by felix.prinz -

Shifting Focus to EV Charging Station Experience

After some reflection I realized my original idea (How to design an Elevator for a 1000-Story Building) was a bit unrealistic obviously. Instead, I am now focusing on the user experience at Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations, a practical and urgent issue. Charging is widely reported as a major pain point for EV drivers (info from literature -> pdf footnote). For example, one study notes that EV owners often complain about broken chargers, long charging times, confusing locations and high costs. These issues make charging frustrating. This topic matters because as EV adoption grows, smooth charging experiences are essential to keep drivers confident and satisfied.

I should note I don’t own an EV myself, but I have tried charging one a couple of times, in fact the dad of my girldriend owns one. I remember fumbling with the cable and wondering, how do I actually start charging? When it didn’t begin at first, I panicked a bit. There were also other issues with the paying method because you have like 4 different cards to pay at the station which is really confusing. In Austria there are more then 8 different types of Charging Stations all designed differently from different company’s.
Talking to other EV users confirmed my gut feeling: nearly everyone has stories of confusing chargers or unexpected problems. Many complained about chargers not starting properly and so on. Hearing these firsthand, common pain points jumped out: unclear signage, cables that are too short or heavy, crowded stations, and unfamiliar payment apps. These conversations have only made me more eager to dive into this problem.
When I talk about cables that are too short I once experienced this exact situatuion. This frustrating experience was when I had to wait around 10 minutes because both cables at the station were in use. When one car finally left, I parked and got ready to charge—but then realized the cable didn’t reach my car’s charging port. It was simply too short. The port was on the right side of the car, and there was no way to reposition it to make it work. Luckily, there was another cable available that did reach, but this situation felt like a clear UX fail. I took a photo afterward to remember it.

To deepen my understanding, I’m planning some field research. I’ll visit a few public EV charging stations in person, watching how real users plug in and charge their cars. I’ll sit nearby and take notes (from a respectful distance), then do short interviews with drivers. I have a list of questions ready: How do you find this station? Did everything work as expected? What (if anything) was frustrating about the screen, cable, or payment process? By observing and asking, I hope to catch issues I might not have thought of alone. (For instance, reviews often mention problems categorized as “Finding a charger” or “Starting a charge” like inaccurate locations or broken components, I’ll see if these come up in real life.)

I’m also thinking a lot about accessibility and inclusion. A WebExpo talk on inclusive design reminded me that about one in six people has some form of disability and even temporary injuries or age can affect how someone uses technology. Charging stations aren’t just digital screens, they are physical setups too. So I’ll pay attention to questions like: Are the screens and plugs at a good height? Is text large and clear enough? Is there space for a wheelchair or a stroller? I’m not there yet, but it’s exciting to consider how this research could eventually help all users.

Next steps in the design process: I’m laying out a clear path forward.

  • Research: Finish the site visits and interviews to gather real pain points. I’ll compare my findings to published research (for example, a thesis on first-time EV users confirms that “charging and range” are where beginners struggle the mostfile-vtpiq6sngdvzfiz8n25kdp).
  • Define Problems: Make a list of the key issues we’ve uncovered (e.g. broken hardware, confusing UIs, long wait timesfile-hum5jgwhy7zfzamxlwtuf6file-hum5jgwhy7zfzamxlwtuf6, and any accessibility gaps).
  • Ideation: Brainstorm solutions with sketches and discussion. This might include simple ideas like clearer signage or better instructions, or more novel ones like an app that shows available chargers and reserves a spot to avoid wait linesecharge4drivers.eu.
  • Prototyping: Build quick, low-fidelity models. For digital screens I’ll draw wireframes. For the physical station itself I might use cardboard or LEGO to mock up the layout. Sometimes a little hands-on model sparks insights you don’t get on paper. I’ll also consider user-friendly features suggested by others, like large integrated info screens that guide you “before, during and after” chargingecharge4drivers.eu, plug-and-charge authentication, and multiple plug types for different vehiclesecharge4drivers.eu.

I’ve leaned on three helpful documents to guide this direction. The first highlights that new EV drivers often “struggle with learning about charging”. The second (a deep review analysis) categorizes common charger pain points, things like chargers that are offline or blocked, slow charging, and poor safety/comfort (dark, dirty areas). The third (an EU project report) emphasizes making charging user-friendly: offering varied plug types and levels, large info displays, and even booking features to minimize wait times. These insights support focusing on the actual charging experience and informed my plans.

