Auto Quote System
Streamlining the solar quoting experience with automated solutions.
Date
May 2024 - Nov 2024
Role
Led Product Designer
Team
PM, Eng team, Marketing team, EA/PSM team
Type
Information Architecture, Onboarding Flow, Automatic System Design
Background
Today, consumers often wait hours or even days to receive solar quotes after submitting their information. This waiting period depends on how active and responsive installers are, as well as when users register. Unfortunately, an average of 20% of users do not return to the Marketplace to view their quotes. On the other hand, installers invest a significant amount of effort and time in generating these solar quotes, which in turn limits their capacity to engage with consumers.
My Role and Key Stakeholders
As a product designer, I am leading the design efforts for the auto quote project, which involves designing for both the installer (side B) and consumer (side C) experiences.
Throughout this project, I have been collaborating closely with the installer product team, installers, the AI system design team, and the consumer experience team to successfully deliver this project.
Success Metric
Installer:
% of installer who set up for auto quote
Installer engagement rate increase
Installer satisfaction increase
Consumer:
Marketplace engagement rate increase (% of users that see 2+ quotes)
Lead conversion rate increase
Internal Interviews and Information Architecture
At the beginning of this project, I conducted both internal and external interviews with our product service team and several installers to gain a deeper understanding of what installers require to create a quote.
The next step was to understand the current environment of the installer quoting system. Given that this will be a new feature on the installer platform, I mapped out the information architecture and began to develop the workflow for the auto-quote feature.
A Design Challenge: Everyone has a different algorithm
A design challenge I am facing while mapping out the user journey involves variations in system design among different installers. Depending on the state they operate in, installers exhibit markedly different quoting behaviors. To simplify the situation, I categorized the installer quoting behavior into three groups:
Quote based on consumer’s location
Quote based on consumer’s utility
Quote based on consumer’s utility, but if they don’t know what utility the consumer is using, they will quote consumer’s utility based on their zip code
Considering the challenges arising from the overlapping considerations of location and utility, and following several rounds of discussions and reviews of the current workflow, I began to realize:
If designing the relationship as "location or utility" isn't feasible, why not consider it as "location and utility"?
Initial flow version
Final flow version
By combining location and utility into a unified consideration rather than treating them as distinct factors, I enable a paradigm shift that unveils new opportunities and simplifies navigating the flow's complexities.
Having addressed this challenge, I developed an iterative version of the installer flow.
Low-fi Prototype and Usability Testing
After completing the user journey mapping, I collaborated closely with my Product Manager to define requirements, drawing on the journey maps and installer feedback to identify pain points. We shared our initial prototype draft with the engineering team and other crucial business stakeholders, making iterative improvements based on their feedback.
Additionally, we conducted two rounds of usability testing with a total of 12 installers. Our goal was to assess whether the current flow effectively enabled installers to assemble their quoting packages and felt self-guided enough for our installers.
12 installers from various states
1 hour testing session via Zoom
The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and the ease of navigation within the new flow
Iterations based on installers’ feedback
Design delivery
The design was meticulously crafted to ensure a seamless experience across both mobile and desktop versions.
The team engaged in multiple rounds of collaboration to turn the auto quote project into a significant success, this experience was fully launched Nov 2024
Impact
Installer Impacts:
100% Adoption: All installers in IL and WI now use the auto quote system, showing the onboarding success.
More Engagement: Installers spend more time with customers, thanks to the efficiency of auto quotes.
Higher Satisfaction: Installers are happier with the system, enjoying streamlined work and better customer interactions.
Consumer Impacts:
Increased Engagement: Now, 95% of consumers see 2+ quotes in under a minute, improving from 60%.
Stable Conversion: Although the conversion rate hasn't changed, consumers are making more informed choices with access to more quotes.