Role: UX Researcher (solo)
Duration: 4 months
Context: In-company project at Monta
What EV Drivers Really Need
EV roaming lets drivers charge across networks, but it’s often stressful: pricing is unclear, start flows vary, and chargers may be full.I partnered with Monta, a fast-growing EV charging platform, to understand what really matters to roaming users and how Monta could become their trusted choice.
Research Goal
What do roaming users really care about, and how can Monta become the app they trust most?
Top Roaming Pain Points
1. Unclear pricing:
Users don’t know the exact cost before charging, which makes them feel unsure and hesitant to start.
2. Inconsistent start flows:
Different apps and chargers work differently, causing confusion at the start.
3. Unavailable chargers:
Chargers often appear available in the app but are actually in use or out of order when users arrive.
Research Methods
Method
Purpose
12 in-depth interviews (Monta + non-Monta users)
73-response survey
Competitive app audit
Stakeholder interviews
User journey map + personas
Co-creation workshop
Understand behaviors, frustrations & needs
Validate insights across 5 countries
Compare features, pain points, and user reviews
Surface internal assumptions
Identify moments of friction
12 in-depth interviews (Monta + non-Monta users)
Key Questions I Explored:
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Is price the only thing drivers care about while roaming?
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What causes stress or hesitation on the road?
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How do they prefer to start a charging session?
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How can we build trust when time and battery are low?
What I Heard
In the Discover phase, I heard drivers talk about far more than price.They talked about trust, timing, and the fear of something going wrong. Even experienced EV drivers described anxiety especially when traveling. Their stories helped me build three user mindsets to guide design.
I don’t mind paying more I just
don’t want to be surprised.
When I’m on 5%, I don’t want to open 3 different apps.
I just need to know it’s free when I get there.
User Personas
These personas were created through affinity mapping and theme clustering. They reflect common roaming behaviours, not demographics.
Needs:
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See the full price before starting
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Trust that the cost won’t change
Pain Points:
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Unclear or missing price information before charging
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Worry that the final cost might be higher than expected
Behaviours:
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Always checks the price before charging
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Avoids apps that feel confusing or unclear
Jonas
Needs:
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One simple way to start charging fast
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Chargers that are easy to find and use
Pain Points:
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Takes too long to start charging
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Hard to locate or access chargers quickly
Behaviours:
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Often waits until the last minute to charge
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Gets frustrated by slow or confusing apps
Frederik
Needs:
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See live charger status
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Confidence there’s a spot when she arrives
Pain Points:
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Unreliable or outdated charger availability
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Anxiety about wasted trips to full stations
Behaviours:
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Checks availability before leaving
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Worries about showing up and it’s full
Emilie
Journey Mapping and Mindset Shift
Before mapping the journey, I captured early stakeholder assumptions around pricing and charging behaviour. Then, using real user quotes, emotions, and behaviours, I built a journey map that highlighted the most stressful parts of roaming searching, starting, and trusting the charge. This map helped visualize emotional highs and lows, and became a turning point: it helped the team step into the
user’s shoes and rethink what really matters.
User steps
What Happens
Pain Point
Opportunity
Search
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User looks for a nearby charger
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No live status, unclear pricing
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Display live availability and pricing.
Choose
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Picks one based on habit or speed
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Too many options, low confidence it will work
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Help compare easily, highlight reliability
Start Session
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Tries to begin charging
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Unclear steps, confusion between app and charger
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One simple, unified start flow
Arrival
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Arrives at the charger
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Spot is taken or charger doesn’t work
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Show queue status or suggest backup options
Confirmation
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Waits to see if charging started
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No clear signal that it worked
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Give instant feedback once charging begins
EV roamers need peace of mind (clarity, live info) even more than the lowest price.
Insight
What I Learned (And Unlearned)
User feedback challenged some key assumptions. The team realised it’s not just about price or features; people want clear info, simple tools, and confidence that charging will work.
Assumption
What Users Said
Price is all that matters
Users hate using the app
Plug & charge solves all
No, only if they trust it will work
Not true, they want simple apps
People still want to understand what’s happening
Key Survey Findings:
I created a 16-question survey using Typeform and shared it in EV-related Facebook groups across the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Ireland—markets aligned with the company’s interests. The survey received 73 responses.The results confirmed and expanded on user priorities, revealing key needs around clarity, simplicity, and reliability in the public charging experience. I highlighted three key findings to challenge assumptions and inform a stakeholder workshop.
1. How many different charging apps do you currently use?
64% use more than one app
2. Have you ever stopped using a charging app? If yes, why?
FEELS
50%+ left apps due to pricing or lack of info
What features are most important to you when choosing a charging app?
Most valued: live availability, price clarity, and confirmation
Live availability
price clarity
confirmation
What users said in app reviews:
I reviewed several apps but chose these to highlight key patterns. The feedback shown here reflects what mattered most for trust and ease of use.
APP
Clever
Ionity
Spirii
Monta
Users Liked
Clean UI
Speed
Live status
Full feature set
Users Disliked
Confusing subscriptions
Limited interaction options
Inconsistent price info
Overwhelming in a hurry
Delivering Insights & Impact
Before mapping the journey, I captured early stakeholder assumptions around pricing and charging behaviour. Then, using real user quotes, emotions, and behaviours, I built a journey map that highlighted the most stressful parts of roaming, searching, starting, and trusting the charge. This map helped visualise emotional highs and lows and became a turning point: it helped the team step into the user’s shoes and rethink what really matters.
Area
Sample Ideas
Transparent Pricing
Charging Confidence
Simplified Roaming
Pre-charge fee breakdown screen,notify if premium pricing
“Success Score” showing charger reliability
Roaming Pass (RFID/digital key), smarter auto-start flow
What I Took From This
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Research is about emotions and behaviors, not just problems
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Real user quotes change how teams think
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Co-creation brings better, faster buy-in
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I learned to simplify complexity into clarity
What I would do differently
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Test ideas earlier with users to get feedback
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Involve stakeholders more often during research
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Ask better questions to understand emotions
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Run quick concept tests to validate top ideas before handoff
