HEATING CONTROL SYSTEM
JERIL DAVIS PALATTY
Informatic
westsächsische hochschule
Zwickau Saxony Germany
jerildavispalatty@gmail.com
Abstract
This project aims to create an application prototype for a smart
heating control system for optimizing energy usage. Created low-
fidelity individual pen and paper prototypes with key features and
functions. Common functions are included in both prototypes but
the way of operations and design are entirely different. With
individual prototypes, it was able to test heating control
applications efficiently. The think-aloud testing leads to a final
user-friendly and advanced heating control application. The user
interface application was created with the help of Balsamiq
wireframes. By analyzing and discussing, it was found that low-
fidelity prototypes help to reduce cost and design applications
effectively. Multiple prototypes help to create an optimal design
for better customer satisfaction.
Keywords
Design, Prototype, Think-aloud testing, User experience, Energy
Optimization, Functions.
Introduction
Electrical energy production is one of the most important things
among the countries worldwide. 59.9% of global energy produced
from fossil fuels in the first half of 2023. The other major sources
of electrical energy are Hydro Power, Wind Energy, Nuclear
Energy, etc.. The electrical energy production from fossil fuels and
hydropower plants causes environmental challenges including
pollution, exploitation of natural resources, and global warming.
As Electrical energy is a necessity for human life, we cannot step
back from production. The only option for environmental benefits
is the efficient use of the energy. The air conditioning system is an
integral part of each household. The majority of energy
consumption happens through house heating control systems.
This project aims to design and prototype with the ability to
control the heating system in a household with the utmost focus
on efficient energy usage. The cost control and efficient energy
usage are the most important goals of this system. To design and
prototype the system we have used the pencil and paper method
SACHIN PAVOOR VEETIL
Informatic
westsächsische hochschule
Zwickau Saxony Germany
Sachin.Pavoor.Veetil.nhd@fh-
zwickau.de
for low-fidelity prototyping and Balsamic wireframe for mobile
application prototyping.
Low-fidelity prototype
A low-fidelity prototype is a simple pen-and-paper diagram of an
early-stage design concept. User experience design teams use
them to quickly test an idea, identify errors and, and discard
product designs that don’t satisfy the users. An important step in
the design thinking process, low-fidelity prototyping drives ideas
and innovation for basic page layout, content creation, and user
flow.
Types of low-fidelity prototypes
Designers use two types of low-fidelity prototypes: paper
prototypes and wireframes.
Paper prototyping involves drawing of basic user interfaces onto a
piece of paper. Designers and key officials use these low-fi
prototyping tools to rapidly capture ideas for a new or redesigned
user-friendly experience. Whiteboard prototyping is mainly used
with different teams
Wireframes, employing uncomplicated digital screen blueprints,
serve to encapsulate fundamental layouts and content hierarchy.
Furthermore, they can illustrate user interactions within a user
flow, proving advantageous for conducting usability testing.
Low-fidelity prototyping significantly impacts the overall user
experience by offering several advantages:
Swift Collection of User Feedback: Rapidly gather pertinent user
feedback as individuals feel more at ease critiquing evolving
works, such as rough sketches or wireframes, compared to nearly
finalized designs. Prototypes with extensive features demand more
time for assessment.
Mitigation of Product Development Risk: Address user interface
issues early in the design and development stages, minimizing the
risk associated with product development. This proactive approach
aids in creating a more robust and user-friendly end product.
1
 Heating Control System, January, 2024, Zwickau, Germany Jeril Davis Palatty & Sachin Pavoor Veetil.