All in all, this has become a bit of a learning adventure for me. I’m curious and reflective about each step. And of course, this direction may still evolve as I gather more feedback. New insights could shift the focus again, for now, though, understanding real users frustrations at charging stations feels like a solid, people-centered research path.

Bibliography:

Martin Treiber and Arne Kesting, User Experience at EV Charging Stations: Empirical Findings and Design Recommendations (Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, 2023), PDF

Steffen Lepa, Understanding the EV Charging Journey: A Multi-Method Study of First-Time Users (Social Science Research Network, 2024), PDF

eCharge4Drivers Consortium, Apriori Users Concerns and Expectations Relevant to EV Charging (2021), PDF

by cornelia.wysoudil -

#15 Design Patterns for search UX – WebExpo

Another talk I enjoyed was Vitaly Friedman’s. He made a simple claim: if your search box stumbles, the rest of the product never gets a chance. The numbers back him up—on many retail sites, visitors who use on-site search convert up to five times better than those who don’t.

From autocomplete to intent-complete

Typing should feel like a dialogue, not a spelling test. Friedman’s demo grocery app surfaced tiny thumbnails, real-time stock badges, and even “Pick-up in 30 min” promises inside the suggestion list. His rule of thumb: replies in ~100 ms—fast enough to feel psychic, slow enough to spare your API. Anything longer and users feel the lag.

Filters that talk, not shout

Instead of the old left-rail “checkbox wall,” he urged progressive disclosure: show one high-value facet (price, size, seat left) first, then reveal deeper options after the first tap. It mirrors a real conversation and keeps thumbs clear of clutter on narrow screens.

Sort with your cards face-up

Friedman dislikes the vague “Relevance” label. Offer at least three transparent modes (“Lowest price”, “Best reviews”, “Newest”) and badge any business-boosted lineup as “Featured.” Transparency, he stressed, is itself a usability pattern—earning more clicks over time than sneaky boosts ever will.

Results pages that answer

With generative summaries creeping into every SERP, users expect a direct answer card first, classic hits second, and a row of “refine” chips that rewrite the query in one tap. The dreaded zero-result page is no longer acceptable—pivot to synonyms, support, or feedback before letting the trail go cold.

Why speed still trumps cleverness

Chrome’s 2025 guidelines haven’t budged: sub-2-second loads remain the safe zone for e-commerce UX. Friedman framed every interaction budget—autocomplete, facet redraws, thumbnail fades—inside that same limit. “Search is the one area users forgive least for being slow,” he reminded us.

Search is where intent surfaces unfiltered. Nail that moment and the rest of the journey feels effortless; miss it and no banner or carousel can save you.

by felix.prinz -

WebExpo Conference: Accessibility in Everyday Interfaces (A Talk That Changed My Perspective)

On the first day of the WebExpo I attended a talk on accessibility that really made me stop and think not just about design in general, but specifically about my own research topic on EV charging stations. The session started by showing the common issues people with disabilities face in daily life when interacting with digital interfaces. Then the presenters (including three people with real-life impairments) gave us a deep look into their world.

One of the speakers was visually impaired and had only 1% vision. Another was in a wheelchair and one had a chronic condition like diabetes. Hearing them speak about their everyday struggles with things that most of us take for granted, like picking up a package from a pick up post station or using a touchscreen, was eye opening. It made me realize how exclusive some of our current designs still are.

One key problem they highlighted was the rise of touchscreenonly interfaces. These don’t give any tactile feedback and are often completely inaccessible to blind users. As a solution, they showed us a great concept: when a user holds their finger longer on the screen, a voice (through text-to-speech) reads aloud what the button does. This gives blind or visually impaired users the confidence to use touch interfaces, especially when there are no physical buttons or guidance cues.

They mentioned the use of the Web Speech API, which made the solution sound very practical and implementable. What I found really interesting was how this solution could relate to my own research on EV charging stations. Right now, many charging stations already have touch displays. But what happens if a blind passenger, maybe not the driver, wants to start the charging process? Or what if we think further into the future, where self-driving cars are common, and blind or wheelchair users are traveling alone?

