
Fireplaces and pellet ovens
The effect of fireplaces or pellet ovens is not
always as easy to regulate as that of other
heat sources. It is not always easy to light the
fire or keep the fire burning. In addition, the
users need firewood or pellets. Still, fireplaces
are common heat source in Nordic homes
and have an emotional value to a great
deal of users in the form of tradition and
ambience. Pellet ovens are also subsidized by
the Norwegian government, through Enova.
Figure 16 Fire place
Heat lamps for outdoor use
The last few years, the use of outdoor heat lamps has become a more
common phenomenon in private homes and verandas. Both electricity
and gas are used as energy sources for these types of products.
1
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Bygg (2010). Miljøbygget. http://www.bygg.no/id/47325 last visited on 25.10.2010
Energy Saving Houses
the different kind of materials that have been used to build the house, it
is possible to calculate what the specific heating demand in the house is
on average.
Low energy house
A low energy house is an energy saving house,
though not bound to legislations. ‘Low energy’
implies that there have been taken measures
to save energy. This varies from insulation and
ventilation to creating energy using solar panels
or recycling heat from hot water using products.1
Furthermore, the warmth coming from the sun is used passively (which
means just using the warmth, not using solar panels) to heat the houses.3
Zero energy house
This variant is even more extreme in saving energy than the passive
houses. The energy it uses should only come from renewable resources
as well as it should not consume or emit carbon.4
Figure 17 Low Energy House
Passive house
To classify a house as a passive house,
it should meet certain requirements, which have to be verified by the
authorities. The specific requirements vary in different countries,
although there seems to be agreement on the criteria listed below. These
criteria are per m² living area.2
•
•
•
•
Specific heating demand
or, heating load
Pressurization Test result n50
Specific space cooling demand
Total specific primary energy demand
Energy plus house
These houses produce their own energy using renewable resources,
producing so much on average that the surplus can be delivered to the
local network. This is possible when the houses are built according to the
passive house regulations.17
max 15kWh/(m2a)
max 10W/m2
max 0.6 h-1
max 15kWh/(m2a)
max 120kWh/(m2a)
Implications for new products
Products that are going to be designed for energy saving houses should
consume as little energy as possible. This can be done by creating a very
energy efficient product, or by making it autonomous.
Specific heating is an indicator that shows how much energy is needed
to make a certain amount of mass one degree warmer. When combining
1
2
3
4
Figure 18 Passive house
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Our energy, Low energy, passive and zero-energy houses (2009), http://www.our-energy.
com/low_energy_passive_and_zero_energy_houses.html, accessed on 08.09.2010
Scandinavian Homes LTD, Passive houses, http://www.scanhome.ie/passive.php,
accessed on 08.09.2010 and Dr. Wolfgang Feist, Passive House Institute, http://www.
passiv.de/07_eng/phpp/Certification_Non-Residential.pdf, accessed on 08.09.2010
Kildsgaard et al. (2008). Best Practice on Energy Performance of New and
Existing Buildings. Page 5. http://www.secureproject.org/download/18.2f3a7b311a
7c8064438000210907/final_report_benchmark2.pdf accessed 12.10.2010
LowEnergyHouse.com, Low Energy House - Zero Energy House - Zero Carbon House,
http://www.lowenergyhouse.com/zero-energy-house.html, accessed on 08.09.2010
Energy efficiency in public buildings
In this project, control systems for private houses is the focus area. Large,
public buildings, however, may serve as a source of inspiration when
designing energy efficient solutions. In Trondheim, several of the public
buildings which have been built the last few years, has a high focus on
energy efficiency. Examples of which are Nardo school, Sparebanken 1
SMN Midt-Norge and Miljøbygget.
In the newly built Miljøbygget, an office building by Elgeseter gate in
Trondheim, a number of measures have been made to increase the energy
efficiency. By connection sensors to lights, ventilation and radiators, the
need for these appliances is reduced to a minimum. The house is also
well insulated and there is rarely a need for heating.
Everything which concerns energy in Miljøbygget is controlled through a
computer. The energy control system can be accessed from anywhere, as
the system is connected to the internet. A possible weakness, however, is
that the system is very complex and only one person is able to control it.
Several of the features depicted in figure 19-24 might also be interesting
for energy control systems in private houses, provided that the level of
usability is improved.
Figure 21 A waterfall improves the indoor climate
Figure 19 Wall mounted energy
Figure 20 Sensor on
control unit
ceiling
-34-
Figure 23 Overview of
floor plan and energy
consumption
Figure 24 Screen shot of energy control system.
The graph shows the weekly energy consumption
compared to the oudoor temrature
Figure 22 Common area connecting different offices and the
cantina
-35-
Political and regulatory factors
like an electrician doing maintenance on the electric system, might be
unlucky and penetrate the house’s membrane. If so, the membrane might
be patched, but not restore the original quality of the house’s insulation.
Building a very well insulated house will also put new requirements to
building sites, to keep the buildings dry while it is being built. In Norway,
this represents a great challenge.
Through building regulations and subsidising energy efficiency measures,
the Norwegian government is influencing the market in which Glen
Dimplex operates.
A number of rules apply to make buildings more energy efficient and
reduce their negative environmental effects. Some of the rules that might
affect Glen Dimplex are presented in the following sections.
Critics say that while passive houses might be a part of the solution
towards reducing the Norwegian energy consumption, it should not be
regulated as the only solution.3
Whether or not passive houses will be the standard from 2020, however,
a wide range of Glen Dimplex current products, like their electric heaters,
are threatened by the current and future regulations.
Current building regulations
• Buildings over 500 m2 should be projected and executed so that
minimum 60% of the net heating needs can be filled with another
energy supply than direct energy or fossil fuels , by the end user.1
• It is not allowed to install oil boilers for fossil fuel in any new building.2
• A number of rules apply to regulate how much energy loss is allowed
to travel through a building’s walls, windows etc. For details, see
“Forskrift om tekniske krav til byggverk”1
Political goals and potential consequences
Summer 2010, a group on behalf of the Norwegian government published
a report on energy efficiency in buildings. The report states that 40% of
the total energy consumption in Norway and Europe is due to utilization
of buildings. As a result, increasing energy efficiency in buildings is one
of the focus areas of the government in the years to come. The report
contains the government’s visions and goals for how much Norway should
reduce the energy consumption related to use of buildings.
• The goal for 2020 is to reduce delivered energy for utilization of
buildings with 10 TWh (terawatt hour, 10^12)per year in relation to
today’s level of 80 TWh per year.
• The goal for 2040 is to reduce the delivered energy for utilization of
buildings with 40 TWh per year in relation to today’s level of 80 TWh
per year.4
• A goal previously set for 2010 is to reach 14 TWh bioenergy.5
These goals might suggest that in addition to rules that already apply
or will apply from a given time, a number of new regulations might be
introduced. If so, this will affect private households and companies who to
Future building regulations
• From 2020, all new buildings must be passive houses. These
houses require less energy to heat and stay warm, and mainly use
more energy efficient ways of heating than electric heaters. More
information about passive houses can be found under the paragraph
‘Energy Saving Houses’ for more information about passive houses.
The law about passive houses, however, is a debated subject. Experts both
within the architectural and medical dicipline are arguing that the focus
and regulations connected to passive houses are too narrow minded.
Passive houses is a relatively new phenomenon and data on how these
houses will “behave” over time is lacking. One argument is that passive
houses can cause health problems, due to their lack of ability to transport
humidity from the inside to the outside. Some experts also claim that
it is too technically demanding to maintain passive houses. Someone,
-36-
a large degree are involved with households’ energy consumption, such
as GDN. This means that they have to focus on making products that are
more energy efficient in the use phase, but it could have consequences
for their production methods as well.
The energy efficiency report states that as good as 100% of the heat
need in passive houses should be covered by heat pumps, solar panels
and similar products. As a result of this, electric heaters might become
forbidden as an heating source in new buildings.
Governmental subsidies to promote energy efficiency
Through Enova, the Norwegian government is subsidizing actions that
increase energy efficiency. June 1st 2010, a new support program for
energy efficient buildings was launched.
Subsidies can for example be attained for building passive houses or
upgrading existing houses to become more energy efficient.6 ,7
1
Enova also offers up to 20% funding of products that might reduce energy
consumption, like pellet heaters, heat pumps (both based on air and
water), central energy control systems and solar panels.8
2
Enova’s funding supports some of Glen Dimplex’ products, like their
energy control systems, and threatens other products, like their electric
heaters.
4
3
5
6
7
8
-37-
“
Forskrift om tekniske krav til byggverk” (Byggteknisk forskrift). (2010)
http://lovdata.no/for/sf/kr/tr-20100326-0489-035.html. Last visited on 25.10.2010
Jensen, B. (2010). “Nye energi- og miljøkrav i byggeforskriftene”. http://www.husbanken.
no/Venstremeny/Miljo%20og%20energi/nye-energikrav_i%20_tek.aspx. Last visited on
25.10.2010
Dahle, D.Y. (2010). “Finansdepartementet motarbeidet miljøtiltak”. Teknisk Ukeblad .
http://www.tu.no/bygg/article259486.)ece. Last visited on 25.10.201
(2010). “KRDs arbeidsgruppe for energieffektivisering av bygg.” http://www.regjeringen.
no/upload/KRD/Vedlegg/BOBY/rapporter/energieffektivisering_av_bygg_rap
port_2010.pdf, page 10. Last visited on 25.10.2010
“Om fjernvarme.” http://www.fjernvarme.no/index.php?sideID=50&ledd1=15. Last
visited on 25.10.2010
Enova.
“Enova
støtter
passivhus.”
http://hjemme.enova.no/sitepageview.
aspx?articleID=4013. Last visited on 25.10.2010
Enova. “Bygg.” http://naring.enova.no/sitepageview.aspx?sitePageID=1135. Last visited
on 25.10.2010
Energiråd Innlandet AS. (2010). “Støtteordninger for energisparende tiltak i
privatboliger”.
http://www.energirad-innlandet.no/husholdninger/stotte-til-tiltak-iboligen. Last visited on 25.10.2010
Ecological influences
Economical influences
Ecological trends are trends in the natural environment, for example the
availability of raw materials might decrease, which could have an influence
on the purchase price. In the worst case the company might even be
forced to search for alternative materials. New laws on environmental
friendliness might also reflect on the company’s production.
Economical trends are trends in the economical sphere of a country. These
trends are cultural driven and based on values and beliefs. The trends
might have a direct effect on the company if, for example, a supplier gets
into financial problems. Indirectly the market could be affected by changes
in the economical environment as well, which might have an influence on
the sales of the company.
Seasons
The Nordic climate is rough and varied, with cold winters and warm
summers. Controlling and keeping a comfortable indoor climate, can
be challenging. Well insulated houses will for example keep heat well
in winter, but might be too warm in summer, as some who live in lowenergy-buildings have reported. In houses with less insulation, the house
gets cold if the heating system is off, for example at night or while its
inhabitants are at work or school. An energy control system is one way
of creating a comfortable indoor climate, something which Glen Dimplex
can take advantage of.
