When we started working on Blaze, the goal was simple but ambitious - to make running a solar business easier by bringing every part of the sales and project process under one roof.
Solar companies often juggle multiple tools - one for leads, another for designs, a third for project tracking, and countless spreadsheets in between. Blaze was meant to change that. A single, seamless platform where everything from managing leads to creating solar layouts to handling installations could happen in one place.
The client came to us with a clear pain point - the solar workflow was too fragmented. Sales reps were managing leads on a CRM, design engineers were working with third-party tools like Helioscope, and project managers were coordinating everything manually over emails and Messages.
They wanted a centralized ecosystem where every stakeholder - from sales to design to field execution - could collaborate smoothly without relying on multiple disconnected systems. It wasn’t just about building a tool; it was about simplifying how solar businesses operate every day.
Before jumping into designs, we wanted to understand the humans using this system - their frustrations, their workarounds, and their day-to-day routines.
Sales Representatives told us they had no single place to manage everything. They constantly switched between CRMs, design tools, and communication apps. Many of them weren’t comfortable using complex design software, which often led to inaccurate proposals or longer turnaround times.
Solar Layout Designers had their own set of struggles. Designing systems that actually worked - factoring in roof angles, shading, and production estimates - was tough, especially with limited coordination from sales or site engineers. Each project felt like reinventing the wheel.
Field Engineers shared that communication was their biggest challenge. Installation teams needed real-time updates from sales and design, but often received incomplete information or last-minute changes. It made scheduling and on-site work frustrating.
Our goal with Blaze was to create a single source of truth for everything - where leads, projects, designs, and communications could coexist in one intuitive platform.
The idea was to keep things simple, visual, and role-based - so each person saw exactly what they needed to see, without being overwhelmed.
There were challenges, of course. Plenty of them!
Understanding the complex sales process took multiple iterations and client workshops.
Figuring out how to integrate finance partners without overcomplicating the flow was tricky.
And designing a system flexible enough to work for any solar business, regardless of size or geography, pushed us to think modularly.
Once the structure was in place, we moved into visual design. Blaze needed to feel professional but approachable - something technical users could trust and sales teams wouldn’t find intimidating.
We kept the interface clean, data-driven, and focused on clarity. Dashboards presented actionable insights upfront, while modules like Lead Management, Solar Design, and Project Tracking followed a consistent, minimal pattern.
SALES PIPELINE
A structured workflow that helps sales reps manage every stage of the sales process effortlessly.
Add New Leads
Easily capture and organize new leads from various sources in one place.
Streamlined Workflow
Move leads through different stages - from qualification to proposal - in a guided, intuitive flow.
Integrated Design Creation
Sales reps can directly create and attach solar designs for each lead without switching tools.
Proposal & Contract Generation
Quickly generate proposals and contracts within the platform using ready-to-use templates and data pulled from the lead.
Unified Platform
No need to juggle between CRMs, design software, or spreadsheets - everything happens inside Blaze.
We ran usability tests with a small group of sales reps, designers, and field engineers. Watching them use Blaze was eye-opening.
We shared early access to the working product running on the UAT server, with a small group of users from each role. We asked them to perform everyday tasks like:
TASK 1
Adding a new lead and moving it through the sales pipeline
TASK 2
Creating a solar design for a sample rooftop on the UAT server
TASK 3
Tracking project progress and marking field updates
Testing didn’t just validate our design decisions, it reminded us that good design isn’t about what we think works best; it’s about how well it fits into someone’s real workflow.
Blaze wasn’t just another enterprise tool. For me, it was a lesson in designing for collaboration - understanding how different roles connect, and how UX can simplify even the most complex workflows.