UX/UI Designer
BP (Forage)
1.5 month
Based on insights from the BP research team, we recognize a strong market demand for a universal mobile app to help EV users locate the nearest charging stations. This app empowers EV drivers to effortlessly locate nearby charging stations while ensuring they have sufficient battery capacity to reach their destination.
This analysis compares key features and overall flow of the top universal EV charging apps. Key takeaways:
Public charging apps effectively show real-time availability of charging ports, but users still need to spend time to make a decision based on travel distance, dependability, and speed of charging. We can help them save this time by incorporating users' battery usage into the app and assist them in locating accessible ports.
Based on the data, I created a proto-persona (Linz) to help me have a clear picture of my target user and prioritize her needs.
There are two red routes to help Linz to enter her EV battery capacity and search for reachable charging stations.
I used pen and paper sketches to quickly translate my ideas into tangible visualizations. These are my early design.
Before proceeding to high fidelity designs, I want to have a quick check on my design and see if users are able to effectively use this battery checking feature as intended. Key takeaways:
There is no hint for users to know that they need to enter their vehicle type and current battery level.
Displaying only the battery level is not enough to help users estimate the remaining range and time more accurately. Also, EVs have different driving modes that consume different amounts of battery.
What if the battery runs out before reaching the charging station due to an unforeseen situation, e.g., traffic?
I conducted 20 unmoderated usability tests using Maze and 1 moderated usability test. 90% of participants can successfully explore the "rough estimate of remaining battery" flow. 70% of participants can successfully explore the "more accurate estimate of remaining battery" flow. The key takeaways from usability test:
EV users said they would look for places to charge their car before their battery level drops below 20%. It doesn't feel safe if their EV has low remaining range.
The "more accurate estimate of remaining battery" flow is complicated. And the battery information is disconnected with the map.