The Challenge
"Proof to the world that we can not only build road legal cars, but also first class working software."
Deliver 2 companion apps to the app stores in 6 months.
Translate the needs and aspirations of the users and the business to relevant solutions.
Get a reliable connection of relevant data from the car in the app.
Translate the desired brand experience of the car into a brand experience of the software
Deliver design and code ready for scale.
Lightyear Solar EV
Lightyear is a pioneering automotive company based in the Netherlands that develops grid-independent, production-ready solar electric vehicles. Its mission is to provide drivers with a superior user experience while reducing their impact on the environment. With a design that is focused on efficiency, this technology-driven brand enables users to recharge on the go, monitor energy status and usage and charge their vehicle twice as fast as a comparable electric vehicle with a similar battery size.
Building software is not like building cars
The initiation of Lightyear's first low-volume car launch prompted the necessity to conceive and construct a companion app. The goal was twofold: to provide users with live updates on the solar panels' functionality and to showcase the engineering's beauty and innovation. Acknowledging the paramount importance of user experience for Lightyear's customers, a requirement for a smooth and stylish branded experience emerged. While their product vision stood strong, the company recognized the need to collaborate with a seasoned design and development partner capable of meeting the demands of creating a superior digital product.
Identifying opportunities
We guided Lightyear through a comprehensive discovery phase including a series of interviews, workshops and UX research sessions, designed to unearth possible design directions and testing methodologies. The outcomes were then mapped to the business objectives and user requirements through a collaborative process involving key members of the design, marketing and engineering teams.
Release 2 native apps in 6 months
The discovery phase identified several important milestones. We had already created a companion app to Lightyear’s 'Layer', a service which enables users to fit solar panels onto third-party cars. The companion app meant drivers could view energy use data from solar panels in real-time. The proof of concept of this app formed a strong foundation of research findings, ideas, designs and components from which the team could develop a companion app for the Lightyear 0 car.
Working in close collaboration with expert developers from our trusted partner ‘Q42’ and using iterative SCRUM methodologies we challenged and validated assumptions. We experimented with customer journey mapping, testing the possible routes as part of the wider research strategy, designing and testing prototypes and gathering feedback.
Scalable, adaptable software
Lightyear’s plans for the future were far-reaching and highly ambitious. To meet their goals and objectives they needed scalable software to support the evolving needs of their business and audience.
Our agile process ensured we could establish a solid foundation for Lightyear to build the required software with a view to using the app as a foundation for other vehicles in development. We developed a token-based design system so the client can maintain complete control over the product’s visual attributes and consistency in quality. By integrating this with the product code, we delivered modular information architecture that will help Lightyear control costs, and speed up future development times.
Surpassing client expectations
In the week of June 20th, 2022, Lightyear presented their road-legal car to the tech press, investors and clients. Hike One and Q42 were delighted to help enhance this important event for Lightyear with the successful launch of the MVP companion app for iOS and Android.
Guests were able to download and connect the app to one of the demo cars at the event and see the real-time performance of the cars’ solar panels. The audience did not expect a working companion app at this stage so this added considerable impact to an already highly impressive launch.
My role and accountabilities
Product Design Lead
Business development
Translate client request in project plan
Facilitation of workshops
Creative and UX direction
Team planning and design roadmapping
Team motivation and inspiration
Stakeholder management