Our client, Jun Wong, is a PHD student in Economics at the University of Chicago—a private research university. He is working closely with employees and managers from the SBEE (Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique), the state-owned company responsible for electricity generation across Benin, Africa, to improve their current electricity application process. Jun first encountered this project while conducting dissertation research in Benin on electricity access. In interviews, many households recalled long delays when trying to obtain an electricity connection from the national utility. A significant part of these delays stemmed from a lack of transparency around the requirements and steps involved in the application process.
Our project focuses on initiating a digitized application system that could reduce confusion, shorten delays, and improve overall accessibility.
Currently, there are over 6 million residents of Benin who are unable to afford electricity access. Interviews with households in Benin suggest that the current electricity application process is lengthy, mismanaged, and difficult to navigate. Our solution digitizes the electricity application and installation process for both applicants and SBEE employees, ultimately streamlining applicant submissions, tracking, and employee oversight through a user-friendly web and mobile platform.
https://embed.figma.com/proto/QPdzSzWSh9ZbolHk239Mae/University-of-Chicago?node-id=6-4&p=f&t=yFlhiNJoDnqcmM0R-0&scaling=contain&content-scaling=fixed&starting-point-node-id=2729%3A876&show-proto-sidebar=1&embed-host=notion&footer=false&theme=system
https://embed.figma.com/proto/QPdzSzWSh9ZbolHk239Mae/University-of-Chicago?node-id=6-4&p=f&t=yFlhiNJoDnqcmM0R-0&scaling=contain&content-scaling=fixed&starting-point-node-id=3092%3A456&show-proto-sidebar=1&embed-host=notion&footer=false&theme=system
https://embed.figma.com/proto/QPdzSzWSh9ZbolHk239Mae/University-of-Chicago?node-id=6-4&p=f&t=yFlhiNJoDnqcmM0R-0&scaling=contain&content-scaling=fixed&starting-point-node-id=3266%3A969&show-proto-sidebar=1&embed-host=notion&footer=false&theme=system
https://embed.figma.com/proto/QPdzSzWSh9ZbolHk239Mae/University-of-Chicago?node-id=3472-710&p=f&t=6UyRhEr2U4eT941z-1&scaling=scale-down&content-scaling=fixed&page-id=6%3A4&starting-point-node-id=3472%3A710&show-proto-sidebar=1&embed-host=notion&footer=false&theme=system
Working with the client - Jun Wong, a PHD student at University of Chicago
Our collaboration with Jun involved a structured and iterative process to ensure the final product truly met his vision. Each week, we held internal meetings to refine our designs and gather feedback from our mentor (a UI/UX design professional) before presenting updates to Jun. During the client meetings, we carefully documented his requested changes and asked for further clarifications to help us make adjustments. Over the summer, this cycle of meetings allowed us to progressively develop and refine key elements such as product requirements, user personas, user journeys, user flows, and wireframes—starting with low-fidelity sketches and moving toward high-fidelity designs, complemented by a technical presentation and this comprehensive case study.
Lo-Fis