EV Compass
Product | Proyotype| Brand
Services
Ux Design | UI Design| APP Design
Location
HerNdon | 2024
Summary
Making Your EV Live Around You
Electric vehicle (EV) drivers face significant challenges, including range anxiety, difficulty locating reliable charging stations, and limited access to service centers, which hinder the widespread adoption and convenience of EVs. This project aims to be a comprehensive solution that provides real-time information on charging infrastructure and service locations and optimizes route planning to ensure a seamless and positive EV ownership experience
The Vision
It all started with a road trip
It started on a quiet December morning, somewhere between routine and revelation. I was driving to Tampa — a trip I’d done countless times, but never in my Tesla. What should’ve been a 13-hour journey stretched into 17, the hours slipping by at empty charging stations that felt more like afterthoughts than destinations.
Some were tucked behind gas stations or forgotten motels, while others sat quietly in the heart of bustling downtowns. With every pause, I kept wondering: What if this time could be designed — curated — instead of endured? I didn’t want to keep planning my life around the car.
So I started sketching. Not just a solution, but an experience — something that met the road with grace and gave the driver their agency back. EV Compass was born, not out of frustration, but out of a quiet refusal to settle.
Research
Discovering Insights for Strategic Design
The design began with listening.
Through interviews and surveys with EV drivers, I gathered quiet, consistent patterns: they weren’t just waiting — they were wandering. Most charging apps were built for voltage, not people.
Instead of asking “Where’s the nearest station?” I asked, “What would you love to do with 30 minutes?”
Answers varied — from grabbing a drink to journaling in the park — but they all revealed a craving for autonomy.People didn’t need more data. They needed more dignity in the wait.
I mapped insights into emotional segments — not demographics, but states of mind.
The research revealed a truth we often overlook in tech: Time spent waiting can still be time well lived.
Opportunity
The Dawn of the ev Companion
EVs promised freedom — but what they delivered was compromise.
Every trip came with a quiet negotiation: where to stop, how long to stay, what was worth waiting for. On one December drive, hours off course and nowhere in particular, I found myself wondering why a vehicle built for the future still treated time like an afterthought.
Charging wasn’t just inefficient — it was uninspired.
No rhythm, no story, no space to be present.
It felt like the journey had become mechanical — and the human had been left behind.
Solved
Where Intention Meets the Road
EV Compass doesn’t tell you where to charge — it asks how you want to spend your time.
It’s a softly intelligent companion that curates experiences around each charging stop, transforming waiting into wandering. Whether it’s a coffee shop tucked behind a mural, a bookstore down the block, or a scenic trail a short walk away — it offers presence, not just planning.
The app listens to your preferences without ever interrupting your flow.
Instead of overwhelming with options, it guides with grace — surfacing what feels right for this moment, this mood, this leg of the trip. It gives EV drivers something they rarely have: time that feels like their own.
Result
A Journey Reimagined
The final prototype introduced a soft-spoken, lifestyle-driven interface that felt more like a concierge than a GPS. It responded to context, learned from patterns, and created moments of pause that felt personal. For drivers, this wasn’t just time regained — it was time reimagined.
Charging went from background noise to a designed interlude.
Users reported less anxiety, fewer detours, and more moments of stillness.
Suddenly, the journey felt like it belonged to them again.
Design
Where Form Meets Feeling
Drawing from luxury editorial layouts and boutique travel experiences, the interface is quiet — but deeply intentional. Typography is soft yet structured. Color palettes are muted, inviting exploration without overwhelm. Each animation and gesture is subtle, guiding the user like a glance rather than a command.
We used rounded maps, tactile cards, and ample white space to evoke calm.
No loud badges. No flashing alerts. Just space to breathe and choose.
Because sometimes, the most powerful design is the one that disappears — and leaves you with only the moment.
