Designing for electro-mobility
eHive: platform for urban electric charging networks
Main objective
Project developed with eHive and Forcast team. The main objective consisted in creating an electric charger network in order to increase the chargers demand in the city. After studying other referents, the user context and comprehend the user major problems and goals. The solution developed consisted in an app dedicated to the use of charges for electric cars and a desktop platform focused on the administrator and owner of the charger stations.
My role and impact
Research
Conducted competitor analysis, ran multiple rounds of user interviews and built click through prototypes utilized for user testing. All findings were synthesize in insights and actionable design ideas.
Design
Developed project branding, main user journeys, sitemaps, wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes for essential user paths. Worked along Product Manager and Developer team to ensure efficient implementation of the app and platform.
Impact & Results
Played a key role as the main designer in securing CORFO funding to drive the project's success. Since launch, the platform has reached rapid growth, landing over 16 projects with industry leaders like PepsiCo, DHL, and ABB. The network has expanded to over 1,000 charging stations, solidifying the company’s leadership in electric mobility across Chile and Latin America.
Design process
Understanding the problem
The lack of widely accessible, efficient, and sustainable electric vehicle charging infrastructure is a key barrier for the transition to clean mobility.
We started by doing a data collection about the principal competitors and referents. Continued by conducting a series of user interviews in order to understand in depth the user current knowledge, behaviors, challenges and main pain points regarding managing and using electric charges stations.
Multiple users with different goals and motivations
Through data analysis, we generated key research deliverables that uncovered core user needs and identified strategic opportunities where we could outperform competitors.
We discover there was two main user personas for this solution, the actual charger user and the chargers owner or administrator. Both with very different motivations and tasks to accomplish.
On the other hand the main result obtained from the journey map, was the addition and enhancement of the steps of the charging process.
Designing for Distinct User Needs
Designing for Distinct User Needs
Designing for Distinct User Needs
The next stage focused on transforming our research insights into actionable concepts. After identifying two distinct user groups, we created separate user flows tailored to their specific needs. This led to the development of two complementary platform solutions: a desktop platform for managing administrative tasks and a mobile app designed for locating, reserving, and using electric vehicle chargers.
First flow approximation for the administrator platform, that consisted in 4 main sections:
Home
Charging session statistics
Charges administration
User and clients administration
Initial user flow designed for the driver app, focusing on key workflows such as reserving an electric charger.
Elevating Electromobility Experiences: eHive App's Impact and Future Endeavors
The project concluded with the delivery of the first full version of both the desktop and mobile app solutions. I worked closely with the development team throughout the build phase, ensuring that the designs were implemented effectively. The final solutions were then presented and tested with real users from both enterprise companies and the private sector. As the electromobility sector continues to grow in Chile, eHive team remains committed to ongoing improvements and innovations to enhance both platforms.
