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#Service Design

#Mobile App Design

#EV

#Renewable Energy

#Figma

Solarify

Solarify

Solarify

Solarify

Solarify

Solarify

You think you're driving in a sustainable way by buying an electrical vehicle?
Then you should think again.
The fact is more than 80% of electricity is not generated in a renewable way - that means charging your EV is not as sustainable as you thought, at all.

Here, we introduce Solarify, the all-in-one experience to help you charge clean and save green.

You think you're driving in a sustainable way by buying an electrical vehicle?
Then you should think again.
The fact is more than 80% of electricity is not generated in a renewable way - that means charging your EV is not as sustainable as you thought, at all.

Here, we introduce Solarify, the all-in-one experience to help you charge clean and save green.

You think you're driving in a sustainable way by buying an electrical vehicle?
Then you should think again.
The fact is more than 80% of electricity is not generated in a renewable way - that means charging your EV is not as sustainable as you thought, at all.

Here, we introduce Solarify, the all-in-one experience to help you charge clean and save green.

You think you're driving in a sustainable way by buying an electrical vehicle?
Then you should think again.
The fact is more than 80% of electricity is not generated in a renewable way - that means charging your EV is not as sustainable as you thought, at all.

Here, we introduce Solarify, the all-in-one experience to help you charge clean and save green.

You think you're driving in a sustainable way by buying an electrical vehicle?
Then you should think again.
The fact is more than 80% of electricity is not generated in a renewable way - that means charging your EV is not as sustainable as you thought, at all.

Here, we introduce Solarify, the all-in-one experience to help you charge clean and save green.

You think you're driving in a sustainable way by buying an electrical vehicle?
Then you should think again.
The fact is more than 80% of electricity is not generated in a renewable way - that means charging your EV is not as sustainable as you thought, at all.

Here, we introduce Solarify, the all-in-one experience to help you charge clean and save green.

Jan 2023 - Apr 2023

Timeline

Lead Product Designer

Role

Jan 2023 - Apr 2023

Timeline

Lead Product Designer

Role

Tools

Figma

Adobe Suite

User Research

Business Analytics

Backgrounds

With the topic of accessibility, mobility, and sustainability in Electrical Vehicles (EV) provided by the Kellogg Design Challenge and the sponsor, Nissan, our team started our research on the current situation, pain points of the current and potential users, and the existing future plans of the EV market.

With the topic of accessibility, mobility, and sustainability in Electrical Vehicles (EV) provided by the Kellogg Design Challenge and the sponsor, Nissan, our team started our research on the current situation, pain points of the current and potential users, and the existing future plans of the EV market.

Problem Statement

How might we improve the sustainability and accessibility of charging infrastructure to alleviate range anxiety and enable mobility for EV drivers to access charging quickly?

How might we improve the sustainability and accessibility of charging infrastructure to alleviate range anxiety and enable mobility for EV drivers to access charging quickly?

Solution Overview

After 3 months of work, we staged the concept of Solarify, which is a service plan allows user to purchase solar panels regardless of installation environments with their EV purchases as well as an integrated digital product enabling users to control and monitor their EV and solar panels seamlessly.

After 3 months of work, we staged the concept of Solarify, which is a service plan allows user to purchase solar panels regardless of installation environments with their EV purchases as well as an integrated digital product enabling users to control and monitor their EV and solar panels seamlessly.

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The Core Idea

Throughout the research, a lack of relevant infrastructure is the main barrier in advancing in sustainability, accessibility, and mobility for the EV market. Therefore, we designed the service to allow users to "purchase" solar panels alongside their EV purchase. The idea is that Nissan as a pioneer EV dealer would purchase, install, and manage all the solar panels in a centralized location (in a desert for example), then the buyers are able to obtain those solar panels through Nissan and they enjoy the benefits thereof. This plan allows all EV drivers to use renewable(solar) energy regardless of their ability to install the solar panels and this solves the sustainable problem from the root. Nissan will gain reputation to be the pioneer in sustainability and users will turn this investment into profit in the long-term.

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Service Blueprint

To better explain how the service where be carried out, we created a service blueprint where it connects all the touchpoints and actions.

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Solving Range Anxiety and Providing better Customer Experience

To solve the range anxiety problem which most EV drivers are experiencing right now, we introduced the newer version of the Nissan Mobile App to elevating the customer experience while owning a Nissan EV. In this App, users will not only be able to monitor the common status of the vehicle, but also able to monitor the soloar panels they owned and play with the novel credit system. The mobile app also seamlessly connects to the car control console which will allow users to navigate to the best compatible charging station

My Contributions

  1. In the research stage, beside comprehensive desktop researches, I worked together with my teammates to draft survey questionnaires, and hosted 2 interviews.

  2. In the concept stage, I came up with 5 concepts during the brain storm, Solarify was one of my original ideas.

  3. In the design stage, I created the low and high fidelity prototypes, the user flow and worked closely with another teammate on the user persona, stakeholder map, and the service blueprint.

