How opportunity trees unlocked a utility comparison feature for 1000+ homeowners
PRODUCT STRATEGY
CUSTOMER DISCOVERY
UX RESEARCH
I led the research and defined the customer discovery strategy for Jotson, a startup energy management app. This resulted in a focused product roadmap and the launch of the Utility Contract Comparison Toolkit that helped acquire the brand’s first 1,000 subscribers.
For a deeper dive into the process, I'd be happy to walk it through in a chat.
1k+
APP SUBSCRIBERS
Surpassed the brand’s goal of 1k subscribers by the end of 2024
9x
USABILITY IMPROVEMENTS
Significant improvements to app flow, usability, and new product features
+1
PRODUCT TOOLKIT
Contributed to a new product feature that led to 1k+ new users
01
—
Speak the language.
Get buy-in.
WHEN I JOINED the project, Jotson was in the early stages of validating its market fit. The CEO and COO had assumptions about their target audience, but had no structured way to test and validate these hypotheses.
To manage expectations, I developed a customer discovery roadmap and presented it in a format that’s already familiar to leadership.
My focus was in discovery and validation. I worked closely with the leads to define who their users are, their problems, and what possible outcomes they seek.
02
—
Narrow the focus
To prove if those outcomes are true and to understand what product capabilities would enable those outcomes I built opportunity trees to map out:
User outcomes – What are they trying to achieve?
Behaviors & actions – What actions do they take to reach their goals?
Product interventions – How can the app support these behaviors?
03
—
Max efforts, minimal means
Given budget constraints, I proposed a lean research strategy and ran a structured qualitative study between December 2023 to mid-2024.
Backyard FGT (Focus Group Testing) – Reached out to friends & family for initial user insights
Roadshows & field research – On-site interviews in Canmore, a community already transitioning to carbon-zero
User interviews - Invited and interviewed early access users
04
—
Key insights & design implications
1. Legibility & data visualization Issues
Older users increased font sizes on their phones, causing data visualizations to break and run off-screen
We addressed the aspect ratios issues and set the font to fixed sizes to preserve readability
While not a perfect fix in terms of accessibility it signals to the team the need for better accessibility as product development progresses
2. Carbon footprint confusion
Users didn’t understand if their carbon footprint score was “good” or “bad”
We introduced benchmarks to provide clearer insights
3. Cost savings as the primary driver
Unsurprising, users cared most about how much money they could save
This led to the contract comparison tool, a feature that helped users find the most cost-effective energy plan
AFTER
05
—
Impact & measurable outcomes
Short-term impact:
The customer discovery roadmap became an ongoing reference for product planning
Prioritized usability fixes improved user experience
Jotson gained clarity on user motivations, leading to the contract comparison tool
Long-term impact:
Surpassed 1,000 subscribers by late 2024, exceeding the brand’s goals
The contract comparison feature became a key growth driver
The COO and product owner continues to refer to the opportunity trees for future product direction
This project reinforced how presenting information in a language already familiar to your decision makers help with getting buy-in.
How a strong, objective framework can help democratize the decision-making. Which helps keep the focus on the project objectives and solution-oriented efforts.
For a deeper dive into the process, I’d be happy to walk it through in a chat.
SHOUTOUTS TO—
Michelle Walstra - For being an amazing copilot! For jumping in to the deep end while the project was already more thank halfway through. For bringing her deep UX insights and enriching our research and making it even more impactful.
Mark Little - For doing the heavy work of being the face of the brand and leading the much needed field work in Canmore and all over Alberta. For supporting the CDR work and recognizing the value user research brings to the product. For being a truly down-to-earth nice guy!
Remus Lacatus - For being an amazing client, manager, and all around good human. For recognizing the role of design and where good design offers value in the product. For holding space for different perspectives and nurturing it to the benefit of the team and to the product.
