Abstract
CoSSMic (Collaborating Smart Solar powered Micro-grids) is an EU funded project aimed at developing a system for smart management and control of solar energy. The system must be relevant to a community of end-users and other stakeholders. Two processes are described here to contribute in meeting this aim, user-centered design and lean startup product design. We describe an iterative approach to the design of the system which incorporates these two processes and the impact it has had on results.