PowerRoute
Elevate the charging experience for electric vehicle drivers on road trips by providing personalized charging plans and ensuring a punctual, effortless charging process.
-
Team: 4 UX researchers & designers
-
Role: UX researcher & designer
-
Responsibility: Industry Research, User Survey & Interview, Storyboards, User Flow, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
-
Time: April 2023 - August 2023
Problems
Unpleasant charging experiences concern existing & potential new EV drivers, hindering the development of the industry.
PESTEL Analysis
Charging infrastructure, battery range, and charging time are challenges in the industry
While there's significant investment in charging infrastructure, gaps remain, particularly in rural and underserved urban areas, leading to range anxiety among potential EV owners.
Although improvements are being made, the limited range of some EVs and the time required to charge them fully continue to be concerns for consumers.
Road trip charging issues deter potential EV buyers and worry existing EV drivers
The concern over road trip charging deters potential buyers and causes inconvenience for existing owners.
The fear of not finding available or fast-enough charging stations complicates long-distance travel, making the reliability and ease of gasoline vehicles still more appealing.
Online Survey and interview Outline
Value Analysis
EV drivers are bothered by unpleasant charging experiences, highlighting critical value gaps in "Ease of Use," "Power," and "Reliability"
"Whenever I want to buy a cup of coffee on the way to the designated charging station, I always need to use a map from my phone to check the routes. Otherwise, deviations could impact my charging plans as displayed on the car screen."
"It's so frustrating to turn around in circles because charging posts on the opposite side of my charging inlet."
Uncustomized Charging Routes
Existing Navigation provides only one route option for EV drivers, lacking flexibility and customization
Uncontrolled charging time
Limited charging slots lead to waiting, exacerbating fear of running out of battery charge
Disrupted Charging Experience
Malfunctioning chargers force drivers to search for alternatives, often far from their location
Ideation
based on users' values and experiences through empathetic methods
Personas
EV Drivers' unpleasant charging experiences on road trips:
-
Charging stations are incompatible with the location of the car's charging inlet.
-
Needing external maps to add stop risks disrupting planned charging routes.
-
Insufficient charging stations contribute to long waiting lines during peak times.
-
The charging process at each station can be unclear, especially when waiting in line.
-
Complications arise from reporting malfunctioning charging stations.
Storyboard
Iterative Design
More personalized, powerful, and reliable charging experiences for EV drivers.
Personalized charging route plan caters to every preference:
Real-time charging data guarantees charging availability and success automatically：
We used "How might we" as an opportunity statement to brainstorm key features of our platform based on users' frustrations, and mapped out user flows accordingly.
How might we help users make charging plans based on their needs during travel?
Before
During
After
Customized charging route plans based on users' preferences and nearby amenities
Display of available chargers and
show the waiting time for upcoming chargers
Avert malfunctioning chargers by addressing reporting dilemma
User Flows
Based on users' top values, we chose the keywords "Tech, Credible, Futuristic, Clean", created distinct mood boards, and invited them to choose the mood that resonated most with these descriptors.
Moodboard
We changed visual design elements, contents, and iteration to match product values better according to feedback from usability tests.
Iterative Deisgn
Useability Tests
I conducted the System Usability Scale (SUS) survey: a consistently high average score, showing effectiveness, efficiency, and overall user experience.
Storyboard
