Live consumer product · National infrastructure · Mobile UX
Challenge
EV charging is often time-sensitive and stressful. Users rely on the app to quickly understand pricing, start sessions, and receive clear feedback while on the move.
The GRIDSERVE app operates as a live production system, balancing real-time data, brand expression, marketing priorities, and technical constraints. Design improvements needed to be incremental, defensible, and deliverable without disrupting an active user base.
Designing for clarity under pressure
Many EV charging interactions happen when users are rushed, unfamiliar with a location, or uncertain about cost and availability. My work on GRIDSERVE focused on reducing cognitive load in these moments through clearer hierarchy, concise copy, and predictable feedback.
This lens guided decisions across in-app flows, notifications, pricing communication, and store-front presentation.
My role &
scope
I joined the project as a senior designer on an established product, contributing across feature delivery, quality improvements, accessibility, and growth initiatives. I was trusted to lead specific initiatives, influence design quality, and support responsible iteration within an existing system.
Accessibility and inclusion reviews
Feature-level UX and UI design
In-app communication and messaging
App Store and Google Play assets
Visual and motion design support
I led an in-depth accessibility audit of the native app against WCAG standards, reviewing key flows, components, colour usage, typography, motion, and interaction patterns.
The audit established a defensible baseline for inclusive design and provided practical guidance for ongoing improvements.
Improving clarity
in high-pressure
moments
I refined communication patterns across the app to reduce uncertainty and support faster decision-making during active charging sessions.
This included work on push notifications, pricing clarity, usage limits, and seasonal promotions often under tight timelines and competing priorities.
Live product with continuous updates
Strong marketing influence on visual decisions
Partial ownership of features
Backlog prioritisation and deprioritisation
Trade-offs between ideal design and delivery
Progress came from presenting clear options, advocating for accessibility and clarity, and supporting delivery within technical realities.
Working with
real constraints
A large, existing user base
Legacy decisions already in production
Real-world hardware dependencies
Operational teams relying on accurate, timely information
This approach prioritised reliability and trust over novelty, ensuring changes could be confidently released into a live consumer environment.
Outcome
Established a clear accessibility baseline for a live consumer app
Improved clarity and confidence in key charging and communication flows
Supported ongoing iteration of a widely used, real-world product
Impact came through incremental improvements, collaboration, and informed trade-offs rather than dramatic redesign.
Retrospective
Designing live products means improving parts of a system, not owning the whole
Accessibility and clarity create long-term product resilience
Clear communication builds trust more than visual novelty
Senior design impact often comes from influence without authority
