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Gaia Cecchi
IT

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Academic case study A05

CERLES

The getting-started experience for Siena's first renewable energy community

Period
2022 — BSc thesis
Context
BSc thesis with Comitato Siena 2, promoter of the Siena Nord renewable energy community (CER)
Role
Sole UX designer across the full cycle — research, strategy, UX and UI up to the hi-fi prototype
Programme
BSc thesis — Communication Sciences, University of Siena
6
prototype iterations on weekly client feedback
16
contextual interviews with citizens
2/16
knew they could join a CER without owning panels

Problem

The energy transition asks citizens to become active players — prosumers — but the road into a renewable energy community (CER) is paved with fragmented, contradictory, overly technical information and a legislative process in constant motion. Interest is growing; understanding isn't.

1,1 °C
temperature rise since the late 19th century

Source: ISPRA

2/16
interviewees knew participation doesn't require a photovoltaic system

Target user

Carmine

51

Profile
Pragmatic; wants to verify the primary substation and the current legislative status before moving.
Goal
Understand whether his home can technically join the community.

Laura

38

Profile
Focused on the economics: discovering the incentives and monitoring how they are split.
Goal
Know exactly what joining is worth on the bill.

Rosa

32

Profile
Environmentalist, social-media savvy; wants clarity on panel disposal and environmental benefits.
Goal
Contribute to the planet without greenwashing doubts.

Giuseppe

70 — retired

Profile
Low digital literacy, helped by wife and daughter; prefers traditional and phone contact.
Goal
Understand whether he can participate without solar panels.

My role

As the sole UX designer I owned the entire design cycle, acting as the bridge between Comitato Siena 2 — the community's promoting body — and the local citizens: research and strategy (interviews, benchmark, competitor analysis), UX (information architecture, personas, journeys), and UI (iterative mock-ups up to the hi-fi version).

Process

  1. 01

    Empathize

    FAQ analysis (Enel, ènostra, GSE…), heuristic benchmark of communities like Grupo Creluz (Brazil) and Brooklyn Microgrid, and 16 contextual interviews.

  2. 02

    Define

    4 research-based personas, 8 user journeys exposing pain points like the POD code and the GSE site, and How-Might-We questions.

  3. 03

    Ideate

    Two storyboard iterations to place the energy community inside citizens' daily lives, and a progressive-disclosure information strategy.

  4. 04

    Prototype

    6 iterations driven by weekly feedback with the client, from the information architecture to the hi-fi prototype.

User journey — Giuseppe, 70: joining without panels

  1. 01 · Trigger

    Actions
    Giuseppe hears about CERs on TV and looks them up on the internet.
    ▾ Pain point
    The search returns a confusing mass of different pages and sources.
    ▸ Opportunity
    A very simple guide gathering all the key information.

  2. 02 · Phase 1

    Actions
    After reading a few sites, it's still unclear whether he can join without solar panels.
    ▾ Pain point
    Information that should be immediately clear to everyone isn't.
    ▸ Opportunity
    Spell out the community roles directly on the home page.

  3. 03 · Phase 2

    Actions
    He asks his daughter to check online for him, but even she can't figure it out.
    ▾ Pain point
    The answer is hard to find or given as obvious — it can make interested users give up.
    ▸ Opportunity
    Write out even what seems obvious.

  4. 04 · Phase 3

    Actions
    He wants to talk to a person: he calls the number in the site's contact section.
    ▾ Pain point
    He'd have preferred to find the answer on the site itself.
    ▸ Opportunity
    The FAQ section must contain these answers.

  5. 05 · Goal

    Actions
    He completes his membership in the CER as a consumer.
    ▸ Opportunity
    Give the FAQ a highlighted position on the site.
Second-iteration storyboard: photo-based panels of Rosa navigating the CERLES site
Second storyboard iteration — visualizing the experience toward joining

Key decisions

  • Progressive disclosure: bureaucratic depth is revealed gradually so first contact never overwhelms.
  • A podcast-style audio explaining the basics — an access route for users who won't read normative text.
  • A searchable FAQ in a highlighted position, answering even the “obvious” questions the interviews proved weren't obvious.
  • An expression-of-interest form where the POD code is optional — it speeds up paperwork without blocking whoever can't find it.
Information architecture tree next to a hi-fi screen of the community's essentials
Prototyping: the information architecture and the “essentials” page born from the first benchmark

Final result

The sixth iteration is a hi-fi prototype built on Wix: an impact home stating the energy transition plainly, benefits split into economic, environmental, and social, searchable FAQs, a news section tracking the legislation — the trust builder — and the simplified expression-of-interest form.

The final CERLES site: home with Siena skyline, “what is an energy community”, roles, and how to participate
The hi-fi prototype, sixth iteration — the four community roles spelled out on the home page

What I learned

  • Design for trust: in projects with real economic and social stakes, clarity beats aesthetics, and transparency about the law is what reassures most.
  • Weekly iteration with the client was vital to keep the prototype aligned with the community's real needs.
  • Turning technical terms (POD, primary substation) into concepts people can absorb is the designer's real mission in this sector.