In the time to come, the economic power centre might be moved towards
Asia. Combined with a threat of raw materials becoming more expensive
and high Norwegian wages, producing hardware in Norway might become
unprofitable.
Unemployment rates are decreasing
The unemployment rate was 3.3%
in July 2010, which is relatively low,
and 0,3% lower than in April (fig.
25). At the same time, the number
of people with jobs increased.1
When more people are employed,
they also have more money to
spend. People also, move more
when financial times are good
(see the section about Social and
Figure 25 Unemployment rate
Demographic factors). Which
might to lead to the need of a new heating system or the acquiring of a
home automation system.
Potential lack of resources
Looking into the future, resources might become scarcer than they
are today, something which might influence the purchase price. Some
materials might not be available anymore, like oil to produce plastics.
For a company that produces hardware, this is something to take into
consideration.
-38-
Ongoing economic recession
According to the Statistisk Sentralburå, the Norwegian economy ‘remains
clearly in recession after four quarters of moderate growth in GDP for
Norway’.2 They do expect that the domestic demand will increase, which
will stimulate growth. However, it will take another two years for the
economy to recover completely.
Due to weak growth in international demand and reduced growth
impulses from fiscal policies, the activity on the market will vaporize.
Internationally, fiscal policy measures to counteract the recession have
produced large national debits in many countries. The fear on the financial
markets’ for defaults on government debt has led to increased interest
rates on government bonds. In addition, many European countries have
reviewed their fiscal policies. Statistisk Sentralburå expects that growth
among Norway’s trading partners in the next couple of years will be
modest. The USA is expected to be in recession until some way into 2012,
while the recovery in the Euro zone will arrive in the year after that. The
burå expects a relatively modest rise in export for Norway in the next few
years. This is due to weak international growth combined with reduced
Norwegian cost competitiveness.
therefore expects a moderate increase in prices for the future. High
house prices stimulate housing starts and therefore it is expected that
investment in housing will pick up in the time ahead.
The last four quarters have shown high growth in household consumption.
Increased home equity, low interest rates and higher incomes will promote
growth in the coming years. Statistisk Sentralburå expects that consumer
spending will increase by 3.3 per cent this year and then grow by nearly
4 per cent each year.
The expected growth of the domestic demand and household consumption
is an opportunity for GDN. If the company deals with this rightly, they
might raise their sales. Even though, it will take another two years for the
economy to recover completely.
For GDN this worldwide trend in the economic environment is something
to be aware of and to beare in mind, since it means that suppliers might
be in troubled waters, as well as the wholesalers and retailers they sell to.
For the comming years GDN should therefore be aware of the fact that
their current business environment is unstable and making profits might
be hard. Therefore the focus of GDN for the comming years should be on
perserving the current market share, rather than increasing profits.
1
Increase in household consumption
In the second half of 2008 the house prices on the marked fell rapidly.
Last year however this phenomenon was reversed and the real price of
houses is now approaching the all-time high of 2007. Statistisk Sentralburå
2
-39-
Statistisk sentralbyrå. (2010). “Nedgang i arbeidsløysa” http://www.ssb.no/
emner/06/01/akumnd/. Last visited 25.10.2010
Statistisk Sentralburå. (2010). Economic trends for Norway and abroad – Near the
bottom of the cycle? http://www.ssb.no/kt_en/, Accessed 25.10.2010
Social and demographic factors
reductions in energy use.” Thus, behavioral change can have a major
inpact on the energy consumption, but “triggering voluntary behavioural
change is however not easy.” According to Pettersen, this is among other
things due to the fact that it can be difficult for consumers to know how
much energy and water they actually use and what they use it on.
New skills and expectations
During the last couple of decades, computers and internet have become
a part of everyday lives for the nordic population. The last few years,
touch screen interfaces has also become a normal phenomenon through
products such as smartphones, check-in machines at airports and train
ticket machines. This means that people have learned or are learning to
interact with products in a new way, and that their expectations for what
is possible to attain through products have increased. This is something
Glen Dimplex need to relate to in their new product development and
especially if going into the field of software development.
For Glen Dimplex, this means that there might be a market for products
which allow people with a pro-environmental attitudes, to know what
they can do to change their consumption. Such a product might also sell
to users who are focused on reducing the costs of their energy and water
consumption.
Mobility and urbanization
The last few years, 2003-2009, the mobility rate (how often inhabitants
move) in Norway has not changed considerably. Compared to the the
early 1990’s, however, the number of people who move within urban
areas have increased. Fig X indicates that people move less when financial
times are bad and that people who live in urban areas move more often
Fig. X New ways of interaction are being used in mainstream products
Environmental attitudes vs pro-environmental behavior
The environment climate change has been a hot topic in the Nordic
countries, as well as in the rest of the world, for years. Environmental
consciousness and pro-environmental attitudes are widely found.
This does not, however, necessarily mean that people are leading
more sustainable lives. According to Ida Pettersen’s article Visualizing
Household Resource Consumption1 “there is no one-to-one relationship
between pro-environmental attitudes and proenvironmental behaviour.”
If changing people’s behavior, however, the article states that “in Northern
countries changes in everyday life behaviour can bring about 10-20 %
Figure X: the rate of which
people move
-40-
than people in rural areas.
The rate of urbanization is lower than earlier, but eight out of ten live in
urban areas. This means that most Norwegians live in areas where people
move the most. When the rate of mobility is high, people’s willingness to
invest in their houses might be reduced. They might not, for example,
increase the level of insulation in their homes, as the return on the
investment might be lower than the investment itself. This might also
affect their willingness to invest in an energy control system. Especially if
the system is only operationable in one specific house.2,3
Figure 26 Many seniors are skilled in the use of modern technology
More seniors
As can be seen from figure 27, more people in Norway will be seniors in
2050 than they were in 2002. In other words, “Eldrebølgen” (the wave
of seniors) is on its way. Design for seniors might therefore be a larger
market than it is today. The people who are elders in ten to fifteen years
time, however, will be skilled in the use of touch screens and internet,
something which should be taken into consideration if targeting this
group (fig 26).
Figure 27 Illustration of the distribution of the Norwegian population in
terms of age in 1950, 2002 and estimates for 2050
Another aspect that should be taken into account, is the way how elderly
people are going to live. If they are living in apartments with a central
heating system, their needs to regulate energy are much lower and
different from the people who are living in a free standing house.
1
2
3
-41-
Pettersen, I.N. “Visualizing Household Resource Consumption”. Department of Product
Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Statistisk sentralbyrå. (2010). “Sentraliseringen avtar.” www.ssb.no/flytting/. Last visited
on 25.10.2010
Statistisk sentralbyrå. (2010). www.ssb.no/vis/emner/00/norge/bef/main.html. Last
visited on 25.10.2010
3.5 Consumer Behaviour
people who know how to operate the product, they make programs,
and zones, so that they can use different settings for different areas
in their homes. They use it among other things to keep their living
room warm and their bedrooms cool.
Who are the consumers?
Consumers of energy control systems are people who have who
want an automated system, or who want to be able to control
factors like temperature when they are not home. A buyer is not
necessarily the owner of the home he/she lives in, but is likely to be
in charge of his/her own electricity bill. In addition, the customers
are people who have money to spend on such an investment, often
people who have a job and earn money, as opposed to for example
students.
Where do they buy?
Consumers buy energy control systems through installers or at
retailers, such as Byggmakker or Elkjøp. In the future, however,
one might imagine that the products become software that can be
bought online.
The buyer or initiator of an energy control system is not necessarily
its primary user. In a family, for example, one of the adults might be
the buyer, while the other adult or the children are the ones who
should be able to operate it.
Will they buy it again?
In the workshops, which will be discussed later, came forth that
some have tried energy control systems and state that they will
not buy them again. The reasons for this were usability issues. If
making a new product however, with a new type of user interface,
the purchase rate might increase. As an energy control system is
a considerable investment, however, one might not expect that
the re-purchase rate will be very high, as the product is intended
to last for many years. If the product is based on software which
can be updated and improved and updated, there is a possibility to
enhance the relation with the consumer and bind them in another
way.
Today, few people buy the energy control systems that are on the
Norwegian market. This was underlined by one of the employees
interviewed at the retailer Byggmakker. He had only sold one
system in the five months he had been working there.
What do they buy and how do they use it?
Consumers who want to control their energy, buy energy control
systems or time switches that control one product. From the
people buying those products, some stoped using the systems as
they found them too complicated. In other households, some of
the people living there are using the systems, while the rest are
not. A typical example is that one person has initiated the purchase
and has learned how to use it, while the others in the household
do not know how to operate it and do not wish to learn. Among the
-42-
4.1 Introduction User Research
The goal of the user research was to map the context of the users, their
needs, wishes and expectations, related to their homes and needs for
when controlling things at home. The techniques which were used in user
research were generative sessions, observations and informal interviews.
Generative sessions
Two generative sessions were conducted during the research. In the
first generative session, a family of five participated, in addition to two
neighbour girls, who they often take care of. The family consists of Vibeke
(40) and Jarle (41), and their three daughters of fourteen, eleven and
eight years of age. The two neighbor girls are ten and seven years. The
session was conducted in the family’s home. A tour of the house, showing
their heaters and floor plan, was included in the session.
In the second session, three subjects participated; Finn (56), Johan (26)
and Julie (26). The session was conducted at Institutt for produktdesign,
at NTNU.
Before the sessions, the participants were given small booklets (figure
28) to prepare them for the sessions and make the information they
have more accessible. In both sessions, the participants were given three
assignments. First, the participants presented assignments from the
booklets. The family presented their entire booklet, while in the other
session, the participants presented an assignment which described their
day and how/when they regulate the heating in their homes.
Figure 28 Booklets filled out by participants
-43-
For the third assignment, the participants were asked to make models
of gadgets (figure 30) which let them control anything they want in the
house. Afterwards, they presented the gadgets and the functions.
In the second assignment, the participants were asked to make collages
(figure 29) about what they feel responsible for in the house, when
leaving and coming home, and when getting up and going to bed. They
were also asked to include what they liked and disliked to do and about
being responsible for things in the house. After making the collages, the
participants were asked to present them to the group.
Figure 30 One of the control devices that were made
Figure 29 One of the collages
-44-
The analysis of the sessions was conducted by transcribing the sessions,
highlighting important findings and grouping them in themes (figure 31).
Figure 31 Grouping the findings into themes
-45-
4.2 Personas
The personas are based on the users who participated in the sessions
and informal interviews. The goal of using personas, is to get to know and
understand the users who participated in the research. The personas also
serve as inpiration for ideageneration and as a reference to see if the final
product is suitable for the target group.
Finn
Finn is 56 years old and lives with his wife Siri in a detached house.
