TYPA - Founder-Led Consumer SaaS Platform
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Work info
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Project Sponsored by:
TYPA Inc.
Role:
Co-founder, Product Lead
Year:
March 2025 - Present
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Overview
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Building an accessible AI-powered financial dashboard support equitable solar energy access for Microsoft and communities.
Microsoft and solar energy may feel disconnected, but Microsoft has invested heavily in clean energy initiatives. The company aims to become carbon negative by 2030 and works with low-income communities to expand access to solar energy and long-term energy independence.
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Current Space
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Interest is growing. Access is not.
Solar adoption is rising, but tools and information remain fragmented and costly. Different stakeholders evaluate solar through different priorities, making decisions harder than they need to be.
Lack of Free Assessment Tools
Paid assessment tools limit access for first-time and low-income users
Scattered Information
Key solar concepts are complex and spread across multiple sources.
Different Decision Priorities
Homeowners and communities weigh different factors when evaluating solar.
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So What
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Microsoft wants to bring an innovated product to the market.
Thus, how might we design an AI-powered web tool that enables individuals and communities to assess their solar investment potential with minimal input while ensuring ease of use?
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Impacts
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Knowing Our Users
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There will be 2 distinct user groups using our web tool.
Group 1: Individual Household Owner
Invest in solar energy for a single-family home.
Group 2: Community Representative
Communities with multiple single-family homes and shared facilities.
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Solution
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A simple evaluation tool and results dashboard for two user groups using Microsoft Fluent 2 Design System
User Group 1: Individual Household Owner (Simple Inputs: Address + Electricity Bill)
User Group 2: Community Representative (Complex Inputs: Address + System Preference + Loan)
AI chatbox Soli
"75% of users quit the assessment due to uncertainty about the required questions."
Thus, A conversational AI interface is designed to adapt to user intent and context, guiding users through quick questions to help complete the assessment.
Landing Page & Interactive Solar 101
A fun, interactive learning experience paired with a clean landing page for easy access.
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Research
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We conducted research to identify pain points from both user and business perspectives.
Click below, it's interactive!
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Design Thinking & Process
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An adaptive, user-centered conversational AI should be designed with clear intent.
We prototyped the most compelling solutions through multiple cycles of usability feedback.
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Shining Moment
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Finally, with the help of Cursor, I developed the front end and shipped the product.
Another proud aspect of this shipped product is that I independently built the frontend end while collaborating with a teammate on the backend. AI played a key role in helping me learn the tradeoffs between design and engineering while improving overall product quality.