This made me realize: accessibility shouldn’t be an “extra”, t should be part of the core design, especially for public infrastructure. I was also thinking about the aspect that probably sometimes stakeholders or companies don’t believe accessibility is needed because they assume disabled people are not part of their target audience. This is a dangerous assumption. Everyone deserves access.

Furthermore about the text to speech interface I asked myself: “How do visually impaired people even know that a product has a long-press text-to-speech function?” I need to write the speaker about this because they didn’t mention it.

The talk has truly influenced how I think about my EV charging station prototype. I now feel it’s essential to at least consider how someone with limited sight, or physical ability, might interact with the interface. Whether that means adding text-to-speech, or voice control, or rethinking the flow entirely, accessibility should be part of the process.

I’m also planning to write to the speaker to ask some follow-up questions. It’s clear to me now: accessible UX is not just nice to have, it’s a necessity for a more inclusive future.

by dorota.bicarova -

Documentation & Reflection of the Speed-Dating/Sharing session

Lo-Fi Prototyping: A Hands-On Experiment with Everyday Materials

In one of our recent classes, we were given an interesting assignment:

Create three lo-fi prototypes of a project idea related to your Master’s research and bring one to class for testing. These prototypes could be iterations of previous work, early drafts of a new concept, or entirely different ideas. The key was to keep the process quick and experimental, spending no more than 20 minutes on each prototype.

Each student approached this task differently. Instead of focusing on my research from last semester, I decided to take a completely fresh perspective. My goal was to experiment with rapid prototyping using only materials readily available at home, creating something practical and functional.

Prototype 1: The DIY Charger Holder

My first prototype was a cardboard charging holder, designed to serve as a portable phone and charger station. The idea came from a common inconvenience—when outlets are located far from tables or shelves, leaving devices on the floor while charging is not ideal. This prototype aimed to solve that issue, especially for travel or spaces with limited furniture.

Using an empty cookie box, I cut out sections to create an opening where the phone and charger could be placed. The structure allowed the box to hang securely on a plugged-in charger, keeping the phone elevated and safe from potential damage.

Prototype 2: The Allergy Pillowcase

The second prototype was a pillowcase designed for people with allergies or colds. The concept was simple: integrating a small pocket or compartment to store tissues. This would allow users to access tissues quickly during the night without having to get up or search for them in the dark. While the design was basic, the idea addressed a real pain point and could be refined further.

Observations from the Class Testing Session

For the testing session, I brought my first prototype—the cardboard charging holder—to class. What surprised me the most was how difficult it was for my classmates to identify its purpose. Since I had designed it with a clear function in mind, I assumed it would be immediately recognizable. However, when I asked my peers to guess what it was and how it worked, many had no idea.

Only after I provided a small hint—mentioning that it was related to phone chargers—did they start to piece it together. This experience highlighted an important lesson: as designers, we often assume our ideas are obvious because we are deeply familiar with them. However, what seems intuitive to us may not be clear to others.

Key Takeaways

This experiment reinforced a critical principle in design and product development:

  • Early user testing is crucial. By involving users from the beginning, we can uncover misunderstandings and refine our designs based on real feedback.
  • Imperfect prototypes are valuable. It’s better to test a rough, quick prototype than to wait until a product is ‘perfect.’ Iterative design allows for improvements based on actual user insights rather than assumptions.
  • Context matters. A design that seems simple and logical to its creator may not be immediately clear to others. Communicating ideas effectively is just as important as the functionality itself.

Through this rapid prototyping challenge, I realized that testing, even with basic materials, can lead to unexpected insights. Moving forward, I plan to integrate more user feedback earlier in my design process to ensure that my ideas are not only practical but also easily understandable.

This assignment proved that sometimes, the simplest ideas can spark the most meaningful discussions about usability and design thinking

by felix.prinz -

Scenarios and Use Cases

How Short Attention Spans Impact Everyday Interactions

Picture this: You’re on a flight, settling into your seat, and the safety instructions start. In the past but still even today at short flights or cheap ones without a screen, flight attendants stand in the aisle demonstrating seatbelt use and emergency exits. Most passengers barely pay attention in this case. Now, airlines like Air New Zealand or Qatar Airlines play high-quality safety videos featuring celebrities, humor or even movie themes to capture your focus. It’s no longer just about compliance – it’s about engagement.

This is just one of many situations where attention makes all the difference. Let’s explore real-world use cases where shortened attention spans have reshaped how information is delivered and understood.

