Benjamin Shafer

2023-12-05

CST499 Fall 2023

Capstone Project Status Update & Testing

Part I: Project status update

The project's final deliverable remained the same throughout the development of

the program. The final deliverable was a Web interface for featuring a dashboard that

shows electricity-usage data as well as the ability to easily explore and analyze

electricity-usage data and trends. The tools within the program are designed to aid in

the identification and development of strategies to reduce expenses associated with

electricity consumption.

There was one change in the initial approach of the project. I originally set out to

utilize MySQL to store the electricity-usage data. However, this approach became clear

that it had no real benefit and just added complexity for the project. Instead, I used CSV

files over MySQL to store the data. This approach allows for quick access and easy

manipulation using Pandas in Python.

One bonus objective I really wanted to complete but was not able to was

exploring solar panel data. This was not possible because the data collected by my

client was not readily exportable due to the current proprietary system they had in place

for collecting and storing the data. This objective remains a future objective that I would

like to accomplish at some point.

 The current state of the project meets all of the basic requirements I set out to

accomplish. A basic backend server in Python using the Django REST framework

exposes APIs which are accessed for the data. Additionally, since Django uses Python,

it is able to easily interface with the machine learning model used for making predictions

on future electricity usage and other Python scripts for manipulating the data in various

ways. A frontend Web interface using React JS is used to display the electricity-usage

data and provide easy ways to explore and analyze the data.

One future addition I have planned is integrating any insights provided by solar

panel data if it becomes obtainable. Another future addition I plan on implementing is

providing a user interface for accessing and uploading new data. Additionally, a future

addition I would like to see added to the project is a way to integrate the program with

the client's existing electricity data collection systems, eliminating the need of manually

exporting the data and processing it for use with the program.
Part II: Project Testing

The target audience for this program include adults working at a large

manufacturing company and have a responsibility of finding ways to reduce operational

expenses related to electricity usage. These individuals will have some basic knowledge

on the concepts of both electricity, data analysis, and the general operations of the

manufacturing process. While the program provides basic summaries of electricity

usage and potential cost savings, a basic understanding of these concepts is essential

for comprehending the solutions provided by the program.

My client, Jeffery, an engineering manager at The Wine Group, serves as the

client for testing the program. His role involves overseeing various wine-manufacturing

projects, and he brings a wealth of knowledge in electricity concepts, data analysis, and

the manufacturing process. In addition to exploring the program on his own, he is given

the following tasks:

1. View past electricity data from previous months.

2. View the correlations between electricity usage and weather variables.

3. Group the electricity usage by the day of the week.

4. View the predicted electricity-usage for the upcoming week.

In order to test the program, a meeting was set up to have my client try out the

program. The meeting was done over the phone and the testing was conducted using

remote desktop software. The following includes the summary and feedback provided

for each task:

1. View Past Electricity Data:

• The client completed this task without any issues.

 • Feedback: Suggested adding more ways to cycle through months, such as

incorporating arrow buttons for navigation, in addition to the existing drop-down

selection option.

2. View Correlations with Weather Variables:

• The client successfully completed this task.

• Feedback: Suggested grouping variables by type to enhance the user

experience and make it easier to locate specific variables of interest.

3. Group Electricity Usage by Day of Week:

• The client initially faced some difficulty with this task but eventually figured it

out.

• Feedback: Suggested adding default configurations to make the feature more

discoverable and user-friendly.

4. View Predicted Electricity Usage for the Upcoming Week:

• The client encountered no difficulties in accomplishing this task.

• Feedback: Recommended incorporating more customization options for

predictions, such as scenarios related to extreme weather conditions like a

heatwave.

This client-based testing provided valuable insights, allowing me to make some quick

tweaks and adding more beneficial features. This initial feedback from the client will

contribute to both the overall usability and functionality of the program.