SaaS for ESG reporting and management. B2B. Climate tech & Real Estate.
UX/UI Design, User Testing, Client Feedback & Product Ideation (/w Product owner)
Companies don’t need to create their own templates; instead, they can simply communicate to clients the information they require. Clients can then assemble the reports themselves, empowering them to generate reports quickly without needing to request specific formats from us. Additionally, users can easily customize and adjust these reports to fit their needs. While companies can still add and share their templates,they are no longer required to do so.
We can track which features users export the most to provide recommendations. This helps us identify the key features they are interested in, understand market needs, and determine where we should focus our efforts.
New features can now be easily added to the reports feature selector, after the creation of the page template. This removes the dependency between a feature and a report.
We have received way fewer client requests for adding/removing features and pages, which has created spare time and reduced manual work.
Now, we can focus more on the development of other features rather than thinking solely from the perspective of pre-defined reports. We no longer prioritize reports; instead, we focus on providing a greater variety of options and features.
Creating the modal was a relatively fast process. I followed best practices for feature selection, considering arranging the order of the features. I also collaborated with the development team to explore suitable libraries and elements. I designed two versions: the first with drag-and-drop functionality (the user friendly one) and the second with up and down arrows, which would be more development-friendly in case finding a suitable component posed challenges. Luckily, our devs were able to find a suitable drag--and-drop component.In addition to feature selection, I used simple input fields and incorporated the hover preview functionality from the Area Widget (see case study).
My primary vision for this product is to simplify the user experience by making everything accessible. I aimed to minimise the need for users to search for information and reduce the number of clicks wherever possible. This is why I decided to include shortcut buttons on the tile itself for the main actions, enabling users to perform tasks without entering the reporting process.
Another key decision was my desire to create a template that is automatically shared among all buildings. The management welcomed this idea because companies typically require reporting in a specific structure, and this structure often applies to multiple buildings. By implementing a shared template, the manual process of adding it to each building is eliminated.
When the custom template feature was released and confirmed as functional through user testing, a new request arose: the ability to export reports in different languages. Currently, the platform supports two languages, English and German, with plans for future extensions.
I created several prototypes for implementing this feature, both within a modal and within the report creation process. The deciding factor in favour of the modal option was the necessity for having different report names in various languages. Subsequently, when downloading or previewing a report, users can select the language in which they wish the report to be.
As I observed the state of data in our software, I often noticed that many template tiles had red dots, indicating that data was frequently changed. This observation led me to conceive the idea of creating a bulk action to reduce the manual effort required for issuing and reissuing reports.
When a client made changes to data within one of the widgets, we displayed it in the platform to inform the user that the data had been modified, requiring them to manually reissue the document to ensure they received an updated version. However, often times many exports shared the same widget, for example, 10 exports. Having to manually reissue all 10 templates when the data was fixed is not efficient. To address such situations, I consulted with the backend team whether it's feasible to add bulk actions. As the number of reports is usually around 3-8, there was not a problem to implement it. We implemented a bulk reissue feature that allows users to reissue all documents at once.
The 'Issue All' option serves a similar purpose. It's used when data was previously inputted, and several new templates were added. This feature enables clients to issue all reports simultaneously instead of doing it one by one. It also speeds up the process, especially considering that templates are shared among different buildings.
Initially, we only expected exporting reports, as the platform was designed for ESG reporting—where experts define requirements, we provide templates, and users input their data. However, as clients began using the platform, they became more knowledgeable and developed their own requirements, pushing us to adapt and become more flexible. And, honestly, we loved it! We were thrilled by this shift, as it allowed us to empower users to create custom reports and provided us valuable insights into market needs.
Our first custom request was for a standalone diagram. Initially built as a static template for a specific client, this feature evolved into flexible diagrams for all users. Later, we received a request for KPI pick and print request, a page with plain labels and numbers, aimed at our most advanced users. This marked an exciting progression, signalling an interest in deeper calculations and analytics, which our team of experts was well-prepared to support.