2024
Petrodata
Petrodata-prototype
In Nigeria and across Africa, oil & gas data is notoriously fragmented, slow to access, and hard to trust. Market players like traders, CFOs, and analysts often rely on scattered reports, outdated PDFs, and informal networks to make multi-million-dollar decisions.
PetroData was conceived to consolidate this chaos into one powerful yet approachable platform. A place where users could track real-time prices, analyze trends, forecast shifts, and collaborate with peers all in one dashboard.
The Challenge
How do you design a platform that:
Democratizes access to reliable energy data in a landscape where transparency is rare?
Serves multiple user types (CFOs, traders, analysts) with unique goals, without overwhelming them?
Turns raw, complex datasets into digestible insights that drive faster, smarter business decisions?
Encourages collaboration and peer analysis, rather than siloed decision-making?
Research & Insights
We interviewed industry stakeholders, traders, finance leaders, regulators, and analysts. Key findings included:
Traders wanted speed: quick access to daily retail & wholesale prices and market shifts.
CFOs wanted clarity: simple summaries, alerts, and forecasts to support investment and budgeting.
Analysts wanted depth: the ability to dive into raw data, compare products (e.g., PMS, AGO, DPK, LPG), and annotate collaboratively.
We also studied global benchmarks like Bloomberg Terminal and Platts, then adapted them for local realities (data availability, lower digital adoption, and mobile-first behavior).
Our Process for Petrodata
We designed PetroData as a modular, widget-based dashboard tailored to different user profiles:
Dynamic Price Widgets → retail/wholesale product pricing with instant updates.
Forecast Tools → AI-driven projections for fuel prices and demand trends.
Depot & Airport Data Modules → granular tracking of supply points and flight-related fuel consumption.
Annotations & Peer Collaboration → users could leave notes, highlight trends, and share insights with their teams.
Customizable Alerts → SMS/email push notifications when price thresholds or anomalies are detected.
Each module was designed to feel lightweight, visual, and interactive, turning intimidating spreadsheets into clean graphs, maps, and comparisons.
Design Process
Wireframes & Prototyping: We tested widget layouts that scaled for CFOs (summary-heavy), traders (data-speed heavy), and analysts (granular insights).
User Testing: Ran feedback loops with 8 stakeholders; simplified navigation after discovering CFOs got lost in analyst-heavy screens.
Visual Language: A neutral but professional palette (energy blues, greys, and accents of green/orange for highlights), emphasizing trust and clarity.
Results and Impact
PetroData transformed how stakeholders made energy decisions in Nigeria:
Reduced decision-making time by 45% (from days of back-and-forth reports to minutes of dashboard analysis).
Improved transparency, leading to stronger trust with regulators and clients.
Cross-team adoption — CFOs, traders, and analysts used the same platform, creating a shared source of truth.
Early commercial traction — B2B clients (energy trading firms and downstream operators) subscribed to pilot access.