EV Charging App
Client: BB
Team Size: Solo Designer
Timeline: 4 Months
My Role: UX/UI Designer, User Researcher
I developed an EV charging app that allows EV owners to rent their home chargers and connects EV drivers to charging stations in remote areas.
Tools: Figma
Defining the Problem
To better understand my user, I created a user hypothesis to better understand the values and interests of my target users, EV road tripper’s. My goal was to prove or disprove my hypothesis based on my primary and secondary research.
What do they value most?
Quality time with family and friends
Mindfulness
Saving and managing their time and money
Freedom and Individuality
What are their interests?
Hiking
Road trips and traveling
Helping animals and others
New technology
Discovering new things
Research Methodology
I analyzed 2 videos on EV road trip user experiences and 3 articles covering tips and tricks for what to do when planning a road trip in an EV:
Extracted both qualitative and quantitative data to:
Confirm or deny my user hypothesis
Create a final user persona and user experience map based on the user data collected
Conducted a user survey to better understand average EV users:
Asked questions to confirm or deny my user hypothesis
Gathered information on user demographics and psychographics not readily available in secondary resources
User Surveys and Interviews
Through conducting user interviews and surveys, I gained new insights to common challenges and frustrations that users face when driving their EV’s on long road trips to remote areas.
Units being down or out of service
Charging areas not being fully or well-built out, which can affect ideal routes and be time consuming.
Units being at full capacity and chargers being slow
COMMON CHALLENGES
COMMON FRUSTRATIONS
USER NEEDS/GOALS
How long it will take to get a full charge
Not knowing if where you're going has charging stations
Whether charging stations are working
Lining up and waiting at charging stations
More stalls or available units at charging stations
More high-power chargers near highway corridors
A trip computer/route planner in their car that identified the best route for them
In my user surveys, I asked participants about which apps they use to plan for road trips and their habits prior to their road trips. This will help inform the needs of EV road trippers and which designs will benefit them the most base on their current methods.
Competitive Analysis
In my user surveys, I proved my hypothesis about my target users driving habits and behaviours while on an road trip with an EV that will be used to determine the user persona and journey map.
User Psychographics Insights
User Persona: The EV Road Tripper
Through conducting user interviews and surveys, I gained first-hand insights to common challenges and frustrations users face when driving their EV’s on long road trips to remote areas.
User Journey Map
Based on the user persona and primary and secondary research insights, I created a hypothetical scenario of what a day might look like for a EV road tripper.
Product Mock-Up
I made a choose-your-own-story mock-up of what the EV charging service would look like in order to satisfy our user’s frustrations, challenges, goals and needs.
These wireframes were used to test the user experience and identify any pain points or frustrations with the service.
User Testing
To ensure the experience aligns with user needs, I engaged six participants from my target audience to test the experience virtually through a google forms, choose-your-own-adventure simulator.
Each participant was given a scenario requiring them to find an electric vehicle charger that fit within specific budget and time constraints. The testing aimed to identify points of friction in the user experience and gather actionable feedback for improvement.
The scenario:
You are on the road
40 dollars left
1 hour and a half to get to your destination.
ChargeMate notifies you that your battery is low.
It asks you if you would like to choose a nearby charging provider or let ChargeMate choose it for you based on your route. You decide to...
Testing Results and Improvements
5 out of 6 participants opted to let ChargeMate automatically select a charger based on their scenario. This feedback validates the design goal of offering users a flexible and simple experience when locating their next charge, regardless of their location.
The users appreciated how easy it was to use ChargeMate while on the road, not requiring much input from them and not requiring them to go searching for the nearest EV on their current route and within their time and budget constraints.
Users mentioned a lack of a clear payment screen.
Users wanted a screen that allows them to set their preferences for finding the most affordable and convenient option based on their unique needs.
Users wanted access to more options, including winter rates.
Feedback-Based Improvements
I created a clear confirm payment confirmation screen that allows users to have pay with previously saved payment information
N
75
20
75
20
65
SPEED
LIMIT
80
90%
P
R
N
D
MPH
63
65
SPEED
LIMIT
100
15%
P
R
N
D
KM/H
100
10:21 AM
17 ºC
Navigate
Highway 400
.75 mi
Mansell Rd
18 mi
Electricity Charger
500ft
78%
CANCEL TRIP
20.8 mi
37 min
10:58 AM
Exit 87
1.5 mi
20º
MANUAL
20º
CHARGEMATE
Wattage: 50KW
Price: $10/hr
Charge Required: 10%
Charge Time: 30 mins
Total Cost: $5
HST: $0.65
Fees: $3.00
Tip: $2.00
Total: $10.65
Your order details
Place Order
Find Alternative
Edit
Users can now auto-navigate with their preferred navigator from the order completion screen.
A dynamic charging status screen now activates when users start charging at their destination.
Users can now rate charging experiences, fostering trust and rapport within the app’s community marketplace.
Added Features
Final Prototype
Choose your own charger flow:
Chargemate recommendation flow:
ChargeMate enhances EV charging accessibility by connecting home charger owners with EV road-trippers, offering a convenient and reliable solution for charging in remote areas.
ChargeMate reduces the friction that remote charging can cause, such as long lines and wait times, having more time to spend with family while charging.
ChargeMate allows users to choose charging options that are along their route, within their budget, saving them time and energy trying to find their next charger.
ChargeMate eliminates the stress of finding the next charging station, allowing users to focus on quality time with family and friends while staying informed about their current charging status in real-time.
Impact
Next Steps
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I learned the importance of conducting extensive primary and secondary research and applying user data-driven design principles to inform and guide design concepts and decision-making.
I learned the value of prototyping, gathering feedback, and refining ideas to improve usability and user satisfaction
I also learned the value of collaborating closely with users and stakeholders to ensure alignment with business goals, ultimately delivering a cohesive and user-centered product.
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS:
Add a screen that allows users to add their own preferences before hand to make the user experience as seamless as possible and meets the unique needs of all EV users.
User test the final interactive prototype to iterate on design decisions
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