WindStox: Clean Energy Crowdfunding
Mobile App Prototype
Sustainability & Clean Energy
Mobile Design, Stakeholder Analysis, Crowdfunding
Year:
2021
A mobile app concept using WindStax (a clean energy company) as a practice case study to explore how smartphone capabilities could democratize wind turbine investment. This academic project focused on transforming an industrial B2B model into a consumer-facing platform that makes renewable energy accessible and tangible through crowdfunding and immersive visualization.
Project Type: Academic Design & Research Project
Timeline: Spring 2021
Team: Elan, Jeremy, Ije, Andy
Course: Interaction Design Studio II
Deliverables: Stakeholder map, lo-fi through hi-fi prototypes in Figma, final pitch presentation
Target User: Everyday consumers interested in supporting clean energy.
WindStax only serves corporate and industrial partnerships, limiting their reach and excluding individuals who wanted to invest in renewable energy. Wind turbines are expensive, large-scale infrastructure that feel distant and inaccessible to average people who care about sustainability, but lack both the capital and physical space to participate in the clean energy transition.
We started by mapping WindStax's ecosystem: government agencies, material suppliers, construction workers, environmental artists, and most importantly, the gap where individual consumers should be. Competitive analysis revealed that traditional energy companies (Duquesne Light, Yep Energy) focused on consumption rather than investment, missing an opportunity for people to become stakeholders in energy production.
Through stakeholder mapping, we identified value flows and realized that crowdfunding could create a new relationship: multiple users pooling resources to collectively own turbine shares, receiving financial returns while supporting environmental goals.
WindStox connects users to wind energy investment through three core features:
The crowdfunding platform lets users browse campaigns from people seeking to build turbines in their communities, complete with personal stories, funding progress, expected revenue calculations based on historical weather data, and the ability to follow campaigns for updates.
An earnings dashboard visualizes real-time energy generation and financial returns through interactive graphs, allowing users to track individual turbine performance across different time ranges.
Users may visit their turbines as to-scale 3D models with the app's VR gyroscope controls, encouraging a sense of ownership and pride.
We designed a dark-mode interface with vibrant data visualizations that balanced WindStax's serious, scientific brand voice with an approachable tone for everyday consumers.
WindStax has beautiful technology and strong environmental values, but a business model that keeps that mission locked to corporate clients.
Through this project, I was able to reflect on how mobile technology can elevate an organization's mission beyond its traditional model.