LinkEV
UX DESIGN | UX RESEARCH
LinkEV is a vehicle connected app with the goal of keeping new EV owners in mind. The simple, straight forward design allows for easy navigation and understanding when it comes to controlling the car as well as keeping up with its needs.
Project Statement:
New EV users who are unfamiliar with their EV’s need an easy, digestible way to learn about how they work and what they need while also learning how to navigate and utilize the special features they have to offer.
Before I got started on wire framing, I did some research on other vehicle connected apps on the market. The main things I was looking at were what controls were included within these connected apps, and how certain information was displayed.
Some examples I looked at included Toyota, Tesla, and BMW. I noted what I thought worked and what didn’t design wise and then moved on to my wireframes. The main issue I noticed in these were how cluttered some of them were. I felt that they were trying to display too much unnecessary information on the main page making it frustrating to complete simple tasks.
RESEARCH
Based off of what I learned, I was able to come up with some goals that I wanted my app to reach.
Connection
Giver users a way to connect to their cars and access the stats from their mobile device.
Information
Present easy to understand information for new users about their EV driving habits and monitoring battery health.
Accessibility
Design easy to use features that help users get the most out of their EV experience and everything it has to offer.
USER FLOW
LO-FI WIREFRAMING
Once I had an idea of all the screens and paths I needed to design, I started with my lo-fi wires. I find that this is one of the most important steps when it comes to creating a hi-fi prototype. By keeping the design this simple in the early stages, it is easier to focus on usability and placement of content while also trying out multiple approaches.
Here is an example of my first iteration compared to my final. As you can see there was a lot of changes and refinement between the two.
STYLE GUIDE
FINAL DESIGN
HOW IT WORKS:
For my final design, I created a car connected app that allows users to use their phones as a fob, hand book and more. By allowing this information to be readily available even when drivers aren’t in the car, EV owners can stay up to date with their vehicles as well as learn more about their driving habits and how they use their charge. With the easy to understand design, LinkEV welcomes old and new EV users to look more into their cars and learn more about all the amazing features they have to offer.
Overall I am happy with how my final design came out. Although this prototype is not fully animated, I was still able to get the experience I had in mind. While still managing to keep a sleek, simple design, I was able to reach all of my goals that I had set in the beginning.
Connection
Goal: Give users a way to connect to their cars and access the stats from their mobile device.
Solution: An app design that allows users to not only use their phones as their remotes, but also gives them access to their vehicles stats and charging details no matter where they are.
Accessibility
Goal: Give users easy to use features to help them get the most out of their EV experience.
Solution: Since electric cars are so different from ICE vehicles, they often have new features users don’t know about. One example of this is the battery usage breakdown that helps drivers see what is using the most energy.
Information
Goal: Teach users about EV driving habits and monitoring battery health.
Solution: By organizing the car stats in specific sections, users are less likely to be overwhelmed by all of the information. On top of that, I also included a warning light key which is located in the menu bar and is accessible from any screen incase of emergencies.
PRODUCT SUMMARY
LinkEV is an app designed to help users get the most out of their EVs.
The app allows you to stay up to date on charging status, see important vehicle stats, and more all through a users phone.
How it works:
Lock, unlock, and start your car.
Control vehicle temperature and fan speed.
Stay up to date on important vehicle stats and battery health.
learn more about your driving techniques.
Navigation with charging features.
All from your mobile device!
REFLECTION
After spending weeks on this project, I am very proud of the way it turned out. It was fun working on and researching a topic I enjoy and was very excited to show it to my family. Throughout this process I did my best to learn everything I could, using the resources I had available, and I am happy with the overall outcome.
I would be interested in going back and making some edits after gaining some professional experience at General Motors the following summer. I did a lot of work similar to this and got to contribute some of their own vehicle connected apps. I think if I went back and used some of the research and design skills I learned during my time there, I could make some changes that would take this design to the next level.