7KovaCor // Ireland // SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

UCD Make A Difference // SDG 7 // Evidence portfolio

From empathy to energy action

A record of the design-thinking work behind KovaCor. Real evidence is shown as written; unfinished research is clearly marked as pending so it cannot be confused with real findings.

Test the prototypeBack to homepage
01

Empathise

The team used interviews, contextual conversations and desk research with prospective users — Irish homeowners, renters and small-business operators — to understand how they currently make sense of energy decisions.

Content pending — awaiting real research data

[Name]

Age
[Age]
Home type
[Home type]
Energy situation
[Situation]
Goals
[Goals]
Frustrations
[Frustrations]
Content pending — awaiting real research data

[Name]

Age
[Age]
Home type
[Home type]
Energy situation
[Situation]
Goals
[Goals]
Frustrations
[Frustrations]

Empathy map

Content pending — awaiting real research data

Says

[Insert participant says]

Thinks

[Insert participant thinks]

Does

[Insert participant does]

Feels

[Insert participant feels]

Pains

[Insert participant pains]

Gains

[Insert participant gains]

Research log

Content pending — awaiting real research data
DateMethodParticipantKey insight
[Date][Method][Participant][Insight]
[Date][Method][Participant][Insight]
[Date][Method][Participant][Insight]
02

Define

Synthesis of the empathy work produced a single Point of View statement, which in turn framed the guiding How Might We question.

Point of view

Irish homeowners and renters need a simple way to identify affordable, locally relevant energy improvements because energy information is fragmented across suppliers, grant schemes, and technical jargon that assumes expert knowledge.

which led us to ask

How might we

How might we help people identify affordable, locally relevant energy improvements without demanding expert knowledge?

03

Ideate

The team generated multiple solution concepts across advisory, informational and interactive formats before selecting the interactive planner as the concept that best combined feasibility with SDG 7 impact.

Ideas we considered

Interactive energy planner
Chosen

Selected for high impact and achievability within project constraints.

[Rejected idea 1]
Content pending — awaiting real research data

[One-line reason for rejection]

[Rejected idea 2]
Content pending — awaiting real research data

[One-line reason for rejection]

[Rejected idea 3]
Content pending — awaiting real research data

[One-line reason for rejection]

Action priority matrix

High impact · Low effort

Quick wins

Interactive planner

High impact · High effort

Major projects

[Idea]Content pending — awaiting real research data

Low impact · Low effort

Fill-ins

[Idea]Content pending — awaiting real research data

Low impact · High effort

Avoid

[Idea]Content pending — awaiting real research data

Vertical axis: impact · Horizontal axis: effort

04

Prototype

The KovaCor site itself is the working prototype. The interactive planner accepts building, budget and location inputs, applies transparent rules against Irish datasets, and returns a ranked action plan and downloadable PDF.

Service blueprint

Physical evidence

  • Website UI
  • Downloaded PDF plan

Customer actions

  • Opens site
  • Completes planner form
  • Reads recommendations
  • Downloads PDF

— Line of interaction —

Frontstage

  • Homepage value proposition
  • Planner form
  • Results view

— Line of visibility —

Backstage

  • Calculation engine runs against building & location inputs
  • PDF generator assembles action plan

Support processes

  • SEAI / CSO / EPA / CRU reference data
  • Hosting & analytics

Iterations

IterationTriggerChange made
1Early visitors could not identify the site's purpose from the homepageHomepage restructured with a clear value proposition and three-step “How it works” section
2[Trigger for iteration 2] Content pending — awaiting real research data[Change made]
3[Trigger for iteration 3] Content pending — awaiting real research data[Change made]
05

Test

Testing combined observed feedback on the deployed prototype with live usage counters. Structured usability sessions are scheduled.

Documented findings

Finding

Early visitors could not identify the site's purpose from the homepage.

Change

Homepage restructured with a clear value proposition and three-step “How it works”.

Outcome

[Post-change observation]

Content pending — awaiting real research data

Live usage data from the deployed prototype

Site visitors

272

Plans completed

16

Potential annual CO₂ saved

31 t

Usability test results

Content pending — awaiting real research data

Structured usability testing scheduled — results will be documented here.