Together, they have two children who are grown and have moved out of
the house. Now they also have a grand daughter, who is the new center
in their lives. In the mornings, Finn gets up around seven and leaves for
work at the same time as his wife, who works three days a week. When
coming home around 4 p.m., they have dinner and coffee. They recently,
however, joined a gym and now work out three afternoons a week. In
the evenings, they like to spend quality time together. In addition to their
other activities, Siri and Finn are redecorating the house. This project
started many years ago and is still ongoing. Somehow, it never seems to
end.
“I’ve grinded doors and painted them. Try grinding mirrored doors. One at
a time. There’s a lot of that.”
- Finn
Figure 32 Finn
-46-
Vibeke and Jarle
Vibeke is 40 years old and works at a school. Together with her husband
Jarle (41) and their three daughters, she lives in a terraced house in the
city. Vibeke is the first person to get up in the morning, and leaves for work
before the other family members get up. The calmness and having the
morning to herself, is something Vibeke enjoys. Jarle awakes the children
when Vibeke leaves and they have a long breakfast together. Having a lot
of time in the morning is important to them.
When Vibeke comes home from work, she is tired and easily frustrated,
but after a while, she gets more energy and is ready for activities, either
at home or outdoors. To relax, Vibeke likes to spend time with her family,
listen to music and read. Computers and other gadgets are not for her.
One of Jarle’s favorite gadgets, however, is a pillow, which allows him to
sit with his computer on his lap. The girls sometimes have activities, such
as soccer training in the afternoons. Usually, someone is at home. It is
important for Vibeke and Jarle to have a open home, and they often have
visitors.
Figure 33 Vibeke and Jarle
Both Vibeke and Jarle are concerned about saving energy, but Vibeke is
the one in charge of regulating the heaters. When Vibeke is not home, for
example when she has left for work, she sends text-messages to Jarle, to
remind him about turning the heat up or down.
“I send texts if he’s working at home and say; turn on the
heat! turn off! (…) I’m totally extreme in that area”
- Vibeke
-47-
Julie
Julie is 26 years old student. She shares an apartment with a friend. In
the mornings, Julie is very happy, has a lot of energy and is excited about
the day. She spends her days at school and works out in the afternoons.
Therefore, it is often late when she gets home. This also goes for her
flat mate, so there are many hours a day that no one is home. When
Julie makes food, they do the dishes together because that is a good
opportunity to talk. Sometimes they argue about the use of water, Julie
says that everything gets cleaner when she lets the water run. Her friend
says it is better to fill the wash basin. In the weekends, they also often do
activities outside of the house. When at home, however, Julie likes the
house to be warm.
Julie wants to know how much energy and money she uses on different
things around the house. The term kWh tells her nothing.
“I want to understand how much energy I actually use”
Figure 34 Julie
-48-
Halvard
Halvard is 30 years old and bought an apartment two years ago, when he
finished his studies and started to work as an accountant. Usually, Halvard
works till 17.00, but he sometimes works overtime, when things are busy.
Halvard has a home automation system, which allows him to program and
control the temperature in his apartment. He thinks it is easy to use and
has divided his apartment in different zones. In this way, he can keep his
bedroom cool and kitchen and living room warm. The control system also
makes sure that the apartment is warm at 17.00 in weekdays, and cool
during the night and work hours. When Halvard works late, however, the
heating is on for hours, without him being there. In the weekends, and
some evenings in the week, Halvard spends time with friends. They like to
hunt and hike and Halvard takes a lot of photos on their trips.
“It’s easy. I just program different zones.”
- Halvard, about energy control systems
Figure 35 Halvard
-49-
Fredrik
Fredrik is 12 years old and plays defense on the local soccer team. In the
weekdays, he is usually the first person to come home, around 14.30.
Before his parents get home, he grabs a snack and plays video games.
Sometimes, friends come with him to play. Fredrik has the newest
Nintendo and an unbeatable high score in Super Mario.
When he remembers, Fredrik turns on the heaters in the living room, but
he does not use the fireplace. He thinks it is too much of an effort and his
parents also do not want him to handle fire when they are not at home.
“I like my phone, my DS and my Wii”
Figure 36 Fredrik
-50-
Olava
Olava is 81 years old and is a retired florist. Up till now, Olava has lived in
the house she shared with her late husband. A few years ago, however,
she started to feel that she could not manage such a big house alone. She
has therefore recently moved into a small apartment, close to a senior
center. Olava is quite fit for her age, but does not get out as much as she
used to. Once a week, however, she plays bridge with a group of friends.
Olava’s two kids and their families also come to visit as often as they can,
but they live in other cities. Someone from the home care comes with
groceries and cleans the house every Tuesday. During the days, Olava likes
to read and knit. Her son has showed her how to use a computer, but she
neither has nor wants one. The radio gives her all the information she
needs.
“Nitimen is my favorite program”
Figure 37 Olava
-51-
Johan
Like Julie, Johan is 26 years old and is a student. He lives in a low energy
student house, together with eight other students. When he is coming
home from school, Johan sometimes calls his flat mates when he is at the
store, to ask if they can turn on the stove. Then the stove is ready to use
when he comes home.
Johan always has many things going on and is very social, but to recharge
his batteries, he tries to spend time alone and relax. Normally, Johan
is always connected to the internet in some way, either through his
computer or phone. When he is at home, a lot of his free time is used in
front of the computer, often together with friends. To keep control on the
things he has to do, Johan has a to-do-list, which he is constantly updating
and checking off things he has done. This helps him to get things done.
Figure 38 Johan
Johan puts an effort into saving energy, where he can. He mainly walks or
uses his bike to get around and rarely travels by plane. In addition he tries
to take short showers and only leaves the water tap on when needed.
“I always try to make the little choices to save the
environment”
-52-
4.3 Results and Analysis
In the following sections, results and analysis of the user research are
presented.
“You save a lot of energy, mental energy, on it”
Habits and energy - Results
When it comes to controlling the energy use, the participants’ habits vary
to a great extent.
Like Finn, Johan also does not spend time on adjusting the heat, but for
a different reason. As the house he lives in is a low energy house, Johan
finds that the house is always warm, without the heaters being on. If the
windows have been open all day, it gets warm within half an hour after he
closes them. If ever it is not warm enough, it gets warm if the PC is turned
on. Johan does not spend time on thinking about heat in his house.
- Finn, about having heaters on a fixed temperature
To save energy, the family turns off the heat and lights in rooms they do
not use, for example at night and whey they are at school/work. If it is
very cold, the heaters are left on, but at a low temperature.
“We never turn the heat up or down. And we don’t use heat
either. We live in an extremely well insulated house.”
Vibeke states that keeping track on which rooms are in use and turning the
heat up and down can be a challenge. An example is that when the oldest
daughter was away on camp, the heater in her personal bathroom was
left on for days. Vibeke found it important, but difficult, to remember to
put the heater off and remember to turn it on again, before her daughter
returned.
- Johan
Julie and her flat mate, Karianne, have different habits and preferences
when it comes to controlling the energy use in their household. Julie likes
to have a comfortable temperature and sometimes leaves the heaters on
in the morning, so that it will be warm when she gets home from school.
Some participants are very concerned with turning off lights which are
not needed and if a light has been left on all night, it becomes a topic
of conversation the day after. Finn, however, is not very concerned with
turning on and off lights. Since lights provide heat and the heaters have
thermostats, he concludes that the extra energy used on lights is not
wasted.
“If I wake up and it’s really cold, I’m afraid that it will be cold
when I come home so then I turn the heaters on. Everywhere.
And then I come home and it’s too warm…”
- Julie
Finn states that the temperature of their house is something he and his
family do not wish to think about, and that they do not think about it
either. The heaters in their house are therefore always set on 22 °C, even
if they are away at work or sleeping. They only adjust their heaters twice
a year; on in autumn and off in spring. If for some reason the temperature
is lower than 22°C, they feel it right away and think it is cold, even if it is
only a half degree difference.
When home, Julie usually puts the temperature up, while Karianne
puts the temperature down. Often, the bathroom is set to 15 degrees
and the living room 17-20 degrees. Julie states that she gets a very good
conscience when behaving environmentally friendly, for example when
recycling waste. How often she recycles and uses the laundry machine
energy efficiently, however, varies.
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Both the student Johan and the adults in the family, on the other hand,
are very concerned about using the laundry machine efficiently. For
Johan, the motivation is mainly economically founded, as it costs 18
NOK for each wash in the student’s laundry facilities. For the family, the
motivation is both to save money and the environment. A challenge for
the family, however, is to teach their children to come with their clothes
when they are dirty. This is to avoid having to put on an extra machine,
with only a few pieces of clothing in it. Another challenge they emphasize,
is to teach the children to wear their clothes until they are dirty, and not
to throw clothes in the dirty laundry after wearing them once. Vibeke
and Jarle think the family also could save more energy by taking shorter
showers.
Figure 40 Participant at work
Habits and energy - Analysis
Most of the participants seem to have pro-environmental attitudes.
It varies, however, how environmentally friendly they act. This is
in accordance with findings in Ida Pettersens’ article, “Visualizing
households’ resource consumption. ” While some take active measures
to save energy, others do not. The results also indicate that there is a lack
of knowledge about what can be done to save energy and which actions
are more important than others.
Comfort is important to the participants. None of them keep their indoor
temperature lower than they find comfortable, but some have a higher
tolerance for waiting for their house to get warm than others. In the case
of Finn, one can see that his wish for simplicity and comfort exceeds the
economical and environmental benefits of reducing the temperature
when he is out of the house.
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Habits when leaving the house - Results
Several participants state that they have routines when leaving their
house. The family describe that the actions they take when leaving their
house differs, depending on how long they plan to be away. When just
going out for the afternoon, they only turn off the lights and lock. If
leaving for a holiday, on the other hand, they check all plugs and the
refrigerator. At nights, they have a routine; they go through rooms and
turn off lights and if the lights are turned off in the hallway, everything is
ready for them to go to bed.
Another participant, Johan, he uses his self-made rule of thumb, when
leaving home; “close, shut off, lock.” This helps him to remember to
close all windows, shut off electric appliances and lock the door. Several
participants describe the things they do when leaving the house as a
habit, not not something they worry about. To remember to get things
done before leaving, like putting on the laundry machine, was however
desicribed as stressful.
Habits when leaving the house - Analysis
The results indicate that people have certain routines to check the house
when leaving the house or going to bed. Peoples’ routines vary, however,
based on if they leave for a short while or for a longer period.
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and how much energy they spend in the on the different heaters.
Heating and ventilation appliances - Results
All participants have multiple types of appliances to regulate their indoor
climate.
“I have no idea how much it uses”
- Finn, about how much energy the different heaters use
Wall mounted, electric heaters are found in all the participants’ households.
Several also state that they have floor heating in the bathrooms and in
one household, they have a program to lower the temperature in the
bathrooms at night. Two of the households also have fireplaces. In one,
the fireplace is only used to provide a cozy atmosphere and to get rid of
old newspapers. In the other, the fireplace is an essential part in heating
the house.
Heating and ventilation appliances - Analysis
Users use a variety of heat sources and if developing an energy control
system, it will have to be compatible with different types of appliances, to
meet the users’ needs.
