VoltSpott
Exploring how better information could reduce uncertainty around EV charging
Role
Product design lead
Scope
Product Strategy, UX Research, Product Design
Platform
Mobile
The Idea
Finding an EV charging station is relatively easy.
Knowing whether that charger will actually work for you when you arrive is harder.
Availability, compatibility, charging speed, location, and route planning all influence what appears to be a simple decision.
I wanted to explore how a mobile experience could reduce that uncertainty.
What if finding a charger felt less like searching and more like knowing where to go?
VoltSpott is a mobile concept designed to help EV drivers find compatible chargers, understand availability, and plan charging into their journey.
What I Wanted to Understand
I focused the exploration on the decisions drivers make before choosing a charging location.
Through research and competitive analysis, I looked at:
How drivers currently find charging stations
What information influences charger selection
Where uncertainty enters the experience
How charging fits into a larger trip
What information drivers need before committing to a location
The research revealed that finding a charger was only one part of the problem.
Confidence was the larger issue.
What I Learned
Availability changes the decision
Knowing where chargers are isn't enough if users don't know whether one will be available when they arrive.
Opportunity: Make real-time availability central to the experience.
Compatibility creates uncertainty
Different connectors, charging speeds, and vehicle requirements add complexity to choosing a station.
Opportunity: Prioritize compatible options instead of making drivers interpret technical information themselves.
Charging is part of the journey
Drivers aren't usually looking for a charger in isolation. They're trying to determine how charging fits into where they're going.
Opportunity: Connect charging decisions with route planning rather than treating them as separate tasks.
Exploring the Experience
Map-First Discovery
The initial direction centered around a familiar map experience showing nearby charging locations.
While easy to understand, it placed too much responsibility on the driver to compare options.
What I learned: Showing every available charger isn't the same as helping someone choose one.
Filtered Search
The next direction introduced filters for compatibility, availability, charging speed, and distance.
This gave drivers greater control but also increased the number of decisions required before finding a charger.
What I learned: More control could create more work.
Personalized Discovery
The final direction used vehicle information and trip context to prioritize relevant charging options automatically.
Instead of asking drivers to repeatedly configure searches, the experience could surface the options most likely to meet their needs.
What I learned: The product could remove decisions instead of simply providing more ways to make them.
The Concept
VoltSpott brings discovery, compatibility, availability, and trip planning into one connected experience.
Key Features:
Find compatible chargers
Vehicle information helps prioritize charging stations that work with the driver's car.
See availability
Drivers can quickly understand charger status before committing to a location.
See what matters
Distance, charging speed, availability, and other relevant information are surfaced without overwhelming the experience.
Reserve when available
For supported locations, drivers can secure a charging window before arriving, reducing uncertainty around the stop.
Plan the stop
Charging can be incorporated into the driver's route rather than treated as a separate destination.
What I Took Away
VoltSpott started as an exploration of EV charger discovery but became an exercise in designing for confidence.
The challenge wasn't giving drivers more information.
It was determining which information mattered at the moment they were making a decision and using the experience to remove unnecessary uncertainty.
Good product design doesn't always give users more control. Sometimes it removes decisions they shouldn't have to make.
