CLOUDCHARGE NETWORK

INNOVATING A
BRIGHTER FUTURE
ONE LEVEL AT A TIME

A cloud-based solution for grid optimization through gamification

⏳ FULL CASE STUDY - 12 MIN. READ | ⚡️ FINAL DESIGNS - 4 MIN. READ

OVERVIEW

It is expected that 70% of the global new car sales will be electric vehicles by 2050, amounting to $56.7 trillion in new market sales.* This ongoing technological advancement has major implications. CloudCharge Network collects real-time user data to help plan and design optimized charging events to help alleviate strain on power providers and EV owners.

* BloombergNEF

THE CHALLENGE

ENCOURAGE & INCENTIVIZE EV OWNERS TO BE BETTER "GRIDIZENS "

85% of EV owners charge between 5-7 pm, which worsens the capacity strain on utilities; and fail to charge during wind or solar peak times, which means lost revenue for all types of power providers.

My partner and I were tasked to create a native app within 2 months to encourage electric vehicle owners to schedule off-peak charging events by incentivizing where, when, how long, and at what power levels they will charge.

TOOLS

Figma

Illustrator

Photoshop

Miro

Maze

Milanote

Survey Monkey

Google Suite

Zoom

RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Design

Lead UI

Brand Design

UX Research

Wireframing

Prototyping

Project Management

TEAM

Shelby Hamilton

Ephrem Deribew

TIMELINE

2 month sprint

THE PROBLEM

GETTING FROM A TO B

EV owners need a way to avoid charging their batteries during peak hours because it will help balance energy demands and reduce carbon footprint.

Most EV owners are aware of their environmental impact but few understand the implications of plugging in when pulling into their homes for the evening. So the big ask is how might we encourage them to be better, more aware, more conscious users with little to no extra effort?

What they currently have is the ability to offset charging events, but this creates a traffic jam at a later time, thus impacting the structural dynamics of flow. CloudCharge Network uses real-time data and analytics to decipher how to optimize energy consumption by simply asking at what time you need your vehicle ready and at what battery percentage.

PRO-TIP: IF CHOOSING TO BUY AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE IN THE FUTURE, ALWAYS KEEP THE BATTERY BELOW 80% AND ABOVE 20% FOR OPTIMAL BATTERY HEALTH.

There are 26 million EVs on the road globally. - IEU
77% of people who want to purchase an electric vehicle cite saving money on gas as the primary reason. - AAA
60% of consumers avoid EVs because they worry there are not enough places to charge. - AAA

WHY CLOUDCHARGE?

“It is far cheaper to incentivize behavior and change behavior than it is to deploy more capital equipment, you know, more substations, more transformers, more power plants, that’s very expensive. You know, it’s just cheaper to incentivize behavior.”

Paul Singh
Founder and CEO

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

HOW MIGHT WE?

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

THE TRIPLE CROWN

Working remotely, we strategically employed Milanote as the central hub for communicating deadlines, deliverables, and organizing diverse project elements such as research, interviews, surveys, and mood boards. This tool emerged as our source of truth, unanimously recognized as the crowning project management tool for efficiency.

DISCOVER

WHO’S IN THE RACE?

Before we jumped the gun and peeled off the start line too quickly, we had to research. Seeing what others have done, are doing, what’s successful, and what’s not by industry standards and market trends was an imperative part of our design process.

After conducting a thorough business analysis, I looked at 30 different companies for a greater introduction to the field mechanics of electric vehicle charging. Then focused on analyzing five main competitors before looking at comparators within the space and finally to our users for insight.

TOOLS: BUSINESS AUDIT, C&C ANALYSIS, HEURISTIC EVALUATION, USER SURVEYS, USER INTERVIEWS, TASK ANALYSIS

ENEL X

BATTERY DISPLAY

Enel X offered a great UX experience focusing on battery display, history logs, savings, and offset charge events.

NIKOLA

SYSTEM STATUS

Nikola soared above the competition with strong UI, visually rich displays, and clear system status indicators.

CONNECT

CUSTOMIZABLE DASH

Nissan EV Connect allowed users to design their personal experiences through interchangeable widgets.

COMPETITORS

EXCELLED AT OFFSETTING CHARGE EVENTS

Here I found offsetting a charging event was a favorite feature to leverage by our contenders, but no one was offsetting it to optimize.

