Introduction
We, Team FourSight, decided to propose a solution for the current Energy Management System (EMS) to solve the problems it faced. Based on an article published on the 25th of September, 2025, by gridX, an EMS is a set of tools combining software and hardware that optimally distributes energy flows between connected distributed energy resources (DERs). It collects, analyzes, and visualizes data in real time and dynamically controls energy flows.
We chose to improve the existing EMS because EMS benefits the planet a lot. We try to awaken people to the harsh conditions that are being faced by our current Earth. The creation of a new EMS may be the first step to improve the people’s awareness on energy conservation. EMS is a crucial system in our mission to save the planet, as it can help to lower our carbon footprint. Not only that, EMS also supports climate change mitigation, conserves natural resources, promotes renewable energy integration, and contributes heavily in global sustainability goals.
In this proposal, we will be listing out the problems currently faced by the available EMS and our proposed solution that will benefit the users. We will try to guarantee an excellent user experience with our newly proposed EMS by designing the EMS with several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals identified by the United Nations in mind.
Problem
Before we present our proposed solution, we need to first identify the problem space of our targeted system, that is the electricity management system (EMS). After conducting some investigation on several available EMS, we have identified some issues faced by the current EMS:
Problem 1: Complex and Overwhelming Interfaces
Existing energy management systems often display excessive information such as real-time consumption graphs, historical data, and cost projections within a single dashboard. As a result, users, especially with limited technical expertise may find it difficult to identify which data is most relevant to their immediate needs, such as tracking specific appliances or monitoring peak-hour electricity usage. This poor visual design causes cognitive overload, making users feel confused and mentally exhausted when trying to interpret multiple charts and readings at once. For instance, cluttered charts, small text, and inconsistent layouts make it difficult for users to identify which appliances consume the most energy or to compare usage trends efficiently. Indeed, users even overlook important information like unusual energy spikes or bill estimates because the key details are buried under too many visual elements.
Figure 1.0: Each view doesn’t have a specific purpose or decision. Different views segmented together with every piece of information in a single view.
In addition, most systems lack customization features that allow users to simplify or personalize their dashboard view based on their energy priorities, such as cost savings or usage reduction. The inability to hide irrelevant data or rearrange dashboard elements limits user control and makes the interface less intuitive. Without customization, users feel frustrated and lose motivation to keep using the system. Notably, users with low experience tend to experience higher cognitive load and lower perceived performance when dashboards lack customization options (Alsayahani, 2025). This shows that an unorganized interface can negatively affect both usability and overall satisfaction, ultimately leading users to abandon the system rather than use it to manage their energy efficiently.
Even locally, these interface-related issues can be observed in Malaysia’s official energy management application, myTNB. Although the app lets users track monthly electricity usage and manage their accounts, many find it difficult to navigate due to its data-heavy layout, limited visual clarity, and lack of clear indicators for understanding consumption patterns. Reviews and feedback highlight that information such as usage graphs and billing summaries often appear static, with minimal interactivity or real-time insights. Eventually, this reflects a broader problem faced by many energy management systems, crucially interfaces that provide information without truly supporting user understanding or engagement (myTNB, 2024).
Picture 1 : myTNB application interface
Usability Goal Problems: Efficiency, Learnability
User Experience Goal Problems: Not Satisfying, Not Enjoyable
Problem 2: Difficult Setup and Device Pairing
Many current energy management systems lack an effective onboarding process to guide users during the initial setup. When first launching the application, users are often required to manually connect smart meters, appliances, and solar devices without clear step-by-step instructions. This absence of a built-in walkthrough or interactive guide leads to confusion and disorientation during the pairing process. As a result, users struggle to get the system to operate as intended, which directly reduces the learnability and overall reliability of the system.
Above all, users often rely on external resources such as YouTube tutorials or third-party websites to complete the setup process as a result of lack of internal guidance. Alas, this dependency on external help not only disrupts the user experience but also raises questions about the system’s credibility and customer care. The cognitive walkthrough method highlights that interactive systems should provide adequate support for new or infrequent users (Nandhi, 2022). Therefore, the shortage of in-app support represents a significant gap in usability and user experience for mainstream energy management systems.
Figure 1.1: Certain issues need to be resolved via external resources (YouTube tutorials)
Moreover, relying on external platforms can lead to inconsistent or outdated information since tutorial videos or user guides are not always updated with the latest software versions. This often results in users following incorrect steps or missing important configurations during setup. Consequently, the lack of official in-app assistance reduces trust in the system and diminishes the overall onboarding experience.
Usability Goal Problems: Learnability, Effectiveness
User Experience Goal Problems: Not Enjoyable, Not Trustworthy Solution Ideas
Problem 3: Lack of User Engagement and Motivation in Energy Saving
Although the modern EMS are always equipped with advanced data collection and monitoring capabilities, most of them still fail to effectively engage users or motivate them to the action of conserving energy. Users view EMS merely as only a reporting tool rather than a supportive system that encourages energy-saving or energy-efficient behaviour because it mainly displays raw technical information like voltage, current, or total energy consumption. The current system doesn’t translate those raw technical information into clear and actionable insights.
The interfaces of EMS commonly lack visual cues, personalized feedback dashboards, or any motivation elements that can keep reminding the users to use energy wisely all the time and help them to understand how important their actions are on energy usage. For instance, users may be able to see that their power consumption is “too high,” but the system does not tell the users why or how to do it.
