Team player, Team coach
Context:
One hot summer day, our Experience Design team received a message from our top leader (not verbatim):
Here’s your challenge if you’re up for it. Redesign the current Shell app. You’ll be given existing Market Research and findings. You’ll have three weeks.
The Shell app is a mobile application developed by Shell, one of the largest global energy companies, designed to provide users with a variety of services related to energy consumption, fuel, and sustainability. The app is primarily intended for drivers and customers looking to manage their fuel purchases, track energy usage, and access Shell’s other services like rewards programs and electric vehicle (EV) charging
Goals
Redesign the Shell app from E2E: research to high-fidelity design.
Role
My role on this project was as Team Lead (co-lead) and Lead Researcher. The team was comprised of various Designers under our line manager across the globe (UK, India, US).
Timeline: three weeks.
Why this case study?
While this is not a traditional business-oriented case study, as it wasn't developed for a specific business case, I chose it because it effectively demonstrates the end-to-end (E2E) process, including the final Figma prototype.
One of the aspects I most enjoy about my work is collaborating with others. Although this project was in addition to my regular duties, I truly valued the opportunity to work closely with my coworkers in a way that wasn’t typical.
Finally, this project gave me the chance to lead the team during the initial phases, and then step back during the design process, allowing for a balance of leadership and collaboration.
Approach
For this project, we were given a vast amount of prior Market research. My first order of business was to synthesize the information for the team so we could begin to use it and make data-informed decisions. The graphic above shows the source studies on the left.
Insights from the research are grouped into categories: Functionality, Business model, Fueling behaviors, and Rewards behavior.
Note: I did also attempt guerilla research at a local Shell station but was unsuccessful in finding anyone that used the Shell app.
Approach + Analysis
As a team, we also relied on our collective intuition and deep understanding of good design principles and user experience. To ensure we were aligned on the most impactful areas for improvement, I led an additional workshop where we reviewed and refined our prioritized redesign areas. This collaborative session allowed us to dig deeper into the challenges and brainstorm solutions that would have the greatest impact on the user experience.
Design
At this stage, a smaller team split into two groups to focus on developing two main user journeys. Throughout the process, we held regular check-ins to ensure the journeys were cohesive and aligned with each other, maintaining a holistic approach to the user experience.
I consistently referred back to our original brief and the existing research to make sure we remained aligned with our goals. In parallel, I was managing operations behind the scenes, overseeing timelines and coordinating the development of final presentation slides to ensure we stayed on track and prepared for delivery.
Click anywhere on the image to the right to view the final Figma. Obtain password from me.