The results also indicate that users do not know how much energy they
use on the different types of heaters and rooms. Knowing what the most
energy effective way of using the heaters is therefore difficult for them.
In addition to heaters, Johan also has a ventilation system. He can control
both through a device on the wall, where he can set the heater and
ventilation to be on low, medium or high. Usually, both the heater and
ventilation is set on low, and both he and his flat mates usually use their
computers to heat up their rooms. In addition to the ventilation system,
Johan likes to have his window open.
In summertime, Johan and his fellow house-mates experienced problems
with the ventilation in their low-energy student house. Even if the
ventilation was on, the house was too warm. Another problem was
that the ventilation was not evenly distributed, so that some rooms got
even less air circulation than others. He thinks the ventilation system is
regulated with sensors, but says that he does not know precisely how
it works and that the caretakers in charge of the system do not really
understand it either.
Finn and his wife have electric heaters, floor heating and a fireplace. They
also have a “cold room”. This generates heat which is distributed back
to the ground floor rooms. In this way, it functions as a heat pump. Finn
does not know, however, how much heat they gain from the cold room
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Appliances and usability issues - Results
To control the heaters, Finn installed an energy control system from
Glamox in the 1980’s. After a short while, however, they gave up using
it and since then, the heaters in their house have been set to 22 degrees
Celsius in winter. The reason for this was two-sided. Firstly, they found
that the house did not feel warm in the mornings and when they came
home from work. Since the room had only been warm for a short time, all
their furniture was still cold even though the temperature in the indoor
air was 22 degrees. As a result, they turned the heat up more, but felt
that what they gained from using the system was lost. Secondly, Finn
found the system very hard to use. To start a program, he had to put in
on at specific times, or else the program would be wrong. You could for
example not start the system on a Saturday.
- Julie, about her father’s energy control system
Other appliances that are either difficult to use, or not used at all, are
remote controls and stoves. Finn has had stoves which is possible to
program, for 30 years. This makes it possible to decide when the oven
should turn on. He has never, however, used the programs.
Both Finn and Julie think they have too many remote controls. For Julie,
this causes a problem every time she wants to watch TV. She thinks it is
hard to find the right remote when she wants to switch channels. This
makes her feel like an old lady who is unable to use new things.
Julie also has a remote control in the bathroom, which they use to open
the roof window, when they shower. Opening the window is important
to prevent rot, but Julie thinks it is very hard to remember before she
showers, which she thinks is annoying.
“We tried that (energy control systems) in 1987/88, but it
didn’t work. Since then the temperature has been set to 22
degrees.”
4.1 Appliances and usability issues - Analysis
The results indicate that the past and current energy control systems are
complex and difficult to use. The complexity has led to people giving up
on using them.
- Finn (paraphrased)
“No, I’ve lost faith in that thing”
- Finn, about whether he would want an energy control system
Another issue which is highlighted in the results is that users are frustrated
with the increasing number of remote controls needed to operate different
appliances.
Julie’s father is an energy efficiency expert and has an energy control
system at home, but unlike Finn, he uses it actively. When Julie comes
home to her parent’s place, however, she is unable to adjust the heat,
because the system is too complicated. It is also too complicated for her
father to describe how she can regulate it. Therefore, if Julie comes home
when her parents are at work, the house is cold.
“It is very complex, so I can’t go in and look. He (dad) controls
everything.”
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Motivation - Results
In the family, they describe their motivation for saving energy as double
sided. Vibeke first states that it is to reduce the electricity bill, but both
she and Jarle emphasize that they are also motivated by saving the
environment.
Motivation - Analysis
Based on the results, it seems that both financial and environmental factors
can motivate people to save energy. The motivation to save energy might
rise, however, if the users got relevant feedback on how much energy
they were using, in or near to the time of use. Giving feedback in other
units and types than kWh, might also increase peoples’ understanding of
how big impact have on the environment
“We think about the globe and about cutting the electricity
bill”
- Jarle
“I mainly think about the electricity bill”
- Vibeke
Johan claims that he himself is more inspired to save energy for the
environments’ sake than for economical reasons. To inspire people in
general, however, he thinks it is a good idea to emphasize the financial
benefits of saving energy. He thinks it would be a good idea to let people
know what they could do to save money.
Julie emphasizes that she feels good about herself if she for example
recycles. To increase her motivation for saving energy, however, she
would like to know exactly how much she uses and what impact that has
on the environment. Getting a bill every quarter and a statement of many
kWh has been used, is too abstract and does not tell her where she could
have saved energy. She wants feedback that she can understand, when
she is using different appliances.
“I get a good conscience if I do things that are ‘green’”
- Julie
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Security - Results
All participants seem relaxed when it comes to their homes and security.
Finn states that it is only the last few years that they have started to lock
the door when they are home. Vibeke and Jarle make it a habit to lock
their doors, also when they are home, but they do not wish to have a
security alarm system. Their neighbor in the other half of their two-family
house has such a system, but the family feels it would go against their
values. They want to focus on other things than their possessions. In
addition, they feel that their belongings are safe, even if they live in a city
centre.
Security - Analysis
The results indicate that it varies how interested people are in having
security devices. The variation seems to be more related to peoples’
personal values than the location of where they live.
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Wishes - Results
that would fit to all your doors.
The participants were asked to present what want to control in their
homes in the future and how they want to do it. They were told not be
restricted by the current technology. Some of the participants’ wishes
concerned cleaning, like having a robot cleaner. One participant, however,
did not mind cleaning, but wants to be able to receive the utensils she
needs to clean the floor, just by pushing a button. Being able to control
several things with one button was something which was mentioned by
several participants.
One of the participants stated that the device “should be so easy to use
that I prefer to use this device instead of the already existing ones. It
should save time.”
Some participants wanted to control things in their house through a
Smartphone, while other users wanted a separate control device. Several
participants expressed frustration over the amount of remote controls
in their home and that they would want one single device to control
everything.
Another wish which was uttered was to be able to check if everything is as
it should be in the house, from a distance. One participant, for example,
wanted to be able to check if his front door is locked and coffee machine
off. The same participant wanted the house to know how he would like
everything to be like, when coming home and leaving. The house should,
however, also know how all other residents in the house like to have it.
If one person leaves the house, the lights should not go off, if there are
others at home.
Figure 41 Participant showing the device she has made
The wishes about what the device should look like were different. For
some it is important that the text on the screen is easy readable and
that the device is too big to fit in a pocket; which would prevent you
from losing it. Another participant preferred to integrate the device in
his mobile phone, and there was one person who wished that the device
could be all in one, with a mobile phone, television, bank card and a key
“When I press this button
you become very nice to me”
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Wishes - Analysis
What can be concluded from the information above is that users have
very different needs, but all of them want a device which is easy to
handle. It is also important that the product is compatible with the users’
lifestyle. For some, this means that they want programs which can be
controlled through a Smartphone. For others, it is a device that covers
all their current and future needs for remote controls. In both cases,
accessibility seems to be a denominator. It is something that the users
can easily reach, and/or know where is. For the product to appeal to the
users, it also needs to offer clear advantages compared to the current
available systems.
“It’s ok if I know what it does. As long as I feel that I’m in control
of the machine and not the other way around.”
- Johan
Finn is skeptical towards having a device that knows his habits and is afraid
that the device would take over and communicate with other peoples’
devices, such as the neighbor’s.
The users have several wishes for what they would want to control in their
homes. Johan would want to check the status of his home, if the door
is looked and if the coffee machine is turned off. He would also want to
switch on the stove before coming home. This is not something he would
want to program in advance, in case his plans change, but control from a
distance. If a home automation system did not work, Johan says that he
would not trust the system anymore and stop using it.
Wishes; Automation and control - Results
Several of the users express a desire for a home automation system.
Some, however, are more eager than others. Julie wishes that all chores
she does not like to do, such as cleaning, watering the flowers, putting on
laundry and the dishwasher, would happen automatically. She expresses,
on the other hand, that she wants to understand how much energy she is
using and to be able to control it.
Wishes; Automation and control - Analysis
Home automation is welcome to a certain degree. If having a home
automation system, it is important that the user feels in control of the
devices they have and that the system is trustworthy. It is also important
that the system can give feedback on how much energy is being used.
“You want to understand, rather than everything being
automated and hidden”
- Julie
The results also indicate that the users have a need to control devices in
their house from afar. Situations occur where this need is not covered by
the option of programming devices on beforehand.
Johan expresses that he would want his house to know when he comes
home, and that the house is adjusted to his preferred settings. Both he
and Finn, however, do not want the automated system to guess what
they would like, by for example making coffee for them when coming
home. This is something they would want to decide for themselves. They
both express that they want to be in charge of the device.
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Wishes; Feedback - Results
In the current situation, the participants experience it as a problem that
they do not know how much energy they are using on which appliance.
They would like to be updated about how much energy they use, not just
at this moment, but also how much they have used during the last week
or last month. They also want to know how much energy each appliance
uses. This way, they can know what they can save energy on in the future.
The results indicate that users have a lack of understanding for how
much energy they use and what they can do to save energy. It seems
that the users both want and need to get a better overview of where
they use energy, in order to change their behavior. In addition, it seems
that rewards, in different forms, can stimulate behavioral change. Both
goals set by others and goals set by themselves, can be applied, as long
as the feedback given is appropriate and it is clear to the user what the
consequences of their actions were.
Participants mentioned that they might be stimulated to save energy if
the system gives tips, like “if you shower two minutes less every day, you
will save an x amount of money per month.” One user stated that she
would want to be able to set goals for the total amount of energy she
should use, and to then prioritize what the energy should be used for.
A suggestion was also that it should become possible to compare ones’
own consumption with the neighbor or others, and compete. An example
mentioned was to use Facebook to show what a good or bad job you are
doing.
One participant described a feature in a new Volkswagen car, which
stimulates people to drive more environmentally friendly. A tree is being
shown on a display, and when you drive the car in an environmentally
friendly way, the tree grows. Since people want to see that the tree is
growing, they start figuring out what they can do to make the tree taller
and taller, thus driving more and more eco-friendly. According to the
participant who mentioned this, the feature was very successful.
Liked and disliked elements in the household - Results
The participants in the workshop were asked to give their opinion about
things they appreciated or disapproved in the household. Having a
different remote control for almost every appliance was among the most
annoying things, together with the complicated use of some products.
Here one of the participants mentioned the nuisance that arises when
you just want to check your e-mail; she did not like the relatively long
time it takes for the computer to be started, after which she needs to sit
down to type the username and password, just to have a quick look at her
e-mail account. This made that she did not like the computer, an opinion
shared by other participants as well, even though an additional reason
was that they did not feel satisfied after doing things on the computer,
especially not when they had worked on the computer the whole day
already. The participant stated as well however, that if a new product
enter the market, that enables her to do things in a better way than now,
she would be willing to use it.
Another product mentioned by one of the participants was a rabbit that
can wakes you up and tell what kind of weather it is outside. If your
friends have such a rabbit as well, the rabbits can communicate with each
other to convey messages. None of the participants, however, expressed
that they wanted such a device.