Workflow Streamlining: Facilitate efficient workflows by enabling Requirements

product team members to sidestep laborious and costly revisions
later in the design and development process. Early identification
and resolution of issues contribute to a smoother overall project • Individual room temperature control
progression. • Vacation calendar
Agile Changes Implementation: Embrace an agile design process • Weather forecast
by swiftly implementing changes on the fly. Low-fidelity
prototypes offer the flexibility for quick and easy fixes, fostering • Master control system
adaptability and responsiveness to evolving project requirements.
• User accessibility
Collaboration across Teams: Foster collaboration among diverse
• Energy saver mode
teams, including strategists, developers, and project managers.
Low-fidelity prototypes, particularly online versions that do not
necessitate extensive design expertise, empower various teams to
actively participate in the prototyping process.
Test Tasks
1 :- Set Bedroom 1 and Bedroom 2 temperature to 20°C.
2 :- Add 2 weeks’ vacation calendar for the Christmas holidays
begins with the date 20.12.2023.
3 :- Take a look into the past 3-month usage statistics for your
home.
4 :- Sign up as a new user and request access control for bedroom
1and 2
5 :- Analyze weather forecast for next week and schedule one day
heating control system accordingly.

Table 1 and 2 shows the result of the think-aloud test done on

individual pen and paper prototypes.

User Task Success Duration Observations Comments

1 1 Yes 3M Master Control Identifying

System was right button
confusing was difficult
Fig - 1
2 Yes 3M Schedule View Quickly
Think-Aloud Testing With option was not accessible
help there from home
page
Think-Aloud testing has been used in this project to identify user
3 Yes 40S Individual Easily
experience and overview regarding overall experience after
room overview accessible
completing test tasks. In a think-aloud test, participants are asked
option was not from home
test to the system while continuously thinking out loud — that is, included page
simply verbalizing their thoughts as they move through the user
interface. Think-aloud testing offers various important inputs for 4 Yes 1:30 M Logout from -
the design of an optimal user-friendly interface. The below- home page
helps to reduce
mentioned are requirements for the designing prototype following
the time.
with test tasks for the users
5 Yes 1M Weather Multiple
2
Heating Control System, January, 2024, Zwickau, Germany Jeril Davis Palatty & Sachin Pavoor Veetil

forecast was days Control

right button
not in home selection was System was
was difficult
page not possible confusing

2 1 Yes 30S Finding right Room Yes Schedule View Quickly

button to overview 2 With 3M option was not accessible from
change room page not help there home page
was easy included
What kind of
2 Yes 40S Test task was No options to 3 Yes 40S - data is not
confusing view mentioned
vacation schedules
calendar and Better to add Verification
schedule 4 Yes 3M an admin needed for sign
function up
3 Yes 38S Navigation More details
through home needs to be Another page is
was easy displayed 5 Yes 1M - needed for
schedule
4 Yes 1.50M Layout Layout
With confusing redesign
Room
Help users and leads would be
1 Yes 1M - identification
to time better
was not easy
consuming
Yes Temperature Time interval
5 Yes 1M Easy accessible Multiple day
2 with 2M identification not mentioned
from home schedule
help confusing clearly
page option needs
to be done Data not
3 Yes 50s
3 1 Yes 50S Easy - mentioned
navigation
Yes Icon Access control
through
4 with 2M identification viewing not
buttons
help confusing easy
2 Yes 40S - No Schedule
caption for
Confirmation Yes Another page is
schedule will
5 with 1M needed for
3 Yes 49S easily done Custom make user
help schedule
option can be user-friendly
added
Bedroom 1 not
4 Yes 1M Time Dialog Box mentioned
consuming can be added 1 Yes 2.21 M -
Master control
hard to guess
confusing
the right
option
Not vacation
5 Yes 40S Easy to get - 2 Yes 2:00M - calendar and
into the confusing path
forecast page
No unit, More
3 Yes 30s -
Table-1 graph needed

4 Yes 40s - -

User Dialog box

User Task Success Duration Observations 5 Yes 30s -
Comments needed

1 1 Yes 3M Master Identifying Table-2

3
 Heating Control System, January, 2024, Zwickau, Germany Jeril Davis Palatty & Sachin Pavoor Veetil.

Fig-2 Indicates the home page

We concluded that specific modifications are required for the final
prototype after examining think-aloud testing conducted with
various users.
 The majority of people complained about how difficult
it is to use the master control function.
 The option to examine several users' schedules was not
included.
 Room overview function of different rooms was not
included.
 There was no option for multiple room selection in the
Schedule function
At home, we included different functions for the users. The user
can select the economy mode function that enables the system to
operate the heating system automatically with effective use of
energy with just one touch. It automatically controls all heaters by
effectively scheduling all heaters.
A scheduled timer option is installed in the home so that every
user can create their schedule of heating their desired rooms
without wastage of energy.
Individual Room Control System

The think-aloud testing done with different users. Test tasks given
to users to operate our prototypes. Through different observations
and error correction, we arrived at our final prototype using
Balsamic wireframes. This heating system includes of different
types sensors like temperature, proximity sensors motion
sensors/PIR.

