This master project explores how first‑time users can charge an electric car at public charging stations in a simple and confident way. I focus on the Audi UI and look at the whole journey: finding a charger in the app, using the in‑car system and interacting with the charger on site. With interviews, observations and usability tests, I study where people get stuck, feel stressed or unsure. The matrix in the image shows how my aims, objectives, methods and expected outcomes connect and guide the design of better onboarding experiences.
Research Question: How can first-time users be effectively onboarded for
public electric vehicle charging stations to ensure successful completion of their initial charging session and build confidence for future use?
To answer the central research question a mixed-methods approach combining literature review, qualitative user research and onboarding design evaluation is employed. This approach is justified because effective onboarding requires understanding: (1) what barriers first-time users face during initial public charging encounters, (2) which onboarding interventions reduce these barriers and (3) whether designed solutions actually build user confidence for repeated use. Single-method investigation cannot adequately address this complexity.
This thesis is grounded in an interpretivist, user-centered research paradigm, assuming that first-time charging experiences cannot be understood only through technical performance metrics but must be interpreted through users perceptions, emotions and interpretive processes. The work therefore draws primarily on qualitative HCI theory, learnability models and onboarding research that explain how people approach unfamiliar systems and how confidence develops through interaction.
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