PowerUp

UX & UI

Brand Identity

PowerUp was a university-led conceptual project exploring how community-led design could address both energy inequality and public health challenges. The brief focused on proposing an accessible, decentralised solution that empowered communities to actively participate in the energy transition. I developed PowerUp as a holistic ecosystem comprising a brand identity, mobile app, website, and physical gym layout, designed to generate renewable energy through gym equipment and solar panels for community benefit. The project was completed within a three-week turnaround, received Highly Commended in the RSA Awards, and was later advocated for by Jane Hunt MP (Loughborough) as an example of socially driven innovation.

The concept was rooted in research into deprivation in Leicester, where high energy costs, poor cardiovascular health outcomes, and limited access to community-led energy initiatives intersect. My approach combined UX research, service design, and systems thinking to ensure the solution was not only aspirational but grounded in real-world viability.

Requirements & Result

The core challenge was to design a credible, inclusive system that addressed multiple interconnected problems: energy affordability, health inequality, and community disengagement from renewable technologies. To inform the solution, I conducted primary research through community surveys, consulted with an energy advisor at Aurora Energy Research, and analysed public health data from Public Health England, which highlighted elevated cardiovascular mortality rates in Leicester. These insights directly shaped the intervention, leading to the integration of energy-generating gym equipment with solar infrastructure and a community-focused operational model.

I designed the full brand identity and visual language, created a companion mobile app focused on gamification and engagement, designed the supporting website, and produced a detailed gym layout using SketchUp to demonstrate spatial feasibility and accessibility. I also carried out technical modelling to calculate energy generation, tariff optimisation, and potential household savings, ensuring the concept was underpinned by scientific and economic rationale. The final outcome presents PowerUp as a scalable, decentralised system that promotes sustainability, improves public health outcomes, and empowers communities through participation rather than passive consumption. The project demonstrates my ability to combine UX research, service design, digital product design, and evidence-based decision-making under tight time constraints.

RSA Testimonial

"The judges were highly enthusiastic for your professional presentation and confident answers to questions that showed the depths of your research, knowledge and passion. They loved hearing about how you developed PowerUp, from visiting sites to involving experts by getting endorsements from local government. The judges particularly praised your focus on considering diverse needs and encourage you to continue applying an accessible and user focused design-led approach."

– SDA Team (May, 2023)