  4. In the business stage, I provided 3 business plan ideas, and worked with teammates on the validation calculations.

My Contributions

  1. In the research stage, beside comprehensive desktop researches, I worked together with my teammates to draft survey questionnaires, and hosted 2 interviews.

  2. In the concept stage, I came up with 5 concepts during the brain storm, Solarify was one of my original ideas.

  3. In the design stage, I created the low and high fidelity prototypes and worked closely with another teammate on the user persona, stakeholder map, and the service blueprint.

  4. In the business stage, I provided 3 business plan ideas, and worked with teammates on the validation calculations.

Research

Research Methods

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PESTEL Analysis

To understand the strength of Nissan in the current market, we first conducted a PESTEL analysis, to better know the business from Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal aspects.

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Surveys

Besides studying the Nissan Company itself, we also need to understand from the Nissan users' perspectives, therefore, we wrote a survey questionnaire and got 55 responses.

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Interviews

To further understand our primary stakeholders, Nissan vehicle drivers, we conducted 10 interviews.

Research Analysis

The research methods were analyzed through affinity mapping to identify common themes between EV drivers and drawbacks that deter gas drivers from EVs. This revealed post-vehicle purchase problems and barriers in both populated cities and rural areas due to lack of accessibility and mobility of EV drivers.

Nissan Gas Vehicle

Nissan Electric Vehicle

Research Insights

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Electric Grid Shortage

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I live in an area that experiences frequent power outages due to high demand during peak periods.....experienced the frustration of not being able to charge my car during these times.

I live in an area that experiences frequent power outages due to high demand during peak periods.....experienced the frustration of not being able to charge my car during these times.

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Survey

91%

charge vehicle overnight.

Interview

70%

had to seek different charging station.


145 million

EV predicted by 2030, requiring 350 TWh more electricity every year.

Secondary Research

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Negative and False Perception of EVs

“

EVs are only as sustainable as the electricity used to charge them, and if that electricity comes from non-renewable sources, then the EV itself is not truly sustainable.

EVs are only as sustainable as the electricity used to charge them, and if that electricity comes from non-renewable sources, then the EV itself is not truly sustainable.

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Survey

83%

experience range anxiety.

Interview

60%

skeptical about sustainability and performance of EV.


200miles

range of EV in a single charge is enough for daily commute or travel needs.

Secondary Research

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Lack of Charging Infrastructure

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The lack of charging infrastructure in some areas can be frustrating. I always have to plan my trips carefully and sometimes search for a charging station, which can add time and stress to my day.

The lack of charging infrastructure in some areas can be frustrating. I always have to plan my trips carefully and sometimes search for a charging station, which can add time and stress to my day.

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Survey

93%

spend 30+ minutes to find charging stations.

Interview

80%

don’t have the ability to install a charging station at home.


165000

Nissan Leaf sold to US while only 6000 charging station as of 2021.

Secondary Research

How might we improve the sustainability and accessibility of charging infrastructure to alleviate range anxiety and enable mobility for EV drivers to access charging quickly?

Problem Statements

Design

User Persona

Based on the insights gained from the previous research, we created our user personas accordingly.

Kait

Age: 38

Status: Married

Location: Sunnyvale, California, USA

Kait is a stay-at-home mom with three young children who keep her busy with school, sports, and other activities. She and her husband love to travel and explore new places, but they haven't been able to do much of that since having kids.

  1. Travel more with family, both locally and on road trips.

  2. Ensure safety of children while driving.

  3. Find car that is easy to use and requires minimal maintenance.

  4. Save money on gas and other car expenses.

Goal:

  1. Concerns about range of electric vehicles and inconvenience of charging on long road trips

  2. Worries about safety of children and wants car with advanced safety features

  3. Busy schedule and limited patience for complex or time-consuming tasks.

Challenge:

Kenji

Age: 24

Status: Single

Location: Yokohama, Japan

Kenji is a 24-year-old working-class adult living in Yokohama, Japan. He works long hours at a factory and his apartment is located far from his workplace and grocery stores.

  1. Decrease his commute time and improve his lifestyle with a car.

  2. Find an affordable and easy-to-maintain car that is practical for his daily use.

  3. Prioritize convenience and reliability when purchasing a vehicle.

  4. Stay within his limited budget for purchasing and maintaining a car.

Goal:

  1. Worried about the high cost of owning and maintaining a car.

  2. Limited availability of parking in his densely populated city.

  3. Hesitant to buy an electric car due to power grid problems.

  4. Concerned about the inconvenience of charging an electric vehicle.

Challenge:

Stakeholder Map

To have a more holistic view of the design, we need to understand our stakeholders and how they may be benefited throughout the design. Therefore, we created a stakeholder map to sort out the relationship behind them.

Service Blueprint

To have a more holistic view of the design, we need to understand our stakeholders and how they may be benefited throughout the design. Therefore, we created a stakeholder map to sort out the relationship behind them.

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