Wishes; Feedback - Analysis
Some other things that where disliked were the responsibility for the
house keys and the stressing moments when you are leaving the house
and need to make sure that you do not forget anything. You should for
example remember to put the washing machine on, which might give you
a moment of tension when you are already in a hurry on your way out.
Not all the users experienced this as troublesome though, some had a
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certain routine to help them not to forget this kind of things.
Accidents - analysis
The incident illustrates that it can be hard for users to know what is left
on, if rooms are not checked manually.
One family tried to prevent the use of the tumble dryer as much as
possible, not just because of the noise and heat it generates, but also
because it saves electricity and is more environmentally friendly to use a
clothesline.
Things that were liked were certain rooms, like an attic room that was
very inspiring, or the kitchen because it is a warm place where everybody
comes together. Rather than sitting in front of a computer, it was agreed
upon that it is more pleasurable to relax and take it easy; giving your
mind some time to get unwind before going to bed.
People had a different opinion about which appliances they liked; one
family was very happy with the washing machine because it saved a lot
of work, whereas a student did not appreciate it because he needs to pay
for it.
Liked and disliked elements in the household - Analysis
When making the design for the new home automation system, it should
be taken into consideration that the device is not going to be just another
remote control, that it should be convenient in use, and that it is possible
to customize it to the users preferences. The product should also be easily
accessible when needed.
Accidents - results
A few times, the family has experienced that their routines have slipped.
Once, burning candles were left in the kitchen, when the family went to
bed. Luckily, the candles were discovered by neighbors, who alerted the
family. A miscommunication between the adults and the eldest daughter
was the background for the incident. The daughter was the last one to
go to bed. She did not know that the lights were lit and did not check all
rooms.
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6. Recommendation to Glen Dimplex
Looking at the market analysis, we see strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats for Glen Dimplex. From the analysis, one can
see that revenues from the category of heaters are declining, while the
category of home automation systems is expected to rise.
we recommend designing for the near future and to launch as possible,
within the next 2-3 years. With a first-to-market strategy and by following
up the products with a new product development strategy, Glen Dimplex
has the possibility of becoming market leaders.
Another aspect that stands out in the analysis is that there is an opening
in the market for a home automation system with a large number of
functions and high level of feedback. There are examples of these
systems being sold abroad, but at the moment, none of them are on the
Norwegian market.
To sum up, we have two recommendations for Glen Dimplex. The first is
to develop a home automation system and the second is to develop a new
product development strategy. In the next part of the project, we wish to
focus on the first recommendation, the home automation system.
Glen Dimplex already has a strong position in the category of heaters and
control systems, with their brands from EWT, NOBØ and Siemens. Though
their products mainly consist of hardware, they have the opportunity of
transferring the credibility and position they have built up in the hardware
industry to software products.
If not acting soon, however, Glen Dimplex stands the risk of losing their
current position in the market. Their current competitors are strong
and the threat of new entrants is relatively high. From the strategic gap
analysis, we see that there is a gap between what Glen Dimplex offers and
where they want to be. A gap also exists between the values they want
to have and their current strategy. To bridge these gaps, we recommend
that Glen Dimplex develops a new product development strategy, so
that they are able to manage their portfolio and be able to develop new
products at a necessary rate.
As a first, we recommend that Glen Dimplex takes advantage of the
current opportunity in the market and develop a home automation
system. From the analysis we see that developments in technology and
interface design are happening at a very high rate. To avoid designing
something which will be outdated by the time it reaches the market,
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7.1 New Design Brief
The new brief is to design a home automation system for private homes,
focusing on the interface of the system.
Target group
The product should be operational for all inhabitants who are able to be
home alone, and for people who frequently visit.
Geographically, Nordic countries is the targeted area and the product
should be designed across Glen Dimplex’ brands.
The targeted purchasers and purchase initiators are adults, who have
their own household and are familiar with basic technology used in
todays society, such as computers. Looking to the personas introduced
earlier in the report, such as Halvard, Vibeke, Jarle and Finn are among
this group.
Early adapters of technological gadgets are expected to be the first to
acquire the product. After an introduction phase, however, a larger
percentage of the target group is expected to follow.
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7.2 Problem Definition
The problem definition gives a structured description of key aspects of
the design problem. First a statement of the problem is given, together
with description of who the problem affects. In addition, the design goals
and the side-effects to be avoided is discussed. Finally, the admissible
actions is discussed briefly.
People who do not have a home automation system, also experience
several challenges. When people come home from work, school or
holidays, for example, their houses are cold, if the heating has been
turned off. A solution is to keep the heating on while being away. This,
however this is bad for the environment and costs a lot of money.
Problem and affected users
People’s needs on heating and energy control in the home are changing
due to rising awareness of environmental issues and new building
methods. In addition, from 2020 new building regulations on energy use
in the home will come into effect. In all, this leads to a growing need for
a device which meets peoples’ needs on energy control and heating in
the home.
Another issue which arises when the user is not home, is related to
security. Users do not always trust that it is enough to lock their house
and also want the house to look like someone is home.
Summarized, people in the household want to control the amount of
energy used, to get more feedback on the consumption and to have a
fewer amount of devices to control the indoor climate and appliances.
However, currently few apparatus are offered on the Norwegian market
that provide adequate solutions to fulfill those needs of energy control
and heating in the home. There is especially a lack of home automation
systems with a large number of functions and a high level of feedback.
There is also a lack of compatibility between the control devices being
offered and the different appliances people have in their houses.
The problems mentioned above are experienced by inhabitants of private
homes, especially the ones who are in charge of regulating the indoor
climate. This is often adults, but also children who are home alone. Both
for children and adults, current energy control systems are challenging to
operate. For elderly who are not confident or trained in operating new
appliances, the challenge is also great.
Present problems with the current home automation systems that
are being offerd, are that they are very complex to use and make use
of outdated ways of interaction. In addition, few or no current systems
enable the user to control complex features, such as temperature,
security and humidity, in one device.
Design goal
The design goal is to enable users to control key aspects of their home
environment, such as temperature and light. A goal is also to give the
users a feeling of control of their energy consumption and to increase the
level of energy efficiency in private homes.
Another problem is that a growing number of people want to be more
energy efficient, however they lack the knowledge on how to do so.
People have different reasons for wanting to become more energy
efficient, some want to save money, while others want to reduce their
environmental footprint.
Side-effects to be avoided
Some of the potential side-effects of the product should be avoided. One
aspect to consider is that a home automation system is a system that
contains a lot of information about the inhabitants of the home. This
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information should stay private, and people who have nothing to do with
the house, should not be able to access this information. The system
should also not be easily accessible for small children.
Another side-effect to be avoided is if the system is incompatible with
the users’ lifestyle. If so, this might affect the target group’s willingness to
buy and use the product.
For GDN, it is important to develop new products, such as home
automation systems, to reduce their strategic gap. However, the company
should avoid that new products cannibalize their cash cows.
Admissible actions
An admissable action is to give users the possibility to control several
features in their homes through one system. Providing the users with
feedback on their consumption, both in realtime and in retrospect, is also
an action which can give them a feeling of control and facilitate energy
efficiency.
To protect the system against unwanted users, such as small children and
intruders, physical and software hinders can be applied to prevent access.
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7.3 List of Requirements
The device must
• be compatible with other systems (for example various heaters)
• be usable without a smartphone and computers
• fit into the current life styles of potential users
• give users the feeling that they can trust the system to work
• give the user the feeling that he/she is in control of the system
• not be easily mis used by small children
•
•
The device could
• be compatible with smartphones and computers
• be able to recognize automatically what kind of appliance is added
• give recommendations to the user on how to reduce energy
consumption
• have an automatic air quality check (Carbon mono-oxide)
• enable the user to control music
• enable the user to control TV
• give an indication of energy use per appliance
• have an option to set personal goals for energy consumption
be usable for the target group
o easily accesible when entering and leaving the home
o be understandable and intuitive in use
o be more practical to use than current alternatives
o be quick to operate
o display information in a readable manner
o add value to the user when controlling indoor appliances
•
Allow users to
o control and adjust temperature
o control lights
o turn on/off electric appliances
o add new appliances
o make, change and delete programs
o control and adjust the system’s settings from a distance
o get feedback on energy use now and in the past
o water expenditure
o system failures
o give user information above how much energy is being
used both in terms of money and kWh
•
•
•
•
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work as an safety/security device
o security alarm
o fire alarm
o give information about the status of the house, for example
whether doors are looked and appliances are off
contain extra features such as a clock, outdoor and indoor temperature,
barometer and news
give the user the possibility to add information about consumer
goods, transportation and leisure activities to calculate their
ecological footprint
work as a picture frame
include a family planner
8. Idea Generation
device that could help persons who want to control things in their
household (fig. 42). Later on the focus was moved to what such a
device should do. After this the ideas were merged, leading to new
ideas. This process repeated itself several times, step-by-step going
more into detail (fig. 43).
Attention was paid to how people can interact with a device and in
which way they could be given feedback on the energy use in the
household (fig. 44).
This process has led to many ideas. Some of those ideas where
merged, which led to the first ideas of the three concepts. Those
ideas were developed further into concepts. The concepts are
presented in the next chapter.
Figure 42 Sketches
of things to control
After the generative sessions had been analysed, several idea
generation sessions were held. In those sessions ideas were
generated around specific scenarios, for example a mother running
late for work because she has to put on the laundry machine before
going to work. Questions were asked, such as ‘What are her most
important needs in this moment? And how could a device help
her? What kind of device should this be?’, et cetera.
The idea generation process is a process of snowballing processes,
followed by merging phases. In the beginning there was thought
of as many different solutions as possible, concerning the kind of
Figure 43 Sketches
-
of deevices
Figure 44 Sketches
grouped around control
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9.1 Three Concepts
From the ideas generated during several idea generation sessions, three
concepts have been composed. A short description of the concepts can
be found below. The concepts differ in way of interaction between user
and product, and focus on control or feedback. After the description of
the three concepts, the motivation for the selection of one concept is
given.
Concept 1
The first concept consists of an idea that gives the user both feedback
and control of appliances in the household. Via this device the user will
be able to get better insight in the use of energy in the household. The
idea behind this concept is to offer information to the user in a playful
and fun way.
The concept (fig. 45) includes a screen, several boxes and a wire to
connect a box with the screen. Both boxes and screen hang on the wall.
The boxes represent the different rooms of the house. When connecting
one of the boxes to the screen, the information about that room becomes
accessible. This way of interactiton adds a playful value to the concept.
The information that is being shown on the screen can be regulated by
using the buttons on the right side of the screen. Information about the
different apparatus in each room can be found, as well as an overview
of the total amount of energy used in that specific room. Furthermore,
different appliances can be controlled via this device.
Figure 45 Concept
The size of the screen is 120x150 mm, the boxes have dimensions of
30x40x20 mm. The information on the screen is depicted in colour. Most
of the information is communicated to the user by use of graphs. The
device could be hanging on the wall in the corridor, in the living room or
in the kitchen.
