Eversol - Solar Kit Configurator

Overview

The Eversol Solar Kit Configurator is an innovative tool developed by Digiwave to help potential customers of Eversol understand their energy needs and choose the best solar kit. The configurator is embedded within the Eversol website as an iframe, offering an interactive way to estimate energy consumption and compare it against the production capabilities of various solar kits. The ultimate goal is to help users find the most cost-effective solar solution that meets their energy requirements year-round.

Eversol Solar Kit Configurator

Project Details

Challenge

Before the development of the configurator, Eversol and Voltéo used Excel sheets to calculate the energy consumption of their customers and recommend suitable solar kits. This manual approach was time-consuming, less engaging, and offered limited scope for an optimized user experience. The main challenges were:

1. User Experience (UX): Creating an intuitive tool that would be easy for customers and sales representatives to use, particularly during consultations.
2. Data Visualization: Representing energy consumption and production effectively so that customers could easily make informed decisions.
3. SEO and Engagement: Increasing customer engagement and improving the website's SEO to attract more users looking for energy solutions.

Solution

To overcome these challenges, we focused on building an efficient, visually appealing, and responsive configurator:

1. Interactive Energy Simulator: The configurator allows users to select their geographical area, list the devices they plan to power, and specify usage duration. The tool then calculates the expected energy consumption.

2. Comparison with Solar Kits: Users can compare their consumption with the energy production of different solar kits, based on monthly production values. The configurator suggests the most suitable kit, considering both energy coverage and cost-effectiveness.

3. Modern Frontend Development: Built using React and Tailwind CSS, the configurator is fully responsive to ensure a seamless experience on both desktop and mobile devices. The energy production graph is implemented using Recharts, providing a clear visual representation of the balance between energy production and consumption throughout the year.

Screenshot of Eversol's Solar Kit Configurator

Key Features:

• Geographical Selection: Users can choose their region to calculate solar energy production based on local sunlight conditions.
• Device Customization: Users can add the devices they want to power, specifying the quantity and usage hours.
• Interactive Graphs: The graph dynamically displays energy production versus consumption, making it easy to visualize monthly differences.
• Responsive Design: The configurator is optimized for both mobile and desktop devices to cater to all users.

Technologies Used

• Frontend Framework: React
• Styling: Tailwind CSS
• Data Visualization: Recharts for graph rendering
• Deployment: Static site, embedded as an iframe on the Eversol website

Development Process

The development process involved close collaboration with the Voltéo and Eversol teams over a few months. Key stages included:

• Initial Planning: Understanding the needs of both customers and sales representatives to create a user-friendly experience.
• Iterative Design: Developing multiple iterations of the configurator, incorporating UX feedback from Eversol's testing with their clients and sales representatives.
• Frontend Development: Using React and Tailwind to ensure a highly responsive and visually appealing interface.
• Testing and Feedback Loop: Conducting usability tests and making adjustments based on feedback to optimize both the user experience and visual presentation.

Team Roles

• Louis Gauthier: Lead Frontend Developer responsible for the entire development process, including UI/UX design, development, and implementation.

Results

The Eversol Solar Kit Configurator resulted in the following outcomes:

• Improved User Experience: Customers can now easily determine their energy needs and find the best solar kit, without needing in-person consultations.
• Enhanced Sales Process: Sales representatives use the tool during consultations to quickly estimate the energy needs of potential customers, improving sales efficiency.
• SEO Benefits: The interactive tool significantly boosted user engagement, which is expected to improve website SEO and attract more potential customers.
• Higher Sales Potential: By simplifying the process of estimating energy needs and matching them with suitable solar kits, the configurator is likely to increase conversions and sales.

Future Enhancements

To further enhance the configurator, we are considering the following improvements:

• Additional Customization Options: Allow users to customize their solar kits further based on budget and preferences.
• Localization: Expand the configurator to support additional languages for international customers.
• Analytics Integration: Incorporate analytics to gather insights on user behavior, enabling continuous optimization of the tool.
• Offline Access: Develop an offline version of the configurator for use in areas with limited internet access.

Conclusion

The Eversol Solar Kit Configurator is an effective solution for simplifying the process of selecting solar energy solutions. By transforming a manual, Excel-based process into an interactive, responsive, and visually engaging tool, we were able to improve both customer experience and business efficiency. We're proud of the impact this project has had on Eversol's customer engagement and sales processes, and we're looking forward to expanding its capabilities in the future.

This project was developed by Louis Gauthier at Digiwave. For more information about our services, visit Digiwave's Portfolio.