Motability Scheme customers have unique driving needs due to their disabilities. With the rapid shift towards EV cars, these customers are driving EVs for the first time.
Finding accessible chargers is a major challenge, so this product seeks to focus on helping EV drivers identify and share accessible chargers.
Through accessibility focused charge point reviews, as well as newly commissioned accessibility data, we are building an app which can positively impact disabled drivers' transition to EV.
The accompanying video of Accessibility Reviews is a Figma prototype demonstration of my work, and may not represent the final product.
01 Immersion
Before I joined the project, senior stakeholders had an overall strategy and initial requirements in place.
My first task was to immerse myself in the EV space, looking at best in class and popular EV apps.
I use tools like Mobbin to look at sample flows, as well as exploring apps in person.
02 Goal clarification
I like to organise goals and outcomes of workshops in a form I can easily refer to.
I then can play back my version to stakeholders and uncover any misunderstandings and grey areas.
03 Creating structure
Before I start screen design, I often create structure diagrams to map out flows and content.
The onboarding flow is key to meeting the specific needs of our customers, which includes customisations for a smooth first-EV experience.
04 Prototyping
At the beginning of this project, creating rough wireframes was a useful exercise for key flows.
In the case of onboarding, I was able to to play it back to stakeholders to iron out details before getting to stuck in UI.
Later, I created high fidelity prototypes, and built a Figma design system from scratch as I went.
I create and maintain prototype flows as I build the UI in Figma. This allows me to test my screen flows as well as demo and test the flows at any moment.
05 Testing
We tested both concepts and screen designs with users. We additionally gathered information about what is important to them and what challenges they face as EV drivers with disabilities. For example, we tested several versions of charge point icons for the map - changing colour, icons, and size as we refined the concept.
As a team, we used both Survey Monkey and one-to-one video interviews to test concepts and designs with customers.
I found Dovetail a very useful platform to collate video interviews and tag them up for future reference.
05 High-fidelity UI
High fidelity screen and prototype design picked up speed as the project developed and I evolved the Figma design system.
Design principles are Ease, Accessibility & Comfort
Ease
Every screen must avoid all extraneous elements and present only essential information for the moment. Illustrations are used to reinforce function and meaning on information-heavy screens, as well as to create meaningful contexts. Users must feel guided through every interaction, and never lost.
Accessibility
The specific requirements of our users feed into every aspect of the design. For example, font size and colour contrast meet AA WCAG standards. But deeper than this, our user testing guided colour choices and design decisions that are easily understood by the widest pool of our users.
Comfort
I chose comfort as a design principle to evoke a sense of nostalgia so that EV driving could feel close to our users' petrol-car memories. I used a soft palette and included illustrations of the countryside, English villages and the Lake District to achieve this aim, always placing the EV car in star position.
06 Development
Development in React Native started early on in the design process, within an agile framework. I continue to deliver designs ahead of development sprints. Accessibility considerations are a major challenge with this app - due to the diversity of functional requirements and information presentation needs within the charging, parking and trip planning space.
I work closely with the development team, both creating and approving Jira tickets. I attend dev standups every morning as well as retros and prioritisation meetings.
07 Launch
We are currently Beta testing the app with a community of users, evenly split between Andoid and Apple. They have produced over 8000 reviews and added over 500 photos pre-launch!
Our soft launch to all Motability EV customers is expected in early 2025, when most features will be present in robust form.
We have exciting new features underway!