50+
ecosystem entities mapped across 4 strategic sectors
~10
hours/week saved by Business Managers through improved stakeholder overviews
12
12 new platform opportunities identified and validated with SMEs
100%
of strategy stakeholders reported increased clarity on Fortum’s platform vision
Support Fortum’s transformation into a sustainable energy leader by delivering research-driven service design that informs user-centered digital solutions and strategic innovation.
Product
Platform
My Role
UX Designer, Researcher
Skills
UX Design
User Research & Testing
Stakeholder Management
Timeline
2020 – 2022
Collaborators
Adriano Delaunay, Zoe Nicholson, Frederic Ohnemüller
We only have a few years to decarbonize before it is too late
The Problem
Fortum is one of the biggest energy companies in Europe and came to IBM with the need to decarbonise.
For that, they have to introduce more renewable energies in their production, like wind or solar energy.
These energy sources are unstable and in order for the grid to stay stable a process called Energy Orchestration is needed, where everything acts like an ecosystem of energy. Here, players like Charging Point Operators (of electric vehicles, for example) play a big role in facilitating this to happen.
Fortum needed to incentivize CPOs to sign up for their Energy Orchestration Platform and
Help communicating these efforts and investment possibilities within the company and to the outside world.
The Urgency
We have about 5 years to reverse climate change before its too late, we have to decarbonise as a society.
There are also stronger environmental regulations from policy makers to adhere to as well as societal pressure.
Electric mobility and renewable energies will play a significant role in the the future of energy and there is an ever-growing demand from clients for new sustainable business models.
We set ourselves an initial engagement mission for our Garage
Fortum shall provide clean energy when it’s needed in a reliable way
Exploring Business Value & Opportunities
In the beginning phase of the Garage we worked together with Fortum to understand and consult them into value creation.
We analysed in a Business Value Map the different action fields and challenges that come with Energy Orchestration for Fortum. We then identified Value Levers, that would help us maximise business value for each of the different scenarios.
During this phase it became appartent that e-Mobility is a key point of focus for Fortum with a big revenue stream potential. We identified Inbound and outbound value streams using platform design.
Initial Phase
First Initiative
Energy Ecosystem Map
Goal
Help align the PoV of internal stakeholders on strategic priorities
In order to understand the bigger energy ecosystem picture and dive into potential value streams for Fortum, we went ahead and validated the business case for entering four prioritised energy ecosystems.
What is Energy Flexibility?
Energy flexibility refers to the ability to adjust energy demand or supply in response to external signals—such as market prices, grid needs, or carbon intensity. It’s about using energy when it’s cleaner, cheaper, or more abundant, and reducing load when the system is under stress.
In this context, Fortum aimed to become a platform orchestrator, enabling energy flexibility across a growing ecosystem of actors—from EV fleet owners and charging point operators (CPOs) to grid operators and energy markets.
Ecosystem Map > Research
Problem Statement
How might we help Fortum uncover & communicate the flexibility potential of key ecosystems in order to enable energy transition ?
Identifying Personas
Fortum Business Owner
Needs
Holistic view on what entities are producing and consuming flex value as a starting point to shape solutions
Understanding which ecosystems are for high value for Fortum
Understanding how „ecosystems“ need to be orchestrated to drive exponential value
Understanding on possible competition and possible partners and wider stakeholder landscape to realize value
Ecosystem Map > Research
Fortum CIO – Strategic Decision-Maker
Needs
A clear overview of energy intelligence insights across Fortum
Access to strategic foresight tools that support future-proof decision-making
Inspiring, tangible use cases for carbon-free energy services and partnerships
Validation frameworks to assess potential new business models
Convincing narratives and visualizations to gain internal buy-in from stakeholders
A platform perspective that bridges technical innovation with business value
User Interviews & SME Workshops
We conducted user interviews and workshops with energy field experts to understand the challenge ahead and identify potential initiatives.
To validate our findings, we interviewed SMEs from IBM EEUE and external potential partners of Fortum.
We reviewed past Garage initiatives, like the Cemex Garage, and organized workshops with Fortum Business Owners to better understand their needs.
We collected all findings in a document called the Pain Point Tracker, that helped us gain clarity in the complex field.
Ecosystem Map > Research
Desk Research & Platform Design
To explore Fortum’s strategic potential in the context of industrial energy systems, we used the Platform Design Toolkit to map value exchanges across several interconnected ecosystems:
Energy Providers,
Cities and Communities,
Heavy Industry
Mobility Industry.
