Clever
Client: Clever
Our role: User experience, workshop facilitation, interviews and drive alongs, advisory and action plan
Location: Across Sjælland, Denmark
Year: January – June 2022
How do people really experience electric vehicle charging -and what does that mean for innovation?
We worked with Clever to explore the journey of EV users, uncovering behavioral insights that shaped smarter, more user-aligned solutions. By grounding innovation in real human perspectives, we helped Clever design services that meet people where they are, and where they’re going.
Challenge
The use of electric cars is one of the biggest transitions in current society, and there is a lot at stake –both for the planet and for the individual citizen. Clever wanted to gain a deeper insight into who their customers are, their needs and the challenges they experience when switching to an electric car. Specifically, the project investigated the user’s challenges related to trusting technology and their behavior around charging stations.
Methods
The study consisted of participant observations, drive-alongs, user interviews, focus-group workshops, and visual ethnography. With a particular focus on stress tests, the project explored where, when and how the EV charging system is challenged, testing the resilience of the customers and Clever’s services. Through interviews and participant observations, we identified what constituted a “good” changing experience and encouraged Clever to enhance the good.
“It is extremely important to understand who your customers are and what their needs are.” -Anders Tolstrup Rasmussen, Service Designer, Clever
Results
Because electric cars are still a relatively new technology, users primarily seek information and share experiences in private digital forums. Hence, the study showed that Clever was neither the main recipient of customer frustrations nor in control of the communication surrounding problems and challenges. As a result, Clever was encouraged to position itself more clearly as a provider of both charging infrastructure and related services. The company has incorporated the project’s findings into its product offering and clarified its role as a trusted advisor