Innogy commissioned foryouandyourcustomers with the further conceptual development of the eCharge+app for e-car drivers. "Based on the Exploded View model developed by foryouandyourcustomers, we chose a customer-centric approach for this. We have already been able to apply our expertise in the development and implementation of mobile apps and responsive online platforms to numerous projects in the past. Among others, in the conception and implementation of the commerce app for Elektro Material (EM), the Swiss market leader in electrical wholesale, the development of the online presence of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) as well as RWA Raiffeisen Ware Austria. Our goal was to further develop the innogy app from a pure mobility offering to an integrated IoT product; thereby offering users new features and making the configuration and control of the intelligent hardware generation of the new eBox attractive, simple and as satisfying as possible, even in private use."

In a first step, the already existing app was analyzed in detail by crowd testing in the real environment in interaction with a charging station. Based on these findings and insights into the needs and challenges of electric vehicle owners, the UI & UX team of foryouandyourcustomers then created initial concepts and prototypes of the new app version. These were used for easy coordination with the responsible persons at innogy as well as for validating the feasibility with the developer teams. With the help of these prototypes, the team regularly conducted moderated user tests. Important stakeholders and responsible persons from innogy were able to attend the tests on site or remotely and hear feedback directly from the users. In close collaboration with the product owners and developers, these insights were then directly incorporated into the app development. "Thanks to the deep integration of the UI & UX team into the agile (Scrum) teams at innogy, technical challenges were quickly understood and taken into account in the UI/UX design," said Michael Kunz, Team Lead User Interfaces at innogy, commenting on the procedure and collaboration with foryouandyourcustomers.

An agile way of working ensured that the app had a well-thought-out concept as well as a structured and clear user guidance right from the start; the application remained simple and intuitive to use despite numerous new features and the resulting increase in complexity. "We had to make fundamental structural adjustments and define new interaction principles in order to map the requirements, maintain consistency and provide the user with the best possible user experience throughout the app," added the Project UX Lead at foryouandyourcustomers.

The innogy eCharge+app

"The app has been assigned a key role in innogy's eMobility Division," says the Senior Multichannel Consultant. "Originally used to find and navigate to charging stations in public spaces, new features now offer users numerous services and services in combination with the new eBox generation. These include new onboarding, new and improved navigation, viewing and controlling charging processes and charging history, profile management and much more. In addition, the app can now be expanded at any time due to its scalability and, despite the existing innogy DNA, is also attractive and usable for external companies due to a white label approach." After the first successful release of the eCharge+app, the collaboration between innogy and foryouandyourcustomers continues. The app and the user experience will be continuously optimized according to user needs.