And while I searched high and low, I only saw one competitor offering incentivization by converting charge points to real dollars, payable by PayPal directly. No one was rewarding off-peak charging.

OFFERED CLIMATE CONTROL

Through feature inventory listing I saw our competitors had done a lot of heavy lifting for us. They deduced users loved customization from their bios to dashboards to displays. As we saw with Nikola and Nissan Connect, users loved to have full control over their vehicle, charging, and in-app experience.

One abundantly apparent observation was that the current CloudCharge app experience was falling short on 20+ features that would not only help users but delight them.

COMPARATORS

SHOWED UP AT THE PUMPS

To further my research, I cross-examined comparators within our niche and outside. On my road to understanding, I saw high demand for apps geolocating public charging stations.

While our target demographic is specifically at-home chargers, offering this feature would still benefit our users on the go by reducing the dreaded range anxiety.

USER SURVEYS

WHO’S DRIVING THIS THING?

For our users to stay in the driver’s seat, we conducted a variety of surveys and interviews to analyze their behaviors, pain points, and new opportunities within the current marketplace.

Using Survey Monkey we reached out to 44 participants and received over 200+ unique data-rich points that served to lead us on our discovery.

82.5%

SAID BEING ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS WAS IMPORTANT TO THEM

77.5%

ARE INTERESTED IN OWNING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

67%

CAN BE INCENTIVIZED BY DISCOUNTS, REWARDS, AND FREE FUEL

30%

ENGAGED WITH THEIR UTILITY PROVIDER VIA MOBILE APP

10%

COULD BE MOTIVATED BY EXAMPLES OF HOW THEIR ENERGY USE IMPACTED EARTH

53 MILES

ON AVERAGE USERS WERE DRIVING A WEEK

FAVORITE APPS TO ENGAGE WITH

ACORNS

 REWARDS & SAVINGS

Users love the satisfaction of saving money and watching their personal investments grow with Acorns.

NIKE RC

COMPETITION & COMMUNITY

Users felt motivated to maintain their goals and healthy habits with Nike Run Club when seen within a community of like-minded individuals.

DUOLINGO

GAMIFICATION & EDUCATION

Users were inspired by Duolingo’s fun, inventive, educational way of gamifying language.

USER INTERVIEWS

GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL

Due to circumstances, in-person joyrides and donuts were out of the question, but luckily with technology, we were able to phone in a couple of favors. We talked shop with EV users digitally via Zoom, about the ins and outs of ownership. Here we gained insight into their daily charging, driving, and app use habits.

These guys got it, 4/5 users consciously choose to charge at off-peak times. Already being great “gridizens,” we needed to ensure that our designs exceeded their needs and added value to their daily lives.

4/5 interviewees

CONSCIOUSLY CHOSE TO CHARGE AT OFF-PEAK TIMES BUT EACH EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE EFFECT CHARGING TO 100% WAS HAVING ON THE LONGEVITY OF THEIR BATTERY.

WHAT EV USERS ARE SAYING

KEY INSIGHTS

SEEING THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Slowly but surely, a clear driving force was beginning to take center stage. We had some steep competition but our users were proving to be highly motivated, technologically savvy, conscious consumers who appreciated the finer things in life: clean air, clean energy, and just clean fun.

USERS WANT:

🔌 Offset Charging

The ease of setting a weekly charge schedule, plugging in upon arrival, and the peace of mind of knowing the system, devices, and app will all automate when to charge, at what rate, for how long, and to what battery percentage.

📱 Data-Rich Visual Displays

Statistics with current and comparative live reporting on their current charge state, habits, savings, and vehicle health with the autonomy to customize with their favorite functions.

🥇 Rewards

In the form of free charging, savings, local rewards, and redeemable cash incentives to encourage their charging habits.

🏁 Community

Being a part of the solution, they want to feel connected to their fellow EV owners, to compete, invite their friends, and learn about their impact with limited effort.

