Expertise
Social themes
Sustainable living and renovating
The customer
Back in 2018, Het Flemish Energy and Climate Agency (VEKA), the Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM) and the Department of Environment and Housing in Flanders, jointly gave the go-ahead for Woningpas.
Today, citizens can find all relevant information about their homes on the Flemish government's free tool. It also gives them renovation advice and information on subsidies and energy-saving measures.
Knight Moves has been responsible for user research, creative support and co-creation with the stakeholders involved from the start of the project. Our colleagues at Little Miss Robot took care of the digital design including UX & UI design, and of the front-end development of the platform.
‘We brought together various government agencies, an external innovation partner and user feedback. Together, we created a digital tool that presents fragmented and complex data in a user-friendly way.’
The challenge
To achieve the ambitious energy goals of the Green Deal by 2050, the Flemish government wants to get everyone on board in the energy transition. This brought a new challenge for Woningpas: how can we turn complex and technical energy rules into accessible information that activates citizens to invest in energy saving?
As a service design partner, we see two main challenges:
- The complexity of the information: technical details about homes, regulations and an evolving range of energy-saving measures.
- A diverse target audience with varying digital skills and different levels of engagement in sustainable initiatives.
In short: how do we ensure that the average citizen not only understands the information, but also feels motivated to take action?
Our approach
We take a strategic approach that puts service design and user-centred thinking at the heart of our work.
- Targeted research: For each project, we organise stakeholder interviews, workshops, technical consultations, user testing, ... and discuss which new features will have the most impact.
- User-friendly implementation: For selected new functions, we ensure user-friendly implementation. An example now in test phase is personally inviting homeowners to join an energy community for those who will install heat pumps.
- Co-creation: During workshops with various interested stakeholders, we devise tailor-made solutions.
- Iterative design: We simplify complex information, develop an intuitive interface and respond to internal feedback and the results of user testing.
‘Our project-based approach ensures a clear roadmap with clear focus. We ensure that feedback from users is used to adjust the vision, pronounce co-creative priorities and draw up targeted actions.’
The result
We evolved with the 'Woningpas' into a one-stop-shop platform for all citizens' housing information.
Some of our recent achievements:
- Targeted invitations to participate in group and neighbourhood initiatives for installing heat pumps that owners can sign up to without obligation (thanks to the European Horizon DEMO-BLog project).
- Integration with the Real Estate Information Platform (VIP) so that information about a property when it is sold or renovated can be shared more easily with stakeholders (architects, local authorities, notaries, etc.).
- Making the Flemish & Local Kotlabel (a label for student housing) available in 'Woningpas'.
- Making file documents digitally available for all kinds of permits.
View the result here and find out more about your property (only available for property owners in Flanders).
‘Renovating a house is complicated. Many people do not know where to start, what obligations there are or what subsidies they are entitled to. The Housing Pass bundles all this info in a convenient and accessible way. This was only possible thanks to the involvement of citizens and the organisations providing the data!’
From 2025: a building passport for non-residential buildings
From 2025, the Flemish government will launch the 'Gebouwenpas': the digital passport for non-residential buildings. This will also allow owners of shops or flats with common parts to consult relevant information. Knight Moves actively participates in the design and user-friendliness of this platform.
Broad support for energy transition
Besides our work for both platforms, we also support VEKA with other realisations such as ‘Make your meter smart’ and ‘Is my home heat pump ready?’. In these projects, we pool all our knowledge about a sustainable energy transition, as accessible as possible to everyone.
