Sunbathe
Designing the cognitive bridge between solar technology and the homes that hesitate to adopt it.
Sustainable Energy
Business Proposal
Product Design
ROLE
Researcher
Product Designer
DURATION
10 Weeks, 2024
OUTPUT
Startup Pitch
Product Design
TEAM
Team of 5
Participants Surveyed
127
Insight Sessions
18
Concepts Synthesis
23 to 3
Pitch Outcome
Top 5%
VISION
Sunbathe envisions a future where, by 2050, solar products will seamlessly integrate into every home, and the world fully embraces solar energy's power.
OPPORTUNITY
The gap between capability
& adoption.
The technology exists. The financing exists. The will exists. Yet 99% of homeowners can't tell you when solar pays back. We treated that not as an awareness problem, but as a design problem.
1%
of surveyed participants were familiar with the actual ROI timeline of residential solar-powered solutions.
01 Lack of knowledge
Energy conversion, kWh, payback periods, a glossary problem that becomes a buying problem.
02 Lengthy ROI
Solar is framed as a 20-year commitment, not a 5-year optimization.
03 Complexity
Quotes, permits, installers, inverters — five fragmented decisions disguised as one.
04 Unreliability
Quotes, permits, installers, inverters — five fragmented decisions disguised as one.
PROCESS FOLLOWED
Five designers, ten weeks,
one premise.
01
Market Discover
Industry/Market Identification
Market Impact
02
Stakeholder
Understanding
Identifying Stakeholders
Generating Insights from User Data
03
Competitor Study
Competitor Landscape & Analysis
Business Model Canvas
Conceptualisation & Prototype
04
Design Testing
User Feedback
Usability Testing
05
Pitch & Final Deliverables
Pitch Presentation
Video Clip
Poster
Executive Summary
Process Book
FRAMEWORK USED
SOLUTION
A solar system
that explains itself.
We designed Sunbathe as two surfaces, a customizable hardware module and a financing + literacy companion sharing one voice. Energy as a tangible, legible asset.
Solar Puzzle
CLOSING THE LOOP
Hardware + Software
The Solar Puzzle reports and the app translates
The homeowner trusts a real time feedback loop between the instllation and awareness.
HARDWARE
Modular solar tiles for scalable energy solution
Unlike traditional solar panels, our innovative solar tiles empower users to build their solar energy system incrementally.
Start Small
Install a few tiles that contribute to 20% of your energy needs
Scale at your convenience
Add more tiles as your capacity grows to invest, building toward full energy independance
Flexible Approch
This flexible approach aligns with users financial comfort while providing a clear path to sustainable living
SOFTWARE
Visualize and plan your solar investment with Sunbathe app
Unlike traditional solar panels, our innovative solar tiles empower users to build their solar energy system incrementally.
STEP 1
Select between the Grid and Hexo tiles
STEP 2
Scan space for view module requirement
STEP 3
Upload monthly bill to check energy saving
STEP 4
Get custom investment plan for your energy needs
RELECTION
What I'm taking with me.
Designer as translator
The future-facing UX role is less screen, more bridge between engineering, finance, and human hesitation.
Research is the product
The 1% stat reframed the entire venture. Numbers, when they land, become the brief.
People management
Leading five designers taught me that the hardest interface to design is the one between teammates.