We visualized value exchanges between actors such as real estate owners, municipalities, aggregators, OEMs, and industrial users.
This ecosystem thinking helped us uncover hidden synergies and platform potential across sector boundaries. The findings laid the groundwork for SME validation and guided Fortum’s positioning as a future orchestrator in the energy transition.
Ecosystem Map > Research
Platform Persona & Value Canvas
To define who the platform should serve and what value it must deliver, we used the Platform Persona and Platform Value Canvas tools from the Platform Design Toolkit.
We developed platform personas to represent high-leverage ecosystem actors—such as aggregators, facility managers, balance responsible parties (BRPs), and municipal energy planners. These personas helped us understand each actor’s goals, pain points, and value drivers within the future platform ecosystem.
Using the Platform Value Canvas, we mapped how Fortum could enable value exchange between these roles—by facilitating energy flexibility, data transparency, service orchestration, and new business models. These canvases became a strategic asset, aligning internal teams around shared user needs and platform opportunities.
Ecosystem Map > Research
Building The Ecosystem Platform Prototype
Ecosystem Map > Output
To support Fortum’s internal decision-making, we developed an interactive prototype that visualized the complex energy ecosystems identified during our research. The tool was designed for business managers and decision-makers to explore, explain, and share insights across departments.
We started by defining key user stories, such as:
“As a Fortum Business Manager, I want to browse today’s ecosystem landscape so I can share strategic insights with my team.”
From there, we designed a four-step navigation logic:
1. Overview of all sectors
2. Area selection (e.g. Cities & Communities)
3. Ecosystem maps with stakeholders, value flows, and Fortum relevance
4. Entity-level details with top players, role descriptions, value levers, and initiative links
The prototype allowed users to zoom into stakeholder maps, apply strategic filters (e.g. scalability, energy impact), and highlight entities based on relevance for Fortum and partners like Uniper.
This tool helped Fortum teams understand cross-sector connections, prioritize opportunities, and prepare internal business cases around flexibility, sustainability, and future platform roles.
Validation & Iteration
To ensure the tool met the needs of real users, we conducted multiple user testing sessions with Fortum Business Managers and subject matter experts across the identified ecosystems. Using clickable prototypes, we observed how stakeholders interacted with the maps, filters, and entity insights.
Ecosystem Map > Output
Key improvements based on this iteration loop included:
Clearer value lever visualizations
Simplified filter logic and labeling
More intuitive navigation between ecosystem layers
Refined entity descriptions and criteria relevance
Interactive Ecosystem Intelligence Tool
The final product was an interactive tool that helps Fortum teams explore and understand complex energy ecosystems.
By mapping value flows and surfacing key players, it empowers decision-makers to prioritize partnerships, align strategy, and accelerate platform innovation.
Core Features
Interactive ecosystem explorer across 4 sectors:
Energy, Cities, Mobility, Industry
Zoomable stakeholder maps with visual hierarchy
Entity-level pages with role descriptions, assessments & value levers
Executive summaries for quick insight sharing
Strategic Filters
Filter by Fortum/Uniper relevance
Carbon impact, scalability, energy intensity
Strategic alignment with Fortum’s 4 pillars
Customer & partner potential
UX Highlights
4-step navigation model: Overview → Area → Ecosystem → Entity
Clickable maps and cards with modal-level info
Visual legends for aggregation, storage, and demand roles
Persona-driven user stories to inform UI flow
50+
ecosystem entities mapped across 4 strategic sectors
⬇︎
Ecosystem Map > Final Solution
~10
hours/week saved by Business Managers through improved stakeholder overviews
12
12 new platform opportunities identified and validated with SMEs
100%
of strategy stakeholders reported increased clarity on Fortum’s platform vision
“This platform exceeded all expectations—not just in quality, but in how fast and collaboratively it came together. It’s rare to see this level of commitment, clarity, and shared purpose across teams. What we built with IBM Garage is truly special.”
Christian Jacobsson, VP Energy Intelligence Fortum
Takeaways
Ecosystem mapping revealed overlooked value flows and new platform roles for Fortum
The Platform Design Toolkit enabled rapid alignment between strategy, innovation, and sustainability teams
Strategic filters (e.g. carbon impact, scalability) helped identify high-potential partnerships
Clickable prototype accelerated internal buy-in and reduced decision-making friction
Stakeholder-centric design supported both internal prioritization and external storytelling
