Volvo Cars

Connected mobility at scale

overview

The Volvo Cars app extends the vehicle experience beyond the car, connecting drivers with their vehicles through a mobile platform. It centralizes remote control, navigation planning, charging management, service coordination, and connected services within a single system. As Volvo accelerated its transition toward electric vehicles, the app became a critical interface between the driver, the vehicle, and external infrastructure such as charging networks and digital services.

challenge

Vehicle ecosystems are inherently complex. Remote commands must be reliable, charging infrastructure varies across regions, and maintenance workflows involve multiple stakeholders. The challenge was to translate technical vehicle states and infrastructure dependencies into clear and trustworthy mobile interactions. Drivers needed confidence when locking their vehicle remotely, scheduling charging, or checking battery range before a trip. For electric vehicles in particular, charging had to feel integrated into daily routines rather than a technical task.

Role

I worked on the Volvo Cars app as Senior Product Designer, collaborating with product managers, engineers, and research teams within Volvo Cars Digital. My role focused on shaping mobile product experiences across key connected services. I contributed to UX and UI design, prototyping, research, and usability testing, helping translate vehicle capabilities and connected services into clear user interactions. I worked closely with cross-functional teams to define interaction patterns, validate features through prototypes and testing, and contribute to the evolving design system that ensured consistency across the app experience.

IMPACT

The work contributed to the evolution of the Volvo Cars app as a central touchpoint for connected vehicle ownership. Drivers gained a clearer and more reliable way to interact with their vehicles remotely, manage charging and vehicle status, and coordinate service and trip planning through a unified mobile interface. The project helped strengthen the foundation for Volvo’s growing ecosystem of connected and electric vehicle services.

UX / UI design

Design system

Prototyping

Research

Testing

Mobile experience

Cross-functional collaboration

year

2019 - 2020

Design focus

The work addressed the charging journey across three layers. First, providing clear battery level, estimated range, and charging status in real time. Information had to be reliable and easy to interpret at a glance.

Second, allowing users to schedule charging during off-peak hours, start or stop sessions remotely, and manage preferences directly from the app. Thirdly, helping drivers locate compatible charging stations, filter by speed and connector type, and understand availability before arrival. The interface translated infrastructure complexity, plug standards, charging speeds, pricing models, into predictable and actionable steps.