Uncovering Opportunities Within Solar Through User Research

On our journey to refining Product-Market Fit, we found that the residential solar market is plagued by distrust, confusion, and fragmented information (i.e. fertile product ground). To understand the landscape, I conducted in-depth research with recent solar buyers. We used the insights to prioritize solutions, including the creation of Sunny, an AI-powered solar advisor.

Role
Research design and strategy, user interviews, research synthesis

Methodology

We conducted user interviews with 10 single family homeowners across the United States who had signed a solar contract within the last 3 months.

The interview consisted of two parts:

Contextual Inquiry

We asked users about their solar journey and motivations, challenges, needs and decisions in going solar.

See interview guide

Concept Testing

We introduced four tools, including an AI advisor and contract analyzer, and gathered feedback on their clarity, usefulness, and impact.

See concept slides

Insights

We outlined the solar journey and within it, discovered several issues preventing people from commiting to this expensive purchase.

Summary reel I created to summarize research for text-averse leadership and teammates

Main Pains

Trust Issues

A scammy industry run by biased sales people leaves customers wanting trustworthy, third-party sources of info.

Unknown Unknowns

The solar industry feels foreign to most, leaving them unsure what questions to ask when researching.

Wild West of Irrelevant Info

Solar costs vary widely by state and individual usage, making relevant information hard to find.

Impact

This research delivered significant outcomes, including a deep understanding of the solar journey, prioritized product ideas, and the creation of Sunny, an AI-powered advisor.

Thanks to this research, we were able to:

Refine our Product-Market Fit Thesis

Built Sunny, A Tool That Addresses Multiple Pain Points See Case Study

Develop Prioritized Product Idea List

More Case Studies

Helping Users Make Confident Solar Choices with Personalized AI Advice from Sunny Doubling Lead Gen Conversions Through Strategic A/B Testing and Microiterations

See older work

Targeting Explained

Single-Family Homeowner

We were focused on residential rooftop solar, which is only available to single-famly homeowners.

United States

Because solar details vary so much from state to state, we wanted to ensure enough variety to captire a wide range of experiences.

Recently signed contract

We focused on the initial stages of the solar journey for our PMF work and wanted the journey to be fresh in the candidate's mind.

How We Recruited

We initially launched an email campaign targeting our existing customers but found low alignment with our demographic. To avoid recruiting costs, we turned to platforms like Reddit and Nextdoor, as well as personal networks, successfully recruiting enough participants for our purposes. Calendly streamlined scheduling, and Amazon gift cards were offered as incentives.

Our (New) Product-Market Fit Statement

For the first time, I was able to articulate a concise, actionable, unique vision backed by user research.

WattBuy is a one-stop shop for solar, empowering (single family) homeowners with trustworthy, personalized, actionable information and tools to enable their switch to solar energy.

In a world of disorganized, irrelevant information and scammy sources, WattBuy is the first platform to give homeowners everything they need to make the best decision for them, in one place.