DEFINE

THE NAVIGATOR

(the navigator aka the co-driver directs the driver through the course by reading navigational instructions from the road book and pace notes that describe the turns and obstacles ahead)

HYPOTHESIS

WE BELIEVE BY DESIGNING A ONE-STOP PIT STOP COMPLETE WITH CHARGING AUTONOMY, DIAGNOSTICS, RESOURCES, & REWARDS; WE CAN BALANCE NEW ENERGY DEMANDS & AVOID LOST REVENUE FOR ULITIY COMPANIES. WE WILL KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE ONCE CLOUDCHARGE COLLECTS SUFFICIENT DATA TO COMMUNICATE THE ENERGY AND MONEY SAVED TO BOTH UTILITY PROVIDERS AND EV OWNERS.

success metrics:

Show electric companies 90% shift in grid
EV owner downloads and retention

why this is important work to be done:

No one has ever done power modulation
Utilize clean energy efficiently

Save EV battery life

Save owners 90% of charging fees

PROPOSED APP FEATURES

scheduling

Users want the freedom to set it & forget it, our app will allow users to schedule future charging events denoting what battery percentage to charge to and at what power consumption rate.

system status

Knowledge is power and we want our users to have full competency to successfully onboard, receive up-to-date system status, diagnostics, and live battery/mileage display.

geolocation

When not charging at home, users want quick access to the nearest charging stations, complete with distance, directions, price and available adapters.

analytics

If by chance users want to take a peek under the hood they can access charge histories complete with time, rate, energy consumption, and price with comparative analysis to past events.

gamification

Who doesn’t love bragging rights? We want our users motivated with leader boards, daily/weekly energy challenges, educational tips, along with some good ol’ fashioned cash prizes and local rewards.

DEVELOP

MAPPING OUT A HAPPY PATH

With the help of three dynamic designers, we hit the streets hard in a design studio workshop. First, we tested our hypothesis by drumming up more “How Might We’s?” to ensure our hypothesis was on the right track. Second, we gained momentum as we rapid-fire sketched ideas. After presenting, we consolidated, blended, and married concepts for one final design experience.

Once this “happy path” emerged organizing information helped shape design choices. And finally, through a few more sessions of collaborative sketching, we felt we had found the final prototype for our vision.

TOOLS: DESIGN STUDIO, USER FLOWS, AFFINITY MAPPING, SKETCHING, CARD SORTING, INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

USER FLOWS

REVIEWING THE TRACK

AFFINITY MAPPING

SELECTING THE RIGHT DRIVERS

CARDSORTING SYNTHESIS

ORGANIZING THE PIT CREW

DESIGN STUDIO & DYNAMIC SKETCHING

CARPOOLING IDEAS

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

WELDING THE “PURPOSE-BUILT CHASSIS” TOGETHER

DESIGN

THE PRE-QUALIFIER

As the deadline loomed and tensions ran high, it was time to take a long mindful breath. Creation begins with breathing, and we were ready to breathe life into this product and get her to the finish line. We knew that it was imperative to keep our designs sleek, minimal, and “zen” to appease our stakeholders. Our app also needed to demonstrate high sophistication and high tech.

By wireframing in mid-fidelity we were able to get her up to speed. Once we got her rolling, we needed to get a few warm-up laps in with various drivers to ensure there were no unexpected speed bumps.

TOOLS: WIREFRAMING, PROTOTYPING, USABILITY TESTING, ITERATIONS, RETESTING, BRANDING

WIREFRAMING & PROTOTYPING

VALIDATING AT MID-FIDELITY ALLOWED FOR A WIDER TURNING RADIUS IF USERS WERE MET WITH BLOCKING HAZARDS AND NEEDED TO DOWNSHIFT TO GET THEIR BEARINGS

WIDGET DASHBOARDS

USER TESTING

HERE WE FOUND OUT WE NEEDED SOME MAINTENANCE WORK

4/5 USERS

NEEDED AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SWIPING FUNCTIONALITY AND REQUIRED LABELS ON OUR WIDGETS SO THEY COULD PROPERLY PUT THEIR HANDS ON THE WHEEL.

ITERATE

SO WE GAVE THEM MORE TORQUE OUT THE GATE

HOW TO USE INTRODUCTION

By adding simple messaging after the intro, we gained trust from users as 5/5 of those who were retested felt confident and “excited to dive into the unique Swiss army knife functionality” we beautifully crafted.

-USABILITY TESTER

WIDGET LABELS

It’s funny how blindspots work. My partner and I both had a serious duh moment when 5/5 users repeatedly expressed no clue how to steer our app and complete specific tasks in our moderated usability testing. By adding simple labels to our widgets, 5/5 users were able to complete all 5 tasks. By reducing drag our users were ready to burn out off the line.

Once corrected, we had a

100% SUCCESS RATE

when we retested our designs with new users

*Yes, red is never a good real-world success status indicator, but for design's sake, it looked SMOKING HOT.