TaskParticipantCompleted?Observation
[Task 1][P1][Y/N][Observation]
[Task 2][P2][Y/N][Observation]
[Task 3][P3][Y/N][Observation]
[Task 4][P4][Y/N][Observation]
[Task 5][P5][Y/N][Observation]

Success criteria — results

CriterionResult
Assessment completion without assistance16 plans completed to date
Perceived relevance of the top recommendationContent pending — awaiting real research data
Confidence in taking the next stepContent pending — awaiting real research data
Affordability of the first actionContent pending — awaiting real research data
Intended and measured energy actionPotential annual CO₂ from completed plans: 31 t · verified action Content pending — awaiting real research data
06

Objectives & SDG 7 linkage

Three SMART objectives, each tagged to a specific SDG 7 indicator. Target numbers remain pending until the team confirms them.

SDG 7.1

Reach [X] Irish visitors from underserved counties by [date], improving access to energy information (SDG 7.1).

Target numbers pending
SDG 7.2

Direct [X%] of completed plans towards renewable-electricity or heat-pump actions by [date] (SDG 7.2).

Target numbers pending
SDG 7.3

Enable [X] completed energy plans by [date], supporting energy efficiency (SDG 7.3).

Target numbers pending

Each completed plan on this site produces a ranked list of efficiency and fabric upgrades — a direct link to SDG 7.3 (doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency).

07

Stakeholders & Scope

Stakeholder mapping and scope statement for the prototype.

Power / Interest grid

High power · High interest

Manage closely

SEAI

Low power · High interest

Keep informed

Homeowners / rentersSmall businesses (SMEs)

High power · Low interest

Keep satisfied

PolicymakersEnergy suppliers

Low power · Low interest

Monitor

General public

Scope statement

Justification

Irish households and SMEs face fragmented information and jargon-heavy grant schemes. A single guided planner lowers the effort of taking the first action on SDG 7.

Objectives

See section 06 — three SMART objectives tagged to SDG 7 indicators.

Deliverables

Live web prototype, interactive energy planner, downloadable PDF action plan, live prices reference, grants reference, project evidence portfolio.

In scope

Irish residential and small-business energy use; efficiency, fabric and clean-energy recommendations; SEAI-referenced grant pointers; educational scenario tooling.

Out of scope

BER assessments, contractor quotes, live grant applications, financial advice, real-time market tariffs, industrial-scale energy audits.

Constraints

[Time, team size, data-access and hosting constraints] Content pending — awaiting real research data

Assumptions

[Assumptions about user access, data recency and grant stability] Content pending — awaiting real research data

08

Risk & Effort

Structural containers for the risk register and ~100-hour effort breakdown.

Risk register

RiskLikelihoodImpactMitigation
[Risk 1] Content pending — awaiting real research data[L/M/H][L/M/H][Mitigation]
[Risk 2] Content pending — awaiting real research data[L/M/H][L/M/H][Mitigation]
[Risk 3] Content pending — awaiting real research data[L/M/H][L/M/H][Mitigation]
[Risk 4] Content pending — awaiting real research data[L/M/H][L/M/H][Mitigation]
[Risk 5] Content pending — awaiting real research data[L/M/H][L/M/H][Mitigation]

Effort breakdown (~100 hours target)

CategoryHoursNotes
Research[hrs] Content pending — awaiting real research data[Notes]
Design[hrs] Content pending — awaiting real research data[Notes]
Build[hrs] Content pending — awaiting real research data[Notes]
Testing[hrs] Content pending — awaiting real research data[Notes]
Documentation[hrs] Content pending — awaiting real research data[Notes]
09

Reflection

Reflection prompts for the team, to be completed as the project closes out.

What worked

Content pending — awaiting real research data

[Reflection paragraph on “What worked”]

What we'd do differently

Content pending — awaiting real research data

[Reflection paragraph on “What we'd do differently”]

What we learned about design thinking

Content pending — awaiting real research data

[Reflection paragraph on “What we learned about design thinking”]