A seamless way to monitor gas levels, receive alert and order refills ensuring users never run out of gas.
Role
Industry
Tools
01. Overview of Project
My role: I was the sole UX Designer doing the problem defining and solutions and for the entire product.
Background: In Portugal, it is quite common to use gas cylinders in kitchens, and even to heat water for showers. However, it was also common for people to forget to purchase a new cylinder before the previous one ran out. Some even attempted to manually calculate how much usage time was left.
Recognising this challenge, Galp saw an opportunity and developed the "Smart Gas Cylinder" product. This innovation allowed users to monitor the gas level and check their consumption history through the "Mundo Galp" app.
I developed a digital system to bridge physical and digital interactions, helping users track and manage their gas cylinders.
From explorations to final designs in 5 weeks
I worked with: Product Manager, User Research, UI designer, Cross Functional Engineering squad including 2 backenders, 1 front enders and a QA specialist
02. Challenge
Create a simple and reliable experience for users to check gas cylinders in real time, connect the cylinder to the app, and know when to replace or order a new one.
03. Discovery & Research
The gas cylinder was equipped with a QR code, which allowed for unit identification and access to the internal chamber. Additionally, we realized that by connecting via Bluetooth, we could pair the cylinder with a mobile device and thus monitor both the gas level and the cylinder’s temperature in real time.
With this information consolidated, we began designing the application. The functionality was integrated into the existing "Mundo Galp" app, leveraging customers' familiarity with the platform, which made accessing all the information in one place much more convenient.
Card Sorting / Feature Prioritisation
We already had data on users’ habits, preferences, technology adoption, needs, pain points, and priorities. What we needed was to discover which information and features were most important to them. To prioritise essential features, I conducted a card sorting exercise with both stakeholders and customers who use gas systems daily. This helped identify the most important information and functions, guiding the app’s interface and feature roadmap.
Insights
Customers prioritise alerts and orders because they want to avoid running out of gas.
Stakeholders also value consumption history and autonomy, as these help with marketing and logistical planning.
Cylinder temperature is seen as interesting.
Marketing or extra features are ranked lowest and can be added later.
04. Ideation & Concepting
I shaped research insights into user flows and interactive prototypes, visualising how customers would monitor their gas cylinders and place new orders. I tested these prototypes with real users to validate usability, iterated based on feedback, and collaborated closely with developers to integrate the solution seamlessly into the existing app.
04. Solution
06. Results and Impact
Reduction in Gas Refill Delays: Real-time monitoring reduced instances of users running out of gas unexpectedly by 70%, thanks to low-level notifications and predictive autonomy tracking.
Operational Efficiency & Sustainability: For gas companies, the system reduces cylinder fleet, transport costs and idle empty units, as well as optimizes filling/distribution and reduces CO2 emissions.
Order Conversion Rate: The "Order New Cylinder" feature directly from the app saw a 35% increase in order conversions, streamlining the reordering process.
Consumption Trend Awareness: Monthly usage reports were downloaded by 60% of Smart Cylinder users, indicating that customers found value in understanding their gas consumption patterns for planning purposes.