BRANDING

REDESIGNING THE BRAND FOR AERODYNAMICS

While CloudCharge Network had a loose brand style guide, they were still green so I was free to rework the brand. I cleaned up the logo, color palette, and typography to create the desired “airy, ethereal, zen” aesthetic by removing unnecessary and bulky elements. Keeping it light, white, and littered with intentional drop shadows, we created a heavenly cloud-like brand that sang simple and sophisticated.

We were tasked to create a minimal/modern app to help stagger electric vehicle charging to modulate power grid levels. Our Main Dashboard needed to provide the basics to our users, a clear/clean quick shot of all of the VIP functions.

As it was my responsibility to take charge of UI, here I included a battery percentage display, available mileage, the status of all the devices needed for the app to run smoothly, and quick access to charging and/or scheduling.

DELIVER

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

The dashboard functions dynamically so that once a user initiates a charge and all three devices are paired properly, the dial turns green to indicate their EV is happily charging. The two internal numbers change from mileage available to hours left til the charge is complete to provide users with greater transparency.

I felt extremely satisfied with my final designs for our main dashboard as our stakeholders and users all agreed it provided the right amount of information without cognitive overload.

DESIGN CHALLENGE #1: SCHEDULED CHARGING

CRUISE CONTROLLING EV CHARGE EVENTS

With our design challenge underway, we knew our main priority was that power providers needed to find a way to incentivize users to charge at off-hour times. The first design challenge was to make a simple and intuitive design that prompts users quickly and easily to set a future charging events.

By creating a dashboard that encourages users to charge now or to schedule a future charge event, while getting key insights into the health of their EV battery and OBD connection status, I felt confident that users will offset their charging times to be better “gridizens”.

DESIGN CHALLENGE #2: DATA-RICH VISUALS WITH CUSTOMIZABLE WIDGETS

POPPING THE HOOD AND TAKING A LOOK AT THE ENGINE

It was clear from the beginning that we wanted to provide our users with the tools to be successful and after our exhaustive research, I found what those features were. By including an eGallon calculator, users were able to understand the cost of fueling their EVs. By including a Profile with account information, users can visually see that all of the necessary devices are connected. With the Schedule, users can review, edit, and delete their future charging events that had already been added.

History Log was included to allow users to see how much their charging events were costing and how that compared to past charge events to help them visualize how their habits were impacting their pockets. And last but not least, the most requested feature was the Find a Charging Station. When analyzing comparable apps on the market, I knew that offering this feature would set our app apart and ensure that EV users would need no other app beyond ours while either at home or on the road.

DESIGN CHALLENGE #3: eGALLON CALCULATOR

SIRI, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH GAS TO GET TO OMAHA?

The typical American gauges daily driving costs based on the fluctuating price of a gallon of gasoline. The eGallon signifies the cost of covering the same distance in an electric vehicle as a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle could on one gallon of gasoline.

Why do we need eGallon?
The expense associated with driving an electric vehicle (EV) is closely tied to electricity costs. Typically, consumers consider electricity expenses in their monthly bills rather than kilowatt-hours, making it less intuitive for them to correlate the cost per kilowatt-hour to the mile-per-mile expense of powering an EV.

The purpose of the eGallon Calculator within our app addresses this gap by presenting a metric that readily aligns with a conventional gallon of unleaded gas. Our eGallon Calculator allows for users to understand their mileage and pricing within their location of residence, while also allowing them to plan for longer trips effectively.

Used in tandem with our next app feature, the Find a Charging Station, we feel confident users will feel secure utilizing our app while chasing their next great adventure.

DESIGN BONUS: FIND A CHARGING STATION

REDUCING THE DREADED RANGE ANXIETY

Just because CloudCharge is an app to support B2B, energy providers, does not mean we couldn’t be there for the C’s. Reducing range anxiety was a top priority for EV owners. While there were plenty of supplemental apps to download, I saw that no home charging app was integrating the find-a-charging station feature.

I opted to add it, knowing how valuable it was to our users to give them peace of mind on the open road. I knew that encouraging them to utilize the app at home was one thing, but if I could keep them continually logging on, I could see greater impact with owners reminded to charge at off-peak times. It was a win-win.

DESIGN CHALLENGE #4: GAMIFICATION for retention

A RACE TO THE WINNER TROPHY!

