Connected E-Mobility
With Mercedes-Benz Customer Solutions GmbH: one interface that brings together vehicle, wallbox, solar system and smart home – developed as a bachelor’s thesis and tested with users.
- Type
- Study project
- Industry
- Automotive · e-mobility
- Services
- UX research & UI concept
- Year
- 2024
At a glance
Task
Anyone with an EV, wallbox, solar system and smart home juggles several apps today.
Solution
One interface for everything – developed with future users and tested by them.
Outcome
A concept participants found clear and exciting – bachelor’s thesis graded 1.3 (German scale, 1 = best).
Challenge
Existing apps mostly focus on the car. Add a wallbox, solar system and smart home, and you keep switching between separate apps.
Today
- One app for the car
- One for the wallbox
- One for solar and storage
- One for the smart home
Concept
- Everything in one interface
- Live energy flow in one view
- Same logic on phone and smartwatch
Approach
Every design decision is backed by research.
- Understand the market12 apps compared, incl. Mercedes me, Tesla and MyBMW
- Understand users4 typical user profiles and interviews with experts
- Check the structureparticipants sort the features themselves
- Designclickable prototype in Figma
- Testrated by participants with a standardised questionnaire
More detail
What the research showed:
- Market analysis: a central dashboard, clear onboarding, a separate area per product
- Interviews: short paths, simple operation, personalisation – and a wish for a smartwatch view
- Card sorting: live status and shortcuts on the dashboard, vehicle control and charging settings in their own areas
Solution
A dashboard as the hub, built from widgets – from a quick glance to full control.
Live energy flow
Generation, storage and consumption of car, wallbox and home in one view.
Dynamic Island
Charging status visible without opening the app.
Charging programmes
“Smart”, “Eco” or custom rules with departure time and electricity price.
Vehicle-to-load
The car as a mobile power source – with reserve and runtime.
Eco score
Progress indicators for sustainable behaviour.
Outcome
Participants found the interface clear and useful. What excited them most was using the car as a power source for the home.
How participants rated the car as a power source (vehicle-to-load)
neutral range
Standardised questionnaire (UEQ-S)
More detail
The figure behind it: 2.2 on a scale from −3 to +3 – anything above +0.8 counts as positive.
My part: the complete UI concept – from information architecture to detailed designs. Graded 1.3 (German scale, 1 = best).
Insights
What’s in it for you