Challenge

The client needed an interactive, educational tool for their website that could explain solar energy in a way homeowners would grasp immediately. The simulation needed to:

• show how much solar energy their home could generate
• let users experiment with different home conditions
• model how household appliances subtract from solar output
• visually demonstrate savings
• support both marketing goals and genuine user understanding

In short: take something highly technical and make it feel intuitive, visual, and exploratory.

Solution

I co-developed a 3D simulation that felt like a small world users could poke, tweak, and explore—while still communicating accurate, data-driven results.

Designing an engaging, educational experience

I shaped the simulation around simple interactions that revealed complex ideas. Homeowners could enter information about:

• geographic location
• home orientation
• tree cover and shading
• typical weather patterns

The tool used this data to simulate solar panel performance and translate it into easy-to-grasp energy and savings visualizations.

Making energy usage tangible

Users could turn household appliances on or off to see how each one affected energy consumption. This turned an abstract concept—“usage”—into something visual, responsive, and learnable.

Creating the interaction and visual systems

I designed the UI for:

• interacting with the 3D simulation
• adjusting conditions
• displaying real-time energy output
• showing savings and usage changes

Development + content design

I implemented the front end using Director/Shockwave, storyboarded educational content, wrote voiceover scripts, and designed the user actions that would affect the simulated energy model.

I also worked closely with the programmer and 3D art team (remote team in Uruguay) to bring the world to life.

Role

• End-to-end product management for a programmer + 3D art team
• UX/UI design of the simulation interface
• Front-end development in Director/Shockwave
• Designing interactive elements and data visualizations
• Writing educational content + voiceover scripts
• Storyboarding user pathways and system behaviors
• Coordinating 3D art, animation needs, and model behaviors
• Directing voiceover talent and integrating audio cues

Outcome

The simulation exceeded the client’s expectations and quickly proved useful beyond the website. They began using it directly in customer sales conversations and commissioned a revised version for kiosk deployment in Home Depot stores. The project became a cornerstone of their consumer education and marketing strategy.