Zero Carbon Rugeley and User-Centric Design

And that's something incredibly crucial to emphasize: we see the Rougely community as being integral to the success of this project. There is no point in us coming in and just imposing a load of solutions. The great thing about this project, and the reason why Zoe and I are so passionate about it, is that it is steered by the community. The way in which we achieve this is through user-centric design—a principle that allows the community to explore different solutions, weigh them, provide context, and help design the best smart local energy system for them.

So far, we've been engaging with you through social media, commenting, messaging our page, and participating in our discussion forum. Additionally, we've been conducting interactive cultural animation workshops, mostly within an online capacity due to the current circumstances. However, we are hopeful that we can physically visit Rougely when it is safe to do so and meet many of you in person.

You might be wondering, "What's the point of all this?" Firstly, it involves a process of us listening to you, understanding your stories, history, and perspectives on the various components of a smart local energy system. We are currently in the stage of analyzing and comprehending what the community wants for its future—a sustainable vision for Rougely driven by the community.

Empowering the community is central to user-centric design. It's not just about collecting comments but allowing you to have your voice heard. Within our work package on user-centric design, our role is to take everything you say and ensure it is embedded into the solutions we design for the community. It's crucial to mention that we are currently in a theoretical design phase, and we hope to secure capital later on to implement some of the solutions we develop.

So, how does this work? You can attend a workshop or talk to us on social media, giving you the flexibility to choose the degree of engagement. We aim to listen to your perspective and understand it thoroughly. We then analyze your input and compare it with the wider community. The goal is not to discard differing opinions but to capture everyone's perspective and report back to the consortium, including various stakeholders within the project, and to the community to ensure transparency in the project's progress.

In terms of assistance along this road, we have a series of community gatekeepers, including Canada Chase District Council, Roger Town Council, Britain and Ravenhill Parish Council, Rougely Community Center, Power for All, Transforming the Trent Valley, The Brits, and Millions, and The Hive. We are always looking for more individuals to engage with us and help us, so if you're interested or have a passion project, please feel free to contact us, as there's always important work to be done.