The Company
The largest public fast-charging network in the US — and an app that was failing its users.
Electrify America was established through Volkswagen's Dieselgate consent decree to build charging infrastructure across the US and Canada. When my team was brought in, the app had received poor reviews and the charging experience was generating high call center volume. The problem wasn't visual. Nobody had mapped what a first-time EV driver actually needed to feel confident at a public charger.
The user wasn't a tech-savvy early adopter. They were someone fresh from the dealership, charger not yet installed at home, standing in a parking lot for the first time — with range anxiety and no muscle memory for what to do next.
Phase 01 · App Redesign
Extensive research. Three months. A completely redesigned first-charge experience.
My team conducted extensive user research — journey maps, usability studies, and observational sessions — across the full arc from becoming an EV driver to reflecting on the first charging experience. The key insight: at the moment of charge, users' primary motivation is minimize effort, not maximize value. Everything that was wrong with the original experience was optimized for the wrong goal.
Replace with actual app screenshots from uploads
Phase 02 · HomeStation
Extending the experience to home charging — including off-peak scheduling and voice commands.
As lead product designer, I worked directly with the manufacturer in China to map every required pairing and app-sync step for the HomeStation product launch. This included coordinating with legal on copy, designing the off-peak pricing and scheduling features, remote app start functionality, and voice assistant command experiences.
Phase 03 · CarPlay & Android Auto
One of the first charging networks with in-car app support.
As a solo designer working with two engineers (iOS and Android), I designed the CarPlay and Android Auto experience from scratch — covering finding a station, navigation, selecting a charger, starting a charge, managing a session, and completing a charge. This was a new design surface at the time, with strict Apple and Google platform constraints.
Fast Company
Most Innovative Companies — CarPlay & Android Auto Integration
Phase 04 · HMI Redesign
The charger screen — the most anxious moment in the entire experience.
I led the team that redesigned the Human Machine Interface on the physical chargers — the touchscreen a driver interacts with at the station. This included two years of Voice of Customer research, HMI-specific usability studies, and a complete ground-up redesign validated against real user sentiment at each stage of the charging journey.
The design philosophy: balance the customer's emotional sentiment against business goals at every screen. The home screen reduced the first instruction to three words: Plug in first. The guest flow mapped upsell moments against the user's emotional state — ensuring commercial objectives never undermined the confidence users needed to complete their charge.
Design challenge
A driver standing at a charger for the first time is at maximum cognitive load — new vehicle, unfamiliar location, range anxiety. The HMI had to perform under those conditions for every user, every time, across 7 different charger models from different generations and manufacturers.
What we built
A consistent visual language across all charger models. Clear numbered charger identification. Step-by-step flow (Plug In → Pay → Charge) with prominent progress indicators. Guest and member paths that separated without creating confusion. Receipt and upsell screens timed to emotional peaks.
Phase 05 · Beyond the Screen
Physical labels, parking stencils, fleet tools, and white-label partnerships.
I redesigned the physical labels at charge stations — developing naming conventions for charge speeds (a major source of user confusion), coordinating with printers on materials and sizing across 7 charger models, and designing parking stencils and installation guides for field technicians.
I also led the design of a net-new Fleet Management product for commercial EV fleet operators — a dashboard for managing charging across Electrify America's network while vehicles are on the road. And I led white-label adaptations of both the app and HMI for OEM partners including Porsche, Maserati, and Jeep, and commercial partners including Target.
Full Scope