Pioneering the electric vehicle charging experience
UX / UI
B2C
Cross-platform
Context
Electrify America is a subsidiary of Volkswagen that invested $2B in an initiative to support adoption of zero-emission vehicles in North America. They needed a cohesive EV charging experience across a new mobile, online desktop, and HMI experience for thousands of charging stations while building a trusted and recognizable brand.
The project consisted of two phases: the foundation phase would define the end-to-end experience, establish the visual direction, and execute an MVP. The optimization phase would map detailed workflows, provide support during development sprints, and design new product features.
I entered the project near the end of the foundation phase and continued through the optimization phase, designing out new features, finishing out visual needs, and delivering finished screens.
Challenges
A wide range of stakeholders and vendors made it a complex engagement, with new design layers being added over time. Additionally, the relatively new experience of vehicle charging also meant that few examples or conventions existed as reference, making it a somewhat novel process. These factors combined with a strict deadline for launch made time a notable constraint.
Role
Product Designer
Collaborators
UX Director
Senior Producer
Visual Designer
Responsibilities
Build front-end facing cross-platform experience to completion
Key Outcomes
Successful product launch
Thanks to a well-organized, agile development handoff, Electrify America launched on time and is still considered an essential download for non-Tesla EV owners.
A cohesive and easy experience for users across multiple surfaces
A thoughtful approach to feature design ensured consistency and intuitiveness across 3 interrelated touchpoints.
"We came in with very high level requirements and have changed directions quiet a few times on our HMI and app design requirements, but the team has been very supportive and flexible. We're really excited to launch our new app!"
ANCHORING THE EXPERIENCE IN ANALOGOUS PROCESSES
You can roll up to pretty much any gas station you pass and be sure to get the fuel you need, but EV charging is complicated by the fact that charging is a slower process and requires finding a compatible plug. A well-considered map experience was the first step in getting drivers to a reliable charge fast.
Despite being common, map experiences run the danger of becoming cluttered and confusing quickly, as well as looking visually incoherent with the brand.
Careful design of aggregate visuals and filtering helps users manage the scale of data
Real-time data about charger availability and compatibility prioritized at the surface design level
Notifications for preferred chargers unburdens owner from having to monitor availability
Map aesthetic is tailored to the brand visuals
TIMELY FEEDBACK AND VISUAL INSTRUCTION
To avoid overloading driver's mental capacity while navigating a new process, careful attention was paid to system feedback and revealing new information at the appropriate moment.
A brief, illustrated overview of the process is presented to owners upon first time app onboarding.
Detailed and animated illustrations are provided at certain steps of the process.
Detailed system status and in-session updates are provided both at and away from charging site.
Detailed flows for development ensuring no gaps in the experience
TRACKING SUCCESS
Despite strict time constraints, I still conducted rapid, informal usability testing on an ongoing basis that worked out areas of confusion. The mobile app also received good reviews post-launch. Given time for a more formal testing approach, I would have done the following:
The fundamental economics of EV charging is difficult, and it’s possible that profitability as a standalone offering can only be achieved through sheer volume. In this scenario, my role as product designer would be to capture as much of that volume as possible.
I'd combine qualitative and quantitative methods with high ROI:
1 - Studying available analytics to:
Continue to make finding a charger as fast as possible in any situation
search time to first result of starting driving directions or starting a charger
Encourage charger turnover without pressuring the driver
session times
frequency of grace period and idle times)
Make account creation and membership desirable and effortless
monitoring touches at the HMI and in-app
conversion and drop off rates for account and membership sign up processes