Furthermore, the absence of behavioral design features like progress tracking, comparisons, goal setting, or even gamified rewards to engage the users to save energy leads to minimal behavioral change. For the current EMS system, users rarely receive timely feedback or recognition for improvement. This decreases their interest and desire in interacting with the system.
In short, the current EMS design focuses heavily on technical monitoring but neglects user experience and behavioral motivation. Users will lose their awareness of their power consumption ways and are not encouraged to take proactive steps toward a crucial environmentally friendly behavior—energy conservation without the intuitive visualizations and interactive guidance.
Figure 2.0: Example showing only reports are given to the users
Cr.: Jacky Chin and Shu-Chiang Lin, Sustainability 2016, 8(7), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/su8070641
Usability Goal Problems: Effectiveness, Learnability, Feedback
User Experience Goal Problems: Not Motivating, Not Engaging, Not Enjoyable
Proposed Solution
With the problem on Energy Management System lay out, we may now propose our proposed solution to overcome the problem faced by the current EMS. Our proposed solution will be an interactive energy tracking and management application that is powered by AI called Brightly. The application will be able to track the current power usage and daily or hourly electricity usage to allow home users to manage their electricity footprints better and save energy. Through this application, we are aiming to achieve some of the Sustainable Development Goals, that is Affordable and Clean Energy, Responsible Consumption and Production and Climate Action.
In our proposed application, Brightly, we will be addressing the problems as follow:
- As stated in the problem statement, it is found that most electricity management applications or web services have complex overwhelming and unattractive interfaces. To overcome this problem, we decided to equip our electricity management application with an interactive interface where the home users may easily understand and grasp the information shown by the application. For example, to show the power usage, we may use a container or box with fluid-like movement to indicate the current power usage is either low or high based on how full the container or box gets. We wanted our application to be able to give feedback to users so that the interface will gain the attention of the users. To make the application attractive for users, the placements, font and size of text for important information will also be considered so that users will be able to easily notice the given information. > Addressed problem: Problem 1, Problem 3
- Next, we will also provide guided interfaces that are easy for users to navigate through the application. As many had trouble in setting up an application, especially those that are less tech-savvy, we will provide guidance through having obvious icons or indicators for users to notice and surf through the app. We will also reference the available application’s interface to make our application more recognisable and familiar to the users. > Addressed problem: Problem 2
- Other than that, to make our application encourage users to save energy, we decided to gamify the application by setting goals for users to reduce or limit electricity consumption. We may also allow users to set their own goals and by using AI suggestions to provide advice for users on how to save energy consumption. > Addressed problem: Problem 3
- Lastly, to make the application more user friendly, we will be applying AI to create a summary report of energy consumption and energy usage pattern where the summary will be provided to users in the most easily understandable way. For example, we may use interactable line graph to show the past history of users' energy consumption rate where users can tap on one point of the month where the AI will give a summary whether users use more energy at different times of the day or what devices or appliances use most energy. > Addressed problem: Problem 1, Problem 3
Target User
For our proposed solution that is the energy tracking and management application, Brightly, we are aiming for our target users to be the followings:
Residential Users (Home Energy Consumers)
Individuals and families that live in homes or communities who are in charge of managing their own energy consumption are one of our target users. They may monitor their power consumption in real time and see patterns of daily or hourly usage using Brightly. For example, this application helps users by recognizing appliances that consume energy and adopting better lifestyles to reduce wasteful electricity use by providing AI-based and personalized recommendations. As a result, homeowners can reduce their monthly electricity bills. Not only that they can improve energy efficiency but this will encourage more sustainable living.
Business Owner with small to medium sized stores
This category includes small and medium-sized business owners like restaurant owners, convenience store owners, and fast food restaurants who depend highly on electrical equipment for their day-to-day operations. Business spending can be greatly impacted by electricity rates, therefore our Brightly enables these users the ability to monitor energy consumption in real time, identify periods of high usage, and get AI-driven recommendations on how to optimize power use. In order to help business owners develop effective energy plans, cut expenses, and run their companies more sustainably, the system also produces summary reports. By implementing Brightly, they can show their passion for environmental responsibility while also improving cost management.
University students renting room/house outside campus
University students especially those that are renting rooms outside of the campus need to track their electricity consumption and usage since they usually rent together with other roommates. By using Brightly, they are able to track which appliances uses how much electricity and for how long through the real-time electricity consumption data tracking available through Brightly. This will allow university students that rent rooms outside campus able to distribute bill equally among roommates based on consumption, while also promoting energy saving technique to university students.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this proposal focuses on improving the current Energy Management System (EMS) by identifying and solving key usability and user experience problems that affect how users manage their energy consumption. As with, existing EMS platforms often have complex dashboards, confusing setup processes, low engagement features, and limited data interaction, making them difficult and less enjoyable to use. These challenges reduce the system’s efficiency and prevent users from managing their energy effectively.
Our proposed solution, Brightly, aims to create a smarter and more user-friendly energy management experience. By combining real-time tracking, guided onboarding, AI-driven insights, and interactive features, Brightly helps users understand and control their energy usage easily. Consequently, the inclusion of gamified goals and personalized recommendations also encourages long-term engagement and energy-saving habits. With its alignment to the Sustainable Development Goals which includes Climate Action, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Affordable and Clean Energy. Alas, Brightly represents a step toward a more sustainable and energy-conscious society.
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