nPower — Energy Engage Email Guerrilla Testing

Email Design for Enhanced Engagement With SMART Customers

The Brief

Before the Energy Engage initiative launch in September 2017, nPower sought to optimise email communication for SMART customers. The project focused on:

1. Content Prioritisation: Identifying key content and data streams to include in the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) launch.
2. Visual Style & Tone: Exploring themes that resonate with customers to improve engagement.
3. Component Perception: Assessing customers’ perception of the on/off tracker component, including its placement and importance within the email.

The overarching business goals were:

• Encouraging deeper engagement with existing and future SMART customers.
• Driving higher click-through rates to the primary customer account area.

The Solution

Guerrilla Testing

Together, we deployed a guerrilla testing method to capture user preferences and insights using low-fidelity cards created in Axure.

Testing Process:

Participants viewed 16 cards describing a potential content component for Energy Engage emails and categorised the cards into:

• “Must Have”: Critical content for every Energy Engage email.
• “Could Have”: Useful content but not always essential.
• “Not Bothered”: Unwanted or unhelpful content for the email.

Objectives

1. Obtain customer-driven prioritisation of the 16 email components.
2. Gather insights into user preferences for the on/off tracker, including its relevance and optimal placement.

Fig 1.1 — Axure low-fidelity guerrilla testing cards.

The Result

The results from guerrilla testing informed the final email designs at hi-fidelity, which included:

• Prioritisation of widgets based on user feedback.
• Tailored email mockups catering to seasonal, monthly, and content-heavy themes.

Business Goals Impact

The designs directly aligned with nPower’s objectives, creating emails that:

• Stronger engagement with SMART customers.
• Increased click-through rates to customer account areas.