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1
Concept 2
This concept (fig. 46) is based on the interaction between user and touch
screen. Via the touch screen the user is able to control heaters, lights,
air-conditioning, and other electrical appliances. The system has many
options for controlling the different appliances in the household. In
addition the user will be able to get information about the energy use in
the home; how much each room uses at specific times, which percentage
of the energy use is used for heating, et cetera. The screen is situated in
the hallway, next to the front door.
Within the system the user is able to make programs. One can, for
example, make a program with settings for when nobody is at home and
a programme for when there are people at home.
The system is connected to the electrical network of the house and is
thereby able to communicate with the different appliances. The screen
is a coloured screen and has dimensions of 120x180mm.
In addition to the touch screen, the system can be operated from afar
via a smartphone or a computer. On the smartphone an application can
be installed, via which the communication with the system at home can
take place. On the computer, the system is accessible as a web page
which enables the user to change the settings of the system from afar.
In addition, the user is enabled to check the state of the house and the
energy being used at that specific moment, at any time.
Figure 46 Concept
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2
Concept 3
The third concept is a concept that focuses on giving feedback to the
user on his/her energy use. The information is displayed on the bathroom
mirror. This is made possible by a technique developed by Phillips.1 They
have developed a mirror where OLED technology is used on the backside,
to display information on the mirror surface.
In this concept, the mirror is situated in the bathroom, but it could also
be hanging in the hallway or bedroom. The idea behind this concept is
to enable the user to quickly get an insight in the energy consumption,
in a convenient place that the user will check regularly. The information
displayed on the screen gives insight in the amount of energy used
the day before and on the current energy use. This information will be
communicated through graphs, figures and text.
The idea is that the user does not have to spend a lot of time to get a
brief insight about the energy consumption. If the user wants to know
more details, they can be found in the text box. Otherwise the user can
already get a lot of information just by looking at the graphs and figures,
for example while brushing his/her teeth.
Figure 47 Concept
1
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3
OLED-Info. Philips OLED MirrorWall. internet: http://www.oled-info.com/philips-oledmirrorwall-available-limited-edition. last visited on: 28.11.2010
9.2 Selection of Concepts
high. In addition, it might be hard to include information by which
the energy consumption of the different rooms is compared.
Furthermore, users might find it unpractical to only be able to
change the settings of the system, one room at a time.
In addition, one of the requirements was that the system should
be compatible with a Smartphone or computer. The first concept
does not meet this requirement, while the other two concepts do.
All in all this makes the system of concept 1 harder and more time
consuming to work with.
An selection between the three different concepts has been made.
This selection has mainly been based on the results found in the
analysis of the generative sessions, since it is important that the
device will fulfil the needs of its future users. In addition, the list
of requirements was used to support the selection. In appendix X
= keuzemoment.docx the list of requirements is depicted, together
with evaluations of the concepts on each term.
The users themselves indicated that attention should be paid to
what their needs are when leaving the house. Usage of the system
should not make the user stressed. In this situation the system
should be easy and quickly operated. Also at other times making
use of the system should not be a hassle, but pleasurable. Being
able to customize the system to fit ones’ own needs, was also
stressed by the users.
The third concept was discarded, since this system only gives
feedback to the user and does not allow users to control of their
appliances. In the user research came forth that users not only want
to get feedback, but also want to be able to control appliances with
an integrated system. The way of offering information to the user,
however, was seen as a plus.
Based on findings in the user research, it was concluded that the
users both have a need to get insight in their energy consumption
and to control appliances in their household. Concept 2 stands out
as the most preferable option, since this system will be easy to use
and will make it possible to include both control and feedback into
the system.
The first concept also offers feedback and control to the user,
however, with this system it will be harder for the user to get a
complete overview of the energy use in the household.
Though Concept 1 might be fun and playful in use, it did not score
as highly as Concept 2 in the evaluation. Since each box represents
a different room, the amount of boxes might become relatively
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9.3 Further Idea Generation
When the choice of concepts was made, further idea generation
followed. Since the interface has been set to be a touch screen, the
structure of the graphic user interface (GUI) was explored. Like in
the initial idea generation, this was an iterative process.
One key area which was focused on, was how to structure the GUI
in such a way that the user would find it intuitive to operate. An
example of options which were considered, was whether to offer
information by showing rooms in the household or by appliance.
The conclusion of this question was that when someone would like
to see how much energy a heater is using, it will be more convenient
to show a short list of rooms first, and then choose the appliance
in that room. The other option would have been to show a long list
of appliances. Then the user would need to click only once, but it
would take longer to find the wished appliance.
By using storyboards and by drawing many different options, an
overview was created about the most intuitive ways of interaction.
One of the storyboards can be found in appendix F. When feedback
is given about the consumption of electricity, it should be offered
in a subtle way that the users accept it. Furthermore it is important
that it is offered at the right time in the right place. This has lead to
the introduction of the screen saver. The underlying idea is that the
user will be offered some information when coming close to the
interface, for example when coming home or leaving the house.
In these cases, the user wants to check which appliances or which
programs are running, but he does not want to be overloaded with
information. Some ideas about how to give feedback to users are
depicted in figure 48.
Figure 48 Examples
from further
idea generation; giving feedback
on consumption
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Since the interface will contain much information, this has been
divided into categories that will give the user a clear overview.
Some suggestions for the graphics can be found in figure 49.
Figure 49 Examples
of sketches for the
graphic user interface
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10.1 Design Proposal
Figure 50 Final
design proposal - easE
easE
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The final design proposal is home automation system, named “easE”
(fig.50). The name is a wordplay on the words easy and energy.
The design focuses on the development of the graphic user interface
(GUI) of the product. Illustrations of how the physical product is intended
to look like and the context in which the product should be used, is shown
in (fig. 51) and on the previous page.
The dimensions of the body and screen of the easE are 160x110x9mm.
Since the product is designed to be brought into the market within a few
years time, the system does not make use of techniques that are still in
the development phase. The development of a working system is possible
with currently existing techniques. The system is, however, compatible
with technology which is under development, such as Smart grids.
The body consists of a screen with the needed electronics and a battery.
The product will be placed in a docking station, which will be hanging
on the wall. By making use of a battery, people will be able to take the
device with them, to for example the living room. Normally, however, the
product will be used while hanging in the docking station. The docking
station is connected to the electric network of the house.
Figure 51 The
The render shows a standard scene for the product use. The box will be
placed close to the front door. This makes it easily accessible in some of
the most crucial moments of use; when entering end leaving the house.
The device is placed at eye-level. This makes it too high to easily reach for
small children, but enables the adults to easily see what is depicted on
the screen.
easE
The product
The easE allow the user to control appliances in his/her household and
to get feedback on the consumption of energy. The device is especially
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eligible for controlling heating and lights, as the analysis indicate that this
is important for the users. However, the user will also be able to control
other electrical appliances with the system.
be available for third parties. Even though nowadays those device can
be secured sufficiently, not everyone trusts them enough. In order to not
quench any potential buyers, internet connection is not integrated as a
standard.
The system is able to control the different appliances by communicating
with special plugs. These plugs have to be placed between the plug of
the device and the socket where the device would normally be plugged
in. The plug and the system communicate via Bluetooth. The program
structure is explained below, where screen shots of the interface is used
to show the information depicted on the screen.
The additional applications for smartphones and computers can, for
example, be controlling the system from afar, control of the security
system of the house, checking the status of the house (Are the doors, and
windows locked?) and to switch on devices like oven and coffee machine.
Interface Design
As mentioned before, the main focus has been on the design of an
understandable, good working GUI. The structure of the program is
described below by the use of screen shots.
In addition to the system which is described below, there are some
extra features which are optional for the buyer to acquire. If one buys
one or more of those extra features, the extra features can be accessed
through the feature-tab on the screen. Examples of extra features are
a digital weather station, integration of integration of a security system
and a program that regulates sensor driven lights. These are just a few
suggestions of extra features that could be integrated into the program.
The program is based on six pillars which are displayed as tabs in the main
menu (fig. 52). The tabs are placed horizontally at the top of the screen.
The tab that is active at present is highlighted in blue. The six tabs are
the following: Current, Program, Mode, Consumption, Features, Settings.
In short, under Current, the presently activated devices are highlighted.
Other devices connected to the system are also depicted in the same
screen, but will be depicted in grey. A further explanation of this screen
can be found under ‘Main menu – Current’.
For people who do are interested in being able to control the system
from afar, they can buy an extra application for their computer and/or
smartphone. In the device the electronics for the communication system
will be implemented as a standard. The user can activate this by switching
a slide gate at the back of the device.
Under Program, the already made programs can be found and there is the
possibility to make new programs, also a special event can be added. An
example of a special event is turning on the oven at five o’clock.
The option of using computers and smartphones has, however, not been
added as a standard feature, since there are some thresholds to consider.
If one wants a device that can be controlled via a computer and/or
smartphone, this implies that a wireless internet connection is required.
Not all of the potential buyers might trust a device with wireless internet
connection enough to be willing to purchase it. The information on the
device contains a lot of private information, which you do not want to
In the Mode-tab, the already defined modes can be found and there is the
possibility to make new modes. A mode is a fixed group of settings for the
different devices. In a mode is defined which devices are on and which are
off. A mode is not connected to a time. A program consist of a group of
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modes which follow each other up in a fixed order at set times.
Under Consumption, information about the energy consumption of the
household can be found. Under Features, extra applications can be
found. The program normally does not have this tab. However, the user
will be able to buy extra applications. When doing so, the Feature-tab will
appear. One of the extra features is a weather station for example. Under
Settings new appliances can be added, display settings can be changed,
names of rooms can be changed, et cetera.
Figure 52 Main
menu - Current
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Program Structure
First screen – Screen saver
The by the user defined settings of the Away-mode are applied. When
pressing any other place on the screen, the main menu will show up, with
the Current-tab opened.
On the background of the screen saver a abstract animation is shown as
a default. This is done to give the user some quick visual feedback on
how the household is doing on energy use today. The colors will become
brighter if you are doing well and the animation will grow.
The user can individualize the screen by choosing either one of the
supplied backgrounds, or by loading up a folder with personal images.
The program will then make a slide show with the images, so the screen
will function as a digital picture frame. Uploading images can be done
via Bluetooth. The time, mode name, as well as the eventually set modebuttons will, however, always overlay the pictures.
Figure 53 Screen
saver
The home automation system is always on. The display, however, will
normally be in standby-mode. When someone enters the hallway, the
screen will turn on. The screen that is displayed then is a screen saver (fig.
53). Only when touching the screen, the screen will go into the menu.
The user will have several options to individualize the screen saver.
Time is depicted on the screen saver, as well as the mode that is running.
Furthermore, if the user wants, he/she can have buttons of modes
depicted on the screen. How this is done, an be found under ‘Main menu
- mode tab. If the user has chosen to show some of the modes on the
screen saver, they will work as short cuts to the mode. The user can thus
apply the specific settings of the chosen mode, just by pressing once.