When designing our app, we knew that our stakeholders had developed a revolutionary device to make a conscious ecological impact but our greatest ask was truly how to educate and encourage users to engage and WANT to charge at off-peak hours. Through gamification, we devised a fun way for users to invite their friends, engage with a community, and get inspired to do more.

When testing with users, we saw immediate joy as they felt compelled to participate in challenges that taught them to be more aware of their charging habits. It no longer felt like a chore to remember to charge at a later time, now they could get involved with a rich community, all while earning points that can be used or donated.

“If you’re not first, you’re last”

RANKINGS BOARD & DAILY CHALLENGES

Users were excited for an opportunity to challenge their friends and be a part of a rapidly growing community of ecologically conscious consumers. They could finally see how their charging habits were doing compared to others.

DAILY CHALLENGES

WEEKLY CHALLENGES

WEEKLY CHALLENGES

Users loved the idea that they could unlock new weekly challenges to earn points. Simple tasks like skipping charging three days in a row, avoiding their battery dropping under 50%, or charging at off-peak times at home could all have major impacts on their annual energy consumption.

REWARDS

REWARDS

Once users realized they could earn cold hard cash that could be loaded onto a Visa rewards gift card, it was game over! They were sold. And if by chance they weren’t wooed by the sweet promise of going green for the green, they could easily utilize points at their favorite pit stops.

DONATIONS

Finally, users were delighted to find out they could donate their earnings to do even more for our beloved Mother Earth. While already being great “gridizens” they could go above and beyond by planting trees, protecting wildlands, donating to their nearest animal shelter and so much more!

DONATIONS

You’ve made Doug very happy.

WHAT USERS ARE SAYING

“The thing I loved most was the donation aspect. I really feel like this company is connected the right way. It makes me feel like I can trust them, and that makes me want to share it with all of my friends.”

- TEST USER

NEXT STEPS

A PROPER POLISH VICTORY LAP

With the project completed, we reflected back on missed opportunities and what we would have done differently. Due to the limited time frame and a few curves in the road, we focused the majority of our time on the overall app functionality. If given more time, I would love to invest in the following:

FUN FACT:

On Nov. 6, 1988, Alan Kulwicki was running second to Ricky Rudd in the Checker 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. And then, in the first NASCAR Premier Series race ever run, Kulwicki did something that had never been done before.

He drove his No. 7 Ford Thunderbird in the opposite direction that the cars raced, so he could look into the stands and see the cheering fans. Kulwicki's move became known as the "Polish Victory Lap" and it instantly made him a legend with race fans.

01 - MORE FUN

If given more time, I would love to expand on the gamification aspect to make it more whimsical, colorful, and educational, demonstrating to users the impact they are having in reducing their carbon footprint.

02 - MORE BUTTONS

Furthermore, I would love to explore many new functional widgets to give users a diverse and robust app, with plenty of customization and freedom to pimp their ride.

03 - MORE SEX APPEAL

My partner and I also agreed that implementing a dark mode for users would be an ideal selling point as most of the apps we saw within the market fell flat on UI.

MORE COLOR!
MORE FUN!
MORE EDUCATION!

MORE WIDGETS!

DARK MODE.

“EXCEEDS MY
WILDEST
EXPECTATIONS”

— RINA SINGH, CLOUDCHARGE CEO

WHAT I LEARNED

DYNAMICS OF FLOW

01 - Green Solutions Require Everyone’s Assistance

For humanity to truly create a sustained impact on our future and reduce the overproduction of carbon, everyone must play an integral part. This means consumers, designers, and businesses alike. With designers leading the charge in product virility, it is our responsibility to lead with moral consideration and guiding principles to ensure ethical and responsible creations.

02 - effective collaboration needs consistent communication

Be it project teammates or stakeholders, to ensure effective product delivery from A to B, all mechanics of flow must be maintained. Any standstill can cause major implications downstream.

03 - how products BRING JOY into EVERYDAY lives

I’ve designed products that help people, and artifacts that live suspended on the World Wide Web, but I have never designed a product that would serve as a daily driver. Designing for everyday use was a fun new challenge. How and where to delight users, inject fluidity in use, and design with simplicity and yet complexity all served as a lesson in balance and flow.

04 - LEAVE STICKY DRINKS OUT

Lastly, I’d hold off on the champagne shower (when F1 drivers spray champagne after they’ve won a race) surprisingly, terrible to clean off leather bucket seats.