An essential part of the SEEDS project is using an interactive user interface to explore the many feasible carbon-neutral energy system configurations for Portugal. In the first project year, Work Package 3, led by Tallinn University, conducted the necessary background research and developed an initial design concept for such an interface.
The purpose of WP3 is to capture insights into the needs and predispositions of project stakeholders for specific user interface implementations following frameworks of Participatory Design, Generative Design Research, and User-Centered Design methodologies.
The literature review and inquiry research facilitated the understanding of the surrounding context of the energy transition in Portugal and the possible design interventions that can be addressed by the SEEDS project. Additionally, Domain-Experts interviews were conducted to grasp the aspects of the energy transitions in Portugal and its characteristics. Later, representatives of the stakeholder groups were interviewed about critical themes of the energy transition context identified by the WP4.
Furthermore, two co-design workshops were organized on both internal (project experts) and external (stakeholders) levels. The participatory activities enabled the SEEDS experts and beneficiaries to express their expectations and create the concept of the SEEDS modeling tool. Besides, the joint reflection enabled the design team to identify the drawbacks and necessary iterations for the project’s future. The results brought valuable and informative insights and provided the primary definition of the type of interaction, tool functionalities, and content of the interface under development.
Tallinn University summarised such work in a report, which covers project deliverables 3.1 and 3.2. Download the PDF report and have a look at how things are taking shape!