PlugRoute
Navigate the future of travel effortlessly with the app – where planning takes a backseat, and the journey itself is the star!
Overview
During our Master's course, as part of the Industry Project module, we were assigned the task of examining the challenges encountered by electric vehicle (EV) owners. This was a conceptualised project assigned to us by Cambridge Consultants, who provided us with a detailed project brief.
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The aim of the project was to create an in-car experience that is accessible, boosts user confidence leading to a more seamless and efficient charging process.
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Cambridge Consultants is a leading innovation and technology consulting firm known for its groundbreaking work in product design, engineering, and technology strategy.
My Role
​UX Designer
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Co-led a team of 5
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User Research
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Visual Design
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User Interview
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Co-design workshop
Timeline
6 weeks
The Problem
Many EV owners experience range anxiety, worrying about the possibility of being stranded in remote areas without access to charging infrastructure. This anxiety often stems from inadequate trip planning, which can be time-consuming and inconvenient.
Solution
PlugRoute addresses the common problem of range anxiety among EV owners. It simplifies the journey planning process, saving users from time-consuming searches for nearby chargers during long trips. The app offers a user-friendly solution accessible from the car dashboard, designed for multi-user scenarios and personalises the entire journey, making range anxiety a thing of the past.
Logo
In-depth Interviews
We conducted semi-structured interviews with five participants, which allowed us to further explore their individual pain points and journeys gathering more insights.
" I would look for an EV with a range that meets my daily driving requirements. "
Sahil Mahir
Financial Advisor
"We aren't brave enough to give up our diesel car. For longer trips, we only consider diesel cars."
Debbie
Lecturer
" When I go on big trips, 10% of the time I run into faulty chargers, which is a little too high for me."
Sam Spouse
Developer
" If you ask me to sell my diesel car and stick to EV right now, I wouldnt do that."
Rosie
IT Consultant
"Once I have enough confidence I’m planning to completely shift to EV. But having a diesel car has a backup has its advantages."
Hemanth
Software Architecture
Pain Points
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Inexperience on long journeys leading to anxiety.
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Concerns about low battery levels and uncertainty in finding a charging point.
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Anxiety caused by long queues at charging stations.
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Frustration due to the absence of nearby restaurants while waiting for charging
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Difficulty in changing or operating charging points.
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Lack of suitable charging stations near the destination, causing anxiety for the next day's trip.
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Unplanned return routes without access to familiar charging points.
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Forgetting to charge at the destination, resulting in a low battery for the next day's commute.
The identified pain points were a result of personas and user journey mapping, encompassing the challenges users encounter both before embarking on their journeys and during their travels.
Insights
After conducting interviews and analysing the gathered data through affinity mapping, we were able to categorise the insights into two categories.
Insight 01
Charging anxiety alleviation
Compatibility Problems: EV owners face challenges when charging stations are not compatible with their vehicles.
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​Lack of Information: Users often remain unaware of broken or out-of-service charging ports, causing inconvenience.
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Multiple App Usage: EV drivers resort to checking multiple apps to locate charging stations along their route.
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Third-Party App Dependency: Many rely on third-party applications like ZapMap or their car manufacturer's apps to find suitable charging options.
Insight 02
Pre-travel anxiety
Lengthy Planning: EV owners spend hours planning their journeys to ensure they have access to charging ports and to strategize their routes accordingly.
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App Overload: They download multiple applications to facilitate their search for charging stations.
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Fast Charger Uncertainty: During time-sensitive trips, there's often uncertainty about locating fast chargers promptly, adding stress to the journey.
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Commute Confidence: Due to these challenges, some EV owners lack confidence in using their vehicles for longer commutes.
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*The images were taken from freepik and modified as needed.
Conceptualisation
We developed wireframes and mid-fidelity prototypes for both mobile and car dashboard, subjecting them to user testing to refine and iterate the design at each stage.
Screens for iOS and car dashboard of 12" to 15"
Challenge
During our brainstorming and Crazy 8's sessions, we generated numerous ideas for an electric vehicle (EV) concept. Subsequently, engaging in discussions with EV owners revealed significant concerns regarding the features, practicality, and overall significance of our concept.
Addressing it
To address these concerns, we initially designed a user-centric approach, aiming to collect detailed trip information from users, encompassing the number of stops, their preferred stops, and favored charging stations. However, EV owners expressed reservations about this approach.
In response, we devised a two-pronged strategy. First, we plan to validate our concept by testing wireframes with EV owners, seeking specific insights. Second, we will conduct co-design workshops, enabling collaborative refinement of our concept. This approach ensures that we directly involve EV owners in the design process to address their concerns and enhance the overall user experience.
Part of the team was engaged in the co-design workshop, while the remaining members were responsible for recruiting participants to test the initial wireframes. Our insights, gathered from the data collected, prompted us to make adjustments and contemplate the incorporation of additional features.
Insight 03
Multi-users scenarios
Car users often consist of families, with different members having varying usage habits and preferences. To cater to individual preferences, each user needs the ability to synchronize the vehicle's battery information and select their preferred mode accordingly.
Hands-free
AI-Voice Assist
When you're behind the wheel, it's essential to stay focused and avoid any distractions.
"Hey, Popal
Can you help me find the quickest route from Bristol to Brighton with the fewest stops and rapid chargers, please?
"Hi Rosie,
Of course! Just head to the Route tab, and you will get the shortest route from Bristol to Brighton.
AI Personality
Experience Principles
Easy
Secure
Reliable
Seamless
Compatible
Educate
Net
Entertained
Convenient
Efficient
Confident
Trust
Connec
The Colour Palette used aligned with the experience principles
Colour Palette
Font
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1234567890#@$*&
AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz
1234567890#$%&*@!
Outfit
#bold
Outfit
#regular
Onboarding
Add your vehicle for personalised charging station compatibility information.
Add your charging and routing preference to get the best route planned for you.
Enable voice guidance for hands free interaction when driving.
The app allows users to plan their trips efficiently without having to spend a lot of time planning
Over 62% of users are anxious about finding EV chargers during a long journey
As a result, users had to check multiple apps to find charging points along their route.
Discover nearby charging stations effortlessly,
and gain insights into charging duration and costs, all at your fingertips.
Select suitable station and let the app help you get there
My Car
Out-car preparation
enhances the overall
In-car experience
Enhance your in-car experience with seamless journey planning on our mobile app, easily accessible right from your car's dashboard.
Multiple Users
PlugRoute can cater to multiple users and tailor the content to suit each individual's preferences.
Rev Up Your Recharge
Entertainment Tailored to Your Drive
Usability Testing
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Low-fidelity prototype testing was conducted with participants to get feedback on the functionality and features.
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Moderated user testing was carried out to allow users to explore the app and complete the mentioned tasks.
2
Participants
6.5/10
Average Usability Score
Qualitative Feedback
"The Route planner could accommodate unexpected travels or route changes."
"The content on the car dashboard is still distracting I don't need so much information to be displayed."
"I like the use of voice assistance, it would help me when I'm driving."
Downside
Project Learnings
Avoid Making Assumptions About User Behaviour: During the design phase, we constructed low-fidelity prototypes with certain assumptions regarding how users would interact with the system. However, conducting a co-design workshop with EV owners helped us to iterate on our designs and add features that would help them have a better experience.
Seeking continuous feedback: Due to limited time, we were inclined towards a linear design approach, assuming that we could achieve our desired outcome in a single iteration. However, we realised that iterative design allowed for continuous improvement and fine-tuning based on user feedback.