Home
Fig-3 Indicates the Individual Room Control System

Weather Forecast

4
 Heating Control System, January, 2024, Zwickau, Germany Jeril Davis Palatty & Sachin Pavoor Veetil

Here the admin is authorized for viewing and accepting signup

requests from different users. In addition, the admin can grant or
revoke access to each user.

Usage Statistics

Fig-4 Indicates the weather forecast for the next 7 days

Using GPS current location is detected and the weather forecast is

displayed for the next 7 days. Using this function, the user can
also schedule the heating of their respective rooms accordingly

Fig - 6 Shows the usage history of the heating control system.

Access Control For Different Users
In-home screen, we included a function for the users to display
energy usage for the previous days. Users can select different
options to see the usage of their heating control system. Here we
added an option to view the monthly cost according to the current
usage. This function creates an awareness to the user if the
consumption is high and the excess expense can be avoided
simultaneously

Voice Activation

Fig-5 shows the access control for different users

5
 Heating Control System, January, 2024, Zwickau, Germany Jeril Davis Palatty & Sachin Pavoor Veetil.

observations are higher in multiple prototypes. Due to its

affordability and ease of use, error correction proved to be one of
the most effective methods in the pen and paper prototype. For
users of various abilities, we have added a voice control feature
that makes it easier for everyone to utilize the application equally.
We included the economy mode function, which shows the cost
difference between the economic mode function's on and off
stages, because we are concentrating on energy conservation. This
provides users with a clear image of how to reduce heater
consumption without wasting electricity. The important thing
about our concept is that, depending on what the customer
requires, we may add more functionality to the program by
adding more sensors. To address this, we are including a user
manual that will explain how to expand our product
straightforwardly for users of various backgrounds.

Fig-7 Indicates the voice control option REFERENCES

[1] Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka and Nicolas Fulghum, 2023. Global Electricity Mid-
Year Insights 2023, 1 (05.10.2023),.
Here the proposed heating control system integrates voice https://ember-climate.org/insights/research/global-electricity-mid-year-insights-
activation that helps to increase the accessibility of the system. 2023/

[2] Daniel M. Martínez, Ben W. Ebenhack, Travis P. Wagner, in Energy Efficiency,

2019. Residential and commercial sector energy efficiency
Usability Methodology (https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812111-5.00008-1

[3] Jakob Nielsen, in Nielsen Norman Group, 2012 January 15, 2012
For this project, we employed think-aloud testing with various https://www.nngroup.com/articles/thinking-aloud-the-1-usability-tool/
users for each pen and paper prototype. Each user was assigned a #:~:text=Definition%3A%20In%20a%20thinking%20aloud,keep%20up%20a
%20running%20monologue
set of tasks based on our success criteria. Through analysis of test
findings, including user observations and feedback, we used the [4] Low-fidelity prototyping: What is it and how can it help? In Figma,
Balsamiq wireframe tools to finish our prototype. We adjusted the https://www.figma.com/resource-library/low-fidelity-prototyping/
function in response to the majority of users' complaints that our
master button is not user-friendly. A few users proposed adding a
schedule view option to a few functions to improve the
application's efficiency. Another significant flaw that we later
incorporated was the room overviewing features that were
identified in the think-aloud testing.

Conclusion
We developed a final prototype using Balsamiq wireframes after
testing low-fidelity prototypes with several users. We were able to
add or delete features from our final prototype and make some
minor modifications to make it more efficient by using think-aloud
testing. Several pen-and-paper+ prototypes forced the user to
choose the best one through spoken thought. When compared to
evaluating a single pen and paper prototype, user comments and