Scenario 1: Safety in Airplanes

In-flight safety instructions are crucial, yet passengers often ignore them. Airlines responded by turning mandatory safety briefings into mini-movies. Using famous actors, creative storytelling, and even animation, they transform what could be monotonous into something entertaining.

Use Case Example:
Qatar’s safety video has featured Kevin Hart. By tapping into comedy and acting, they ensure passengers actually pay attention – potentially saving lives in an emergency.

Scenario 2: Manuals

Instruction manuals have a bad reputation for being overwhelming and full of technical language. With shrinking attention spans, fewer people want to wade through dense text to figure out how to assemble furniture or install snow chains.

Use Case Example:
IKEA’s picture-based assembly instructions are a brilliant response to this challenge. By using simple visuals and step-by-step illustrations, they eliminate the need for lengthy explanations, making the process faster and frustration-free. Similarly, many car manufacturers now include video tutorials for tasks like attaching snow chains, further reducing cognitive load.

Scenario 3: Learning in the Digital Age

Attention challenges aren’t limited to entertainment or shopping, they’re reshaping education too. Microlearning apps like Duolingo and Blinkist are thriving because they align with modern attention spans, breaking complex topics into bite-sized lessons that fit into busy lives.

Use Case Example:
Duolingo uses gamification to keep users engaged, with short exercises, streaks, and rewards. Each lesson is designed to feel achievable, ensuring users stay motivated without feeling overwhelmed.

Why These Scenarios Matter

Each of these examples highlights how attention plays a critical role in real-life situations. From life-saving instructions to everyday usability, the ability to capture and guide attention isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential. Designers and creators must embrace these evolving behaviors to communicate effectively and create better experiences.

Stay tuned for the next post, where we’ll dive deeper into the ethical dilemmas of designing for attention.

Literature:

Safety Video with Basketball Team:

Flight attendant performs funny safety routine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JEyp2p-bzcU&t=65s

Qatar Airways with actors like a comedy movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNtlxmtH3ZA

IKEA:
https://www.ikea.com/

Duolingo:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/duolingos-gamification-elements_fig1_351746804

by felix.prinz -

What is Attention and why is it shrinking?

As humanity shifts more into the digital universe where the chances of distraction increase by the minute, understanding the science of attention is already a requirement. Attention is not a simple mental process that can be neglected, rather, it is the basic framework that we use to move, engage with and comprehend any given digital experience. For instance, designers need to have a sound understanding of attention so as to estimate the boundaries are designing user-interfaces that are friendly, engaging, and effective.

Types of Attention and Their Design Relevance

In psychology, attention has been subdivided into many forms and the following two are applicable in design:

Transient Attention

This is our brain’s quick concentration on anything for a micro duration, for example, how one would look at a notification for contact.

Relevance in Design: Many products define their features as impression creation. In such cases, content designers need to have simple and distinct content which is easy for users to focus on.

Sustained Attention

This means the ability of someone to concentrate with little or no distraction for a long period of time.

Relevance in Design: For elements that require more time like reading an article or filling forms. The standard interface design needs to be directly proportional to the time spent on navigating through several elements within that interface.

In the current attention economy, both of these types are under a lot of distress as users start adapting to new fast-moving platforms such as tiktok and instagram among others.

The Decrease of Attention in the Digital Era (Study Analysis)

Microsoft (2015), in a study that is much cited and discussed, claims that the average human attention span reduced from twelve seconds in the year 2000 to eight seconds. Not every individual agrees with these numbers, but what is unquestionable is the fact that we are getting worse at concentrating on a single thing. It is apparent that this regression is attributable to a number of interrelated factors:

Overconsumption: We are overfeeded with content from different devices and different mediums.

Desire of Immediate Satisfaction: There is a strong desire to interact with the app immediately providing quick reward as is the case with TikTok.

Cognitive Overload: There are too many alternatives or sources of stimulation which in turn causes our brains to evolve and opt for the quicker, more superficial engagement instead of deep thinking.

This requires, on the one hand, attention that needs to be drawn to the product, but on the other, there is the need to minimize user confusion.

Psychological Frameworks In Design

Cognitive Load: Psychologist John Sweller concept describes the information processing burden of an individual. Interfaces that are too busy or complex can quickly exhaust users, leading to frustration and drop-off.
Design Tip: Trim interfaces down and extract major functional purposes. Avoid any unnecessary interference.

