While I was at Auburn, I chose to participate in a sponsored studio with Generac. The goal of this particular project was to refine the current portable generator to improve the user experience. To accomplish this, we focused on the usability, functionality, and aesthetics of Generac’s product line. The resulting designs could be easily integrated into a future Generac product line.

For this project, we focused on inverter generators and portable storm units specifically. We began the research phase by delving into the competitive landscape. From there, we assembled a sample product as end-users ourselves and captured this through a video ethnography. Finally, we expanded our research subjects by recruiting a variety of potential generator users at Auburn tailgates and the surrounding neighborhoods.

From this user research, we learned that end-users found the current products cumbersome and generally difficult to use. More specifically, users who would not interact with the product frequently (perhaps users who may have a generator for outages during storms) had difficulty recalling how to perform the basic operations. Furthermore, their difficulty might be exacerbated by the potential circumstances like the power being out. I took these learnings into the next phase, form development.

During the form development phase, I focused on solving the pain points identified during our user research. The main changes involved the instructions, ergonomics, and new features. Users noted their infrequent use, so I aimed to update the product such that it was easy for a user to return to and use without frustration or locating a manual. To accomplish this, I prominently featured new instructions on the product itself. These instructions were color-coded and 30% larger than their predecessors. I also added ergonomic features for transportation, installation, and general use. All of these changes were taken into the first model and 3D model phases.