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Main menu – Current tab
Figure 54 Main
menu - Current
Figure 55 Pop-up
As described under screen saver, after touching any place in the screen,
besides from eventually depicted buttons, the user will enter the main
menu, where the Current-tab is opened (fig. 54). In the screen the names
of the currently running program and mode are shown (here weekday
and morning) If there is no mode running, and the user has just adapted
the settings himself, this will be indicated by ‘present settings’ instead of
the mode name. On the right of the screen a bar is depicted, which shows
the current amount of energy being used in the household.
Kitchen
button represents the lights, the second the heaters and if there are other
devices in the room connected to the system, an additional button will
appear which has the symbol “+” to indicate that something else is on. If
a light, heater or a device grouped under the “+” is activated, the buttons
will be yellow. If none of the lights, heaters or other devices are on, the
buttons will be grey. In the picture on the left, there is a light on in the
kitchen, for example. If the list of the rooms is longer than can be depicted
on the screen, the list will become a scroll menu.
The bar with a purple line on the right side of the screen, shows how
much energy is currently being used per hour. When turning appliances
on or off, the bar expands or decreases.
Under the program name and mode, a list of the rooms is depicted. The
rooms in which appliances are activated appear at the top of the list.
Behind the name of the room, three buttons can appear. The first
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Figure 56 Pop-up
Figure 57 Pop-up
lights
When selecting one of the rooms, a pop-up will appear (fig.55). In this
pop-up the characteristics of that room are depicted.
When pressing the lights button above the list of rooms in the Current
tab, all the lights will appear in a pop-up (fig.56). This pop-up is shown
below. Lights can be turned on or off by pressing the selected light button.
When pressing the temperature button above the list of rooms in the
Current tab, the heaters for every room appear in a pop-up (fig. 57).
The pop-up is shown below. The heaters can be regulated by sliding the
buttons on the temperature-bars up and down.
In the pop-ups, the energy bar on the right indicates how much energy
is used by the appliances active in the pop-up, compared to the total
energy use.
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tempreature
Figure 58 Program
tab
Figure 59 Selecting
Main menu – Program tab
The screen in figure 58 is the screen that will appear after selecting the
Program-tab. At the right of the screen the same energy bar is depicted,
which shows the amount of energy that is currently being used.
a program
When selecting one of the other programs, this program will be depicted
in the time bar and the button will turn yellow. Furthermore, next to the
Program-button two bars will show up which show the amount of energy
the program would use on a regular summer/winter day (fig. 59). Under
Settings information on what is regarded as an regular summer/winter
day can be found, for example, Clouded, 2 ˚C et cetera.
In addition, next to the Edit button, a ‘Set as current’ button will appear.
When pressing this button a pop-up will appear, to ask the user to confirm
that he/she really wants to set the selected program as the current
program.
Below the tabs a time bar is depicted. In the time bar the currently
running program is shown. The name of this program is shown under the
bar at the left. At the right, under the time bar, an Edit button is depicted.
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Figure 60 Making
a new program 1
Figure 61 Making
In the main Program screen also a button ‘New Program’ and ‘Calendar’
can be found. When pressing the New Program button, a new screen
will appear (fig. 60). In this screen the user has to select a time in the
time bar. When pressing the Cancel-button, the user will return to the
main page of the Program-tab. After selecting a time, the OK-button will
become active. When pressing this button, the user will move on to the
next screen (fig.61).
a program 2
After the user has chosen to save the program, a new screen will appear
(fig. 63). In this screen the user can assign the program to weekdays. If
the user wants to set the program to a specific day or days, the user can
press Calendar.
In this screen the user can select a mode to run the selected time. After
pressing OK the user will move on to the next screen, where he can
choose to save the settings or to select a new time to add another mode.
If the user presses the Save-button, the program will be saved.
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Figure 64 Calendar
The calendar will show up on the screen (fig. 64) and the user will be able
to select the days to which he would like to assign the program. When the
user now pushes the Save-button, a pop-up will appear. In this pop-up the
user can give the program a name. After pressing save, the program will
return to the main page of the Program-menu.
When the Calendar-button on the main page of the Program-menu is
pushed, a calendar appears in the screen (fig. 65). In this calendar the
user can see which programs will be running on which day. By pressing
the Cancel-button the user will return to the main screen of the Programtab.
Figure 62 + 63 Making
a program 3 and 4
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Figure 65 Creating
an event 1
Another option within the calendar is to create a special event. An event
is a happening that is not standard part of a program, but a one time
thing. For example, the grandmother comes to visit. She is not there very
often, but today you know that you will pick her up from the train station
after work. Since she often feels cold, you want the living room to be a bit
warmer than normal when you come home. Therefore, in the morning
you make an event in which you turn on the heater in the living room a
bit higher after four o’clock.
Figure 65+66 Creating
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an event 2 and 3
Figure 67 Selecting
a program
After pressing the Add event-button, a pop-up appears in which one can
select a time in the time bar (fig. 65).
After pressing OK, the list with all the features, grouped per room, appears
(fig. 66). In this pop-up the user can change the settings for the selected
time. After saving the event, the program returns to the main page of the
Program-menu. If the event takes place that day, this is communicated to
the user by a dot in the time bar (fig. 67). When an event takes place that
day, this is depicted in the Current-tab by an icon appearing in the right
upper corner of the screen.
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Main menu – Mode tab
In figyre 68 the screen is depicted that appears when selecting the Modetab. The screen just shows the New mode-button. When pressing this
button, the user goes to the next screen (fig. 69).
In this screen the list with lights, heaters and other appliances, grouped
per room, is depicted. The default setting is that all appliances are off.
The user can select the settings he wants by selecting, for example, the
kitchen. An pop-up appears in which the settings for the kitchen can be
adjusted (fig. 70). By pressing Save, these settings for the kitchen are
saved. The user returns to the screen with the list of the rooms. After
selecting all the desired settings for the rooms, the user can press Save
at the bottom of the screen. After doing so a pop-up will appear in which
the name of the mode can be set. After saving this, the program returns
to the main screen of the mode tab, where the new mode now appears
as a button.
Figure 68 + 69 Making
a new mode 1 and 2
Figure 70 Making
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a new mode 3
If the user does not want to select the settings per room, but wants to
set all lights or all heaters at ones, the user can select the light-button or
heaters-button on the top of the list. Then a pop-up will appear, in which
all the lights or heaters are shown, grouped per room. The user can now
change the settings to his likings and save them in this way.
In the main screen of the Mode-tab all the programs that have been made
are displayed. When selecting on of these modes, the following buttons
appear: Edit, Delete, Run, Show on saver (fig. 71). When choosing the last,
the user can start this mode immediately. A pop-up will appear, asking
the user if he/she is sure that he/she wants to overwrite all the current
settings and start this mode. By selecting ‘Add shortcut on screen saver’,
the button of the mode will appear on the screen saver. The button can
be removed from the screen saver by simply deselecting ‘Add shortcut on
screen saver’.
The modes that have been selected to show on the screen saver, will all
be shown as buttons on this screen. It enables the user to immediately
activate one of those modes, instead of having to go into the menu.
However, these buttons will not appear on the screen saver when a
program is running, since then it is most likely that the user wants the
program to keep on running. Instead the name of the program that is
active will be depicted on the screen saver.
Figure 71 Mode
If the user does want to overwrite the program with a mode, he needs
to go into the Mode-menu, where he can select the preferred mode and
choose Run.
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options
Main menu – Consumption tab
When opening the Consumption-tab (fig. 73), a bar is shown which shows
the energy of the household of that day. This data is compared to the
status the day before at the same time, so the user can see at any time if
they are doing better than the day before.
If the price of a kWh is saved in the system by the user under Settings,
under the bar an indication of the costs will be given. This won’t be the
exact price, since prizes for energy are not fixed, but it does give an
indication to the user.
On the right side an overview of the amount of energy used by the
household, per week, month, year is given. Furthermore, three buttons
are depicted on the screen; Appliances, Year reports and Averages.
When pressing the Appliances-button, a new screen will appear in which
an appliance can be selected (fig. 74). Again the appliances are grouped
as lights, heaters and other. After selecting a room a pop-up will be
displayed in which the expenditure per hour is displayed, as well as the
consumption over the last week and month (fig. 75). This screen is exited
by pressing the OK-button in the lower, right corner. Returning to the
main page of the Consumption-tab is done by pressing the Cancel-button.
When pressing the button Appliance, a new screen will appear (fig. 76).
In this screen a graph is depicted in which the amount of energy used
per month is depicted. On the right side a list of years is displayed. When
selecting one or more of those dates, the graphs of the selected years will
also appear in the graph. This enables the user to compare the different
years. It might be interesting to be able to see what the influence on
energy consumption is of an extremely cold winter, compared to a
‘normal’ winter.
Figure 73 + 74 Overview
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of consumption
Figure 77 Overview
of total consumption per year
Above the graph shown in figure 77, two buttons are depicted. The graph
represent the button which is highlighted in yellow. As a default, the
Monthly-button is selected. When choosing the other button, Year results,
the same numbers are used, only now the graph shows the accumulation
of the energy used that year (fig. 78). In the lower, right corner of the
screen a Back-button is depicted. With this button the user can return to
the main page of the Consumption-tab.
Figure 75 + 76 Overview
of consumption per month
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Figure 78 Consumption
per week
Figure 79 Consumption
When pressing the Averages-button in the main screen of the
consumption menu, a new screen is opened in which an overview of the
energy consumption of the household is depicted in a graph (fig. 79).
As a default setting the overview of last week is given. However, with
the three buttons above the graph, the overview of last month and the
average energy use per room can be depicted (fig. 80)
per month
Main menu – Features tab
The Feature-tab is a special tab. As a standard, this tab is not shown in
the menu. However, as soon as an user buys an extra feature with the
program, this tab will appear. Under this tab all the features that have
been installed can be found. Extra features can be a digital weather
station, integration of the security system, a program that regulates lights
that work on sensors. These are just a few suggestions of extra features
that could be integrated into the program. Since the features are not part
of the regular program, no screen shots have been made.
The energy consumption is split up in six groups; ventilation, heating,
lights, freezer+fridge, water and other. Again by pressing Back, the user
returns to the main screen of the Consumption-tab.
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Figure 80 Consumption
per room
Main menu – Settings
In the settings menu, the settings of the system can be regulated. In this
menu the user can add appliances to be controlled to the system, change
display settings, insert information about energy prices, et cetera.
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10.2 Link between Product and Analysis
control and a high degree of feedback will get the attention of early
adapters who are eager to have the newest gadgets. People like
the persona Johan, who have their own household, will be among
the early adapters who buy the new system and may also influence
other people to do the same. Johan is aware of environmental
impacts, but he is very keen on saving money as well. The fact
that the investment will pay itself back in time by saving costs on
electricity, lowers the threshold to buy the product considerably.
