Case Study
Carbon Zero Accelerator
An end-to-end project tackling a complex problem at scale. All built within 6 months.
I wrote, edited and voiced this video to introduce the tool to newcomers.
The Problem
The NSW government has committed to a similar goal and will reduce emissions across all its agencies to zero by 2050.
Stage 1 of this plan is to reduce the all emissions to 75% by 2030, and this project is one of the first tangible steps taken towards hitting that first goal.
Current Tools are for Experts
Before we came on board, the client team had already built an initial version of the tool. This version was skewed towards those experts and required a lot of technical expertise to use.
Challenges
Some of the challenges we identified early on were:
No knowledge about a complex, and technical domain
Brand new process for a new user group (not yet defined by business)
Tight timelines for the delivery phase - 6 months
Project Goals
Design a tool that helps government agencies track, plan and reduce their carbon emissions.
Identify who our target audiences are
Design and prototype a new carbon accounting process
Define the scope for MVP (so that it can be sized and estimated)
My Role
As the UX Design Lead, I was primarily responsible for problem definition, user research, and concept design and prototyping
Moving into the Delivery Phase, I took on more of a product owner role, in addition to my design responsibilities, helping the client PO with defining delivery priorities, capturing requirements, working with the technical team to understand feasibility.
Timeline
Discovery Phase
Early 2022 - Mid 2022 (4 months)
MVP Delivery Phase
Early 2023 - Late 2023 (6 months)
Activities
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Project Sequencing & Estimation
Requirements Gathering
Agile Delivery Planning
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Workshop Facilitation
Requirements Gathering
Developer Engagement
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Interaction Design
Wireframing
User Testing (Moderated and Unmoderated)
Prototyping
Information Architecture
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Product Strategy and Roadmapping
MVP Definition
Backlog Refinement
“Christian Llagas is an absolute superstar. I don’t even have the words to express how impressive he is with his expertise.
He was brilliant at interpreting our incredibly complex data sets and business needs. His stakeholder management skills are exceptional.”
— Client
“I worked with Christian on a project when he was at Concentrix Catalyst. I cannot recommend him enough. His talent for building rapport with clients and unearthing their complex needs through creative engagement sessions was truly impressive. His unwavering commitment to the project's vision not only inspired the team but also kept the team focused on delivering an MVP that exceeded client expectations.
Thanks to his work we were able to deliver a complex project in an extremely fast time-frame. I cannot recommend him more highly.”
— Tech Lead
Outcomes
This multi- million dollar project was delivered on time and on under budget. Not something you typically see on a government project!
Working software and real data. The tool achieves the our stated goal which is to help agencies track, plan and reduce their carbon emissions
A thorough understanding of how to apply carbon calculations
A vision on where to go next and a defined roadmap of future enhancements
Our project is currently featured in the NSW Government Smart Places - Case Study Library which showcases "projects and pilots using technology and data solutions to improve living in NSW."