Selective Attention: Our brains filter out irrelevant stimuli to focus on what’s important. Design Tip: Apply and yes even exploit the basic principles of design which are contrast, hierarchy and space to the users attention.

Attention Span Metrics: Working memory is always situational. For instance:
Social Media: Attention grabbing takes 1-3 seconds.
Reading: A user scans through content with a view of determining whether that worth reading or not.

The same set of principles affirms the need to design interfaces adapted to the short-lived focus of users as well as those supporting longer attention span when necessary.

Consequences for Designers

A profound grasp of attention is far more than an intellectual activity, it determines the success or failure of a digital product. Considering the fact that users are flooded with a range of stimuli, designers should understand that attention is a scarce commodity. This is a necessary consideration and failure to take it into account can result in:

User Drop-Off: Interfaces that fail to capture or sustain attention lose users quickly, often before they even engage meaningfully with the product.

Missed Opportunities: Any pertinent information, an urgent request or advertise, or some other valuable content may be missed provided it does not correspond to the user’s attention span.

Cognitive Overwhelm: If a person is exposed to overly intricate designs they will most probably become fatigued and that will lower their satisfaction and degree of convenience.

No one is saying that all the attention can be focused on the design, understanding the psychology users will be using to view and interact with the offered products is equally important, to put it into one’s design, all of these factors make the correct understanding of interaction between the elements and devising of possible problems a vital issue.

Literature:

Department of Education; Sweller, John: Cognitive Load Theory in Practice.

Microsoft Attention Span Research (2015):
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://dl.motamem.org/microsoft-attention-spans-research-report.pdf

Smashing Magazine:
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/09/designing-for-attention/

PMC:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3882082

Interaction Design Foundation:
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/cognitive-load?srsltid=AfmBOorxdSOspYzd9iiUNoqJMX98LoCbl-tSMbZI7iAFoIc9BH2h2D69

by jakob.schnurrer -

01 The influence of cognitive biases on UX Work

Before reading this please answer this question (even if you don’t read the blog):

Results in next post ;D

Background

One of the reasons, who I got into UX Design in the first place is behause it connects three of my fields of interest: Design, Psychology and working with people. I want to find out more about what makes people click and what drives their perception of a design. Considering unconcious factors that influence how a user percieves a product is an important step to make a product truely userfriendly and human centered. Being aware of these factors and biases can really help to correctly approach a UX problem. Is this a „real“ finding or is this problem due to a bias?

What is a Bias?

First things first: “[A] cognitive bias is the tendency to think certain ways, often resulting in a deviation from rational, logical decision-making.” (CXL) The occurs in all areas of life, there is a bias for almost every area of life, they impact how we buy, sell, interact with friends, think, feel, etc. Feeling guiltier about a certain situation than you should, according to friends and family, you could be experiencing the egocentric bias. (cf. CXL) It’s important to remember that biases can occur on both sides during user research, both the user and the researcher can be subject to predetermined believes, affecting the outcome of the research. Some are already well known like the confirmation bias. (cf. Smashing Magazine)

Source

Impact on UX Design

In UX design, a bias can emerge at any stage, from topic selection to data interpretation, due to influences from researchers, participants, or other external factors. This is particularly concerning since designers and researchers may not be aware of them, potentially leading to skewed results or exclusionary designs. (cf. Clara Purdy) Take a look at the picture below, the cognitive bias codex, the list of biases designers make come across is nearly endless. Everyone can be subject to any of those biases, whether you come across it and recognize it or it effects yourself.

Source

Research Goals

Right now I can’t really tell where this research journey is going to take me, for now I will focus on biases and their effects of UX work. BUT during the researcher for this post, I realized how deep the rabbit hole around UX design and psychology goes. (Study guide for the rabbit hole ;D)

For now, a desirable outcome would be, to create a collection of biases and other effects, that influence people. Since one would have to become sensitive to these topics before they can conquer them. In addition to just generating awareness, there should also be info on why this matters and how to adjust to these effects. In the end there should be a lexicon about common effects, to be aware of and how to combat them. A deeper understanding of perceptual psychology will greatly impact how a designer approaches upcoming problems, to deepen the understanding for actions different users take.

Thanks for reading through my blog!
Leave a comment, if you are interested in this topic and tell me what you want to read about next! ;P