Enova is lowering this threshold even more by reducing the price
of heating control systems as part of the ongoing governmental
concern about environmental issues.2
GDN has said they want to focus on quality and the environment
in the products they develop. These two aspects have also been
key aspects during the design phase of the new home automation
system. In this chapter it is described how quality, environmental
friendliness and other important aspects which were highlighted in
the analysis, are connected to the design of the new system.
The main design goal is to enable users to control electrical
appliances in the household, provide them with feedback about
their energy consumption. The possibility to connect any electrical
appliance gives the users the ability to control their indoor climate in
a convenient way. Simultaneously, the device is creating awareness
about how much energy is being used by specific appliances and
where and when energy can be saved. This can directly be related
to the wishes that were extracted from the generative sessions.
Julie, for example, could benefit from the fact that she finally has
an overview of what she can save energy on. For a family like
Vibeke’s, the system provides an efficient way to keep the house at
a comfortable temperature when needed, without having to keep
the heaters on continuously. These factors makes it easier for the
consumer to change behavior and use less energy, like mentioned
by Pettersen in her paper about consumption in households.1
Something that became clear from the internal analysis is that GDN
is not innovative enough, with the result that their market position is
getting weaker and that the turnover is lowering over time. Another
factor that affects the product development is that there is too little
contact with the end users. The decline in turnover can be stopped
and positively changed by creating new products that meet the
users needs and wishes. In the new home automation system, the
focus on the user has been a dominating factor in design decisions,
with an intuitive interaction as a result.
Another aspect that gives the possibility to create a more
innovating atmosphere is that the new home automation system
consists of both a hardware and a software part. The consumers
buy the hardware with the possibility to buy an update in the form
of software. The advantage is that GDN can offer extra functions
when new technology provides them. When for example the need
to connect to the Smart Grid system becomes higher in Norway,
The features mentioned above make it possible to integrate the
product in the upcoming passive houses and to provide GDN
with a step in the right direction to lower the contribution to
environmental impacts created by their products.
The user friendliness, the use of a touch screen, a high possibility to
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GDN can offer an update which enables the possibility to see the
amount of energy produced in addition to the energy use. If this
function would be included now already, it would make the product
unnecessarily complex. However, if people know that the product
can be updated, they will faster consider buying it than when they
know they need to buy a new product every time. This counts for
the compatibility between products as well; since the product
will be compatible with products from different manufacturers,
consumers will be more willing to buy it.
The design goal is obtained by allowing users to control their home
environment, in a way which is compatible with the target group’s
lifestyle. The product also give the users insight in the use of their
energy and offers a convenient way of saving energy and thus
lowering the environmental impacts. This and has added value for
the users in the form of lower electricity costs.
1
Pettersen, I.N. “Visualizing Household Resource Consumption”. Department of Product
Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
2
Energiråd Innlandet AS. (2010). “Støtteordninger for energisparende tiltak i privatboliger”.
http://www.energirad-innlandet.no/husholdninger/stotte-til-tiltak-i-boligen. Last visited
on 25.10.2010
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10.3 Roadmap; involving users in product development
As stated by the product development department at GDN, they have
little contact with their targeted end users. Thus, they lack insights
in the users’ needs and wishes. In this section, a roadmap on how to
involve users in the product development is therefore given. Users can be
involved in the design process in different ways, but in this roadmap, the
focus is on how to conduct generative sessions.
session and analysis.
The goal of generative sessions is to be able to get an insight in the context
of people’s interaction with products. This will give the designers deeper
insight in the needs and wishes of prospective users, since “users are the
expert on the domain of their experiences”.1
The next step is to select the techniques that are most useful for the
different phases of sensitizing process, the group sessions, the analysis and
communication. When setting up the study, one has to ask the following
questions: What information is needed as end result? How should the
users be sensitized? What kinds of exercises are appropriate for the group
sessions? What order should they be presented in?
Preparation stage
Once the decision has been made to include users in the design process
by organizing a generative session, the researchers should define what
kind of information they want to collect.
Getting users involved in the design process has great benefits for both
user and designer; “designers will have more empathy with users and
users will feel more involved with the product development process of
products they use or will use.”1 As a consequence, participating users are
often intrinsically motivated to participate in later stages of the design
process, e.g., in concept testing.
Asking the right questions and creating the right excercises is a crucial part
of study, since this is the key to obtain useful information. A study can be
done individually, but a group session is more common since participants
can respond to each others contributions. “All kinds of experiences,
such as the use of products, services, spaces and environments, can be
explored using generative sessions”2
“The basic principle behind generative sessions is to let people make
things and then tell a story about what they have made. The knowledge
that can be obtained by this is tacit or even latent knowledge. Tacit
knowlegde is knowledge that can not readily expressed in words. Latent
knowledge is knowledge people even do not know they possess, they
feel it”2
The next step is to select the group of participants. In order to select the
right target group, the research team should first define what they want
to know and from whom they wish to learn. For a single group session it is
recommended to have groups of four to six persons, taking two hours. In
total, two or more sessions can be done with different groups.2
Below, the process of preparing and executing a generative session is
presented briefly, to give GDN hands-on information on how such sessions
can be organized. If more information is needed, this can be found on the
website of Liz Sanders http://www.maketools.com/. Sanders was one of
the first to start working with getting users involved in the design process.
Four stages of the process will be discussed: preparation, sensitizing, the
Sensitizing participants
After a rough outline has been made for the sessions, the researchers
should define the tools for sensitizing the participants. When doing so,
the design team should keep in mind that only by taking small steps into
deeper levels of knowledge people can access and express their feelings,
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attitudes, experiences and needs. That is why the sensitizing process
should start one or two weeks before the actual sessions. Disposable
cameras, workbooks, diaries and postcards can be used as sensitizing
tools. Gaver has made complete packages of these tools, focussing on
establishing a conversation with the users.3
how they perceive using a product and its context. After creating the
artefacts, the participants explain what they have made. The creations
are expressions of their experiences, thoughts, feelings, and ideas rather
than design concepts.
The components of the toolkits should be ambiguous so they can be
interpreted and used in a variety of ways. The choice of a technique
depends on what a researcher wants to explore. Often, different
techniques are used together in a session. Each exercise tries to touch a
deeper level of knowledge.2 Creating a relaxing and informal environment
for the sessions will help the people to open up.
In attachment H, the time schedule of the session that was held can be
found. The order of the exercises can be seen as follows. First a warm-up
exercise to make participants feel at ease; they were asked to present the
timelines of a day which they had made in the booklet.
When designing sensitizing tools, a few things have to be kept in mind;
the subject of the sensitizing tools does not have to be the same as
the subject of the session, filling out the sensitizing material should
take people no more than five to ten minutes per day, the questions or
exercises should not be made too explicit and the design of the package
must be both playful and professional.
In attachment G, the booklet that was used for the generative sessions
for this project can be found. The booklet contains five small exercises
and was given to the users a week in advance of the sessions. The first
exercise was an introduction exercise to get people enthusiastic about
the booklet. The exercise was to draw the people in the house and the
people who often visit, such as a grandmother, friends or a cleaning
woman. This exercise might not seem that interesting for the researchers
at first, but it gives an indication of the people living in the household,
which is a first step into getting to know them.
The next exercise was to make a collage with pictures and words to
show a typical day. The participants were asked to display what happens
when they get up in the morning and when they go to bed, and what
happenes when they leave for work and comes home. The participants
were also asked to show what they like and dislike in these situations and
what they feel responsible for. By using images and words in the collage,
the paricipants were helped to connect to memories and emotions. In
attachement I some of the pictures and words that were used for this
exercise can be found. The participants had fifteen minutes to make the
collage and then the group had thirty minutes in total to present their
collages and discuss them.
Other exercises were to draw a timeline of a day, describing the products
you like and do not like, the room you prefer, and the things you do to
save energy.
Session - Make and tell
For the session, generative tools and toolkits have to be designed. These
can be materials to let people make drawings, collages, maps, stories,
storyboards, plans, express memories or models. A creative process
makes people aware of how they feel about their experiences and
The last exercise was to make an interface of a product you would like
to have to control anything you would like to control in your household.
For this exercise the participants were given different blocks, stickers and
buttons, to make the interfaces. Again the participants were given fifteen
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minutes to make something and then had thirty minutes to present
them. Modeling was chosen here, since it enables participants to express
functional needs and is often used as a summarizing exercise.
After the session the researchers had some follow up questions for the
participants to stimulate the participants to keep on sharing information.
It is important to keep cameras rolling after the session because often
participants want to continue sharing their thoughts and feelings with
others. This can lead to very useful information.
Analysis
During the sessions and directly afterwards, it is useful for the researchers
to make notes which includes their own thoughts and feelings and in
which remarkable things are noted. By doing so, less information is lost.
The data from the session consists of artefacts made during the workshop,
sensitizing materials, videotapes and sound records. This kind of
information helps designers not only to be inspired, but also to effectively
argue about choices for product ideas in decision discussions. There is no
standard for analyzing the information generated by the sensitizing tools
and the generative sessions. Analysis can be done based on the Grounded
Theory which means to study the data by discovering structures in the
data.4 After the data has been structured, the researchers can start to
note down interpretations. After this is done the researchers should find
a way to present and communicate the results.
To analyse the generative sessions, the entire sessions should be
transcribed. Afterwards, important quotes should be highlighted and
grouped. The results can then be summarized and conclusions be drawn.
1
Sleeswijk Visser, F. (2007) ‘Context mapping: a hands-on introduction’
Sanders, E.B.-N. (2001) ‘Virtuoses of the experience domain’ in Proceedings of the 2001
IDSA Education Conference.
3
Gaver, B., Dunne, T., Pacenti, E., (1999) ‘Cultural Probes’ in ACM Interactions, Vol.6, No.1
4
Corbin, J., Straus, A. (1990) ‘Grounded Theory research: Procedures, canons and
evaluative createria’ Qualitive Sociology, Vol. 13, No.1
2
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11. Final Recommendation
Another recommendation to GDN is to make sure that the device
has a sufficient security system. GDN needs to be able to give
the users a guarentee that their personal information will not be
available for third parties.
This project has led to a design suggestion for a home automation
system. The main recommendation to Glen Dimplex Nordic is that
the company should investigate the possibilities to implement a
product like this into their portfolio and bring it onto the market
within the next three years. This means the product should be out
in the shops around 2013 - 2014.
GDN should consider which departments will be working on the
development of such a system. In order to end up with a well
designed product, the company should make a clear division in
tasks, so that everyone knows who is responsible for what and
to whom they can talk to get more information on end users, for
example. The communication between the different departments
should be enhanched.
The design that is presented in this report has to be developed
further. We have some further recommendations for GDN on what
they should pay attention to. First of all GDN should make sure
that they are up to date on both new technological developments
and new software technologies. Examples are connection to the
Smart Grid and updates for mobile phones that will make use of
the system even more convenient. If the company will not allow
software updates for the home automation system, this will weaken
the relation with their customers.
Parallel to developing a home automation system, GDN should
have a strong focus on the development of new products that meet
the user’s expanding needs. By doing so, GDN will make sure that
the gap between possible and current turnover will be kept small.
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