Ford EV Charging Station Finder
To improve the charging experience for EV owners, Ford partnered with a prominent digital agency in WPP to develop a WeChat mini-app as an EV companion. This project also served as a pilot to be merged into the car companion app.
My Role
I served as a design consultant who not only practiced UX methodologies and provided UI deliverables, but also advocated for research and testing. The team was lean, with 2 developers and 1 product owner from the client side; we ran agile and co-facilitated daily stand-ups, weekly retrospectives, and invited management and the partner team to attend checkpoint meetings.
I worked closely with the client’s product team and the sales and marketing team to understand the business needs and to gain customer insights.
I conducted competitor analysis to better understand the domain and the market, then created mockups with design assumptions and iterated based on internal feedback.
Happy path user flow for car owners
Research
I served as a researcher and recruited 5 EV owners to validate design assumptions.
I created visual cards for card sorting and clickable prototypes for testing.
I drafted and refined interview guides and conducted participant interviews.
I also invited the client's product owner, engineers and marketing specialist to join as note-takers and observers.
After the interviews, I summarized and synthesized the findings and worked with the client leadership to prioritize implications.
User Insights
CHOOSE
I need a wide selection of charging piles, and I need accurate information in real time, so I can make correct decisions.
RESERVE
I don't want to be driving all the way to the charging pile just to see that I can't use it and not having a backup plan. I need it to be 100% usable when I arrive.
FIND
I need precise directions to my charging pile.
PAY
I want a hassle-free method of paying.
USE
I want the charging process to be effortless. I don’t want to have to worry about anything else after I plug it in. I expect to get my intended results when I get back to the vehicle.
RESPOND
I need prompt feedback whenever I need it.
Product Differentiators
Smart & Precise
In-control
User Needs
Prioritized Implications
Design System
Based on the existing branding guidelines, I created a design system tailored for this app and contributed to the icon set and reusable components.
Key features
Select a station
See nearby charging stations and view detail information via station card.
Reserve a session
Choose the suitable time and length based on your need. Reserve to get detail navigation info and prepay to activate the order.
Charge up your EV
Once connected with the charger, you will see the charging screen. When the session is done, it will automatically terminate without charging extra.
Review the orders
You can view your order history and leave ratings and comments. You can also view your current reservation status.
Result
The pilot project has been launched across pilot cities. It received highly positive reviews among test customers and turned out to be a success. The pilot app has been integrated into the car companion app as part of the key function.