August 2023 - August 2024
Starting point: The SmartChain Topology platform by Driivz is engineered to provide a comprehensive, intuitive view of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. As the UX/UI designer, I spearheaded a redesign that solves the pressing challenges of real-time energy management while improving the overall user experience.
Problems
Scalability Issues: Users have expressed concerns about the previous system's ability to scale effectively with the growing number of EVs and charging stations. The limitations in handling increased operational demands led to inefficiencies in energy management. As one user noted, “The system struggles with managing multiple sites effectively as we expand our infrastructure.”
Outdated Design: The design was often described as not being user-friendly, with users reporting that it made navigation cumbersome. They indicated that the interface was outdated and did not meet the current needs for intuitive energy management. Users remarked, “Navigating through the old system felt like a chore; it didn’t align with how we operate today.”
Data Viewing and Editing: Many users found the process of accessing and editing data unpleasant, which hindered their ability to make informed decisions. They highlighted that the data was not presented clearly, making it challenging to draw insights quickly. A common sentiment was, “Viewing and editing data should be seamless; it felt tedious with the old setup.”
Challenges
Ensuring data clarity for varied user roles while maintaining a streamlined interface.
Aligning the UI/UX with the backends’ capabilities for real-time data flow and processing, without compromising speed or accuracy.
Managing different user expectations - ensuring that both high-level overviews and granular details were easily accessible depending on user needs.
Solution
A clean, modern interface with better visual clarity of power flow and charging site statuses, enabling them to make real-time, data-driven decisions.
An enhanced, real-time status dashboard for monitoring performance, availability, and utilization of chargers.
An intuitive troubleshooting interface that offers clear visual cues for diagnosing connectivity or performance issues across the charging network.
Research
Research involved conducting interviews and collecting feedback from fleet managers, operators, and technicians. The common pain points identified were a lack of real-time data access, cluttered visuals, and poor navigation. By focusing on user workflows, we restructured the topology layout and introduced a simplified data hierarchy to improve the user journey.
Roles
Mark Ruiz, 38
💼 Charging network OP
🏠 London, UK
🚀Motivation: keeping all chargers online, ensuring optimal energy distribution, and minimizing downtime across the network
🎯Main goal: ensure all charging stations are running at full capacity, troubleshoot and manage energy loads across multiple sites, and avoid energy overloads
😖Main pain point: the old topology design was clunky and difficult to navigate when handling large networks. Scalability issues and outdated design made it hard to manage multiple stations and monitor charger status effectively
✏️Quote: "I need a tool that gives me instant insights on charger availability and power distribution across every station I manage.”
John Davis, 52
💼 Business Owner
🏠 New York City, NY
🚀Motivation: maximizing profitability, reducing operational costs, and growing the business
🎯Main goal: ensure the charging network is running efficiently while keeping costs low and maximizing ROI
😖Main pain point: the old design made it hard to view critical metrics on energy use and cost, which delayed decision-making and impacted profitability
✏️Quote: "I need an easy-to-understand dashboard to make quick, informed decisions that keep my business profitable.”
Emily Roberts, 34
💼 Maintenance Technician
🏠 Berlin, Germany
🚀Motivation: ensure all chargers stay online, troubleshoot issues quickly, and prevent service disruptions
🎯Main goal: detect and resolve charging station issues as quickly as possible to ensure maximum uptime
😖Main pain point: the outdated interface and lack of clear data presentation made troubleshooting slow, impacting charger availability. The old system lacked real-time fault detection features, which delayed response times
✏️Quote: " I need a clean, responsive interface that helps me quickly pinpoint and fix issues before they disrupt the charging network.”
Problem - User's POV
Scroll inside the table to view all content on smaller screens
I am | Trying to | But | Because | Which makes me |
A fleet manager overseeing EV charging operations | Ensure efficient charging schedules and minimize energy costs | The system struggles with scalability and provides outdated visuals | I need clear insights into energy usage and site performance | Miss opportunities for cost savings and efficient fleet operations |
A network operator managing multiple charging stations | Monitor real-time energy distribution and charger performance | The old topology lacks intuitive navigation for monitoring performance | Critical metrics are not prioritized for quick analysis | Spend too much time troubleshooting instead of managing operations effectively |
A technician responsible for the upkeep of charging infrastructure | Quickly identify and resolve charger issues | The topology view doesn’t highlight alerts clearly, making diagnosis hard | Important troubleshooting data is scattered and hard to access | Struggle to maintain uptime, leading to extended service interruptions |
A business owner focused on managing charging infrastructure | Access relevant analytics to guide investment decisions | The current system presents data in a confusing manner | Key operational metrics are hard to interpret, impacting profitability | Risk financial losses due to inefficiencies and delayed decision-making |
Early drafts and sketches
Final design
Ella Eldadi
