Recharging IONITY's app experience with best practice UX copy

My work on IONITY as part of a two month AGILE drive to completely upgrade their smartphone app was a good chance to flex my seasoned skills in UX comms and navigational copy. UX copywriting is an exercise in being clear and concise, using simple and straightforward language while avoiding jargon and technical terms that users may not understand.

In many cases, including this one, it seeks to adopt a conversational tone to deliver messaging that’s consistent and easy to parse. My work on IONITY’s app — which was to be laser-focused on assisting EV drivers access the IONITY charging network — involved everything from tooltips, microcopy, inline messages and CTAs. Putting an emphasis on decluttering what might have been overly busy interfaces, the aim was to inject positivity and value into every line in a way that both supported context and highlighted user benefit. 

Before the first AGILE sprint began, a two week resource was planned for me to ideate and develop and persona for the app, along with some companion Tone of Voice guidelines — something that would affectionately come to be referred to internally as 'IONITY CO-PILOT'. It was designed to complement the brand's future-facing, minimalist, uplifting aesthetic and become a digital extension of the IONITY service's physical infrastructure. 

Crafting a Digital Companion

Creating a dedicated Tone of Voice for the IONITY app came with some considerations that were particularly specific to the EV charging sector. After conducting extensive research, both among EV drivers and within competitor platforms, in became clear that 'charge anxiety' was a very real phenomenon. The term speaks to the all-too familiar feeling EV drivers get when their car's battery is beginning to run out of juice — and they suddenly find themselves fretting over the proximity and availability of their nearest charge station. 

With this in mind, my objective was clear: to create a verbal identity that elevated the brand persona while alleviating customer concerns whenever they were out on the road. To approach this, I set out to create a fully-fledged character for the app that, while not visible in an illustrative sense, would be there to inform how the app spoke in terms of motivation and style. The 'IONITY CO-PILOT' character was born as an avatar that would come to embody everything we were trying to achieve with the app.

IONITY CO-PILOT was framed as a kind of always-on-hand sidekick — an app-based 'Robin' to the driver's 'Batman'. In documentation, the persona manifested an upbeat, plucky companion that would form the foundation of 4 supporting Tone of Voice principles: supportive, playful, reassuring, and present.

Supportive

IONITY's Tone of Voice was defined as being fundamentally supportive. That meant creating guidelines that reinforced writing that always worked tirelessly to keep our audience on track, and on top of the situation. To aid future work streams, we created working examples of copy that demonstrated how to be concise, to the point, informative, and to assist users with clear immediate context or instruction. By emphasising this supportive angle, the final screens we were able to present a deeper sense of the IONITY app’s reliability, practicality and accessibility.

For ease of reference, it's always a good idea to create a 'before and after' treatment. These examples demonstrate exactly what we mean when we invoke specific principles and how they relate to brand propositions in situ. For example:

Reassuring

The next defining principle was aimed at acknowledging the real pain of ‘charge anxiety’. We wanted the app to speak in a way that aimed to pacify any potential concern customers might have in this area. We reasoned that this sentiment would be achieved by exercising a simple ‘we got this’ mindset in our written, one that breezily addressed obstacles with a ‘can-do’ attitude. We were mindful with created copy drafts that avoided dead ends and always pointed to an eventuality with positive resolution. In real terms, we envisaged that to look something like this: 

Playful

A fun and informal style of writing has valuable application in terms of injecting a sense of humour and levity when it's appropriate. For this reason, IONITY's copy needed to work hard, and play harder — and so my guidelines made provision for an easy, funny demeanour designed to temper some of the dryness that can come with instructional UX copy. When using our app, we positioned the customer as undertaking a journey — and journeys are meant to be fun.

That said, my guidelines made it quite clear that there is a time and place for humour, and that future copywriters working on the app would need to be careful not to distract with jokes at some of the more critical points in the the user journey. In-app copy should never be perceived as being flippant. However, there's a special degree of brand value  that can come from being funny. IONITY CO-PILOT would capitalise on those more casual in-app interactions as a chance to express its particular brand of humour.

Present

As an ever-present assistant, IONITY CO-PILOT was crafted to always be on hand, and always be in the moment. That meant giving it a Tone of Voice that was naturally grounded in the present tense, with a language framed around the current point on the user journey that needs to be addressed.

Research indicates that writing in-app copy that tries to think too many steps ahead can inflict cognitive load and stress on the user. By keeping its messaging in the moment, we aimed for the app to always relay a capable sense of calm.

Bringing it all together

Having formulated a multifaceted persona, much of my Tone of Voice documentation became an exercise in using this abstract to informed working examples in situ. As the AGILE process began, I started to write for real-world design cases, and took the opportunity to highlight WHY I was taking certain copy approach and HOW the ToV principles were being applied in combination.

Navigating the Functional and the Expressive

One key distinction I like to make when defining ToV guidelines for apps is drawing attention to the use of 'comms copy' as opposed to conventional 'UX copy'.

Comms copy is really any messaging that's able to take the time to sell in the product — compared to UX copy that is designed to be more instructional and functional. These two formats often tend to bleed into one other, and it's really a case of copywriter's using their best intuition as how much weight they give to straightforward direction Vs more on-brand talking points.

IONITY’s Talking Points: Ensuring a Positive EV Charging Experience

In developing the IONITY app, I identified four key talking points to guide our communications and reinforce the positive experience we aimed to provide. These talking points were crafted to address user anxiety about EV charging and to highlight the seamless, supportive nature of our app. My copy treatment effectively integrated these messages into the content, based on a solid understanding of user needs, thorough research, and my intuition and natural feel for the circumstances.

Peace of Mind

In the dynamic world of EV travel, peace of mind is paramount, and that’s exactly what IONITY aimed to deliver through the app. Knowing that reliability is the cornerstone of a stress-free journey, I worked to inject real-time display features of charging point availability, which removed the anxiety of uncertainty and provided a cosy, reassuring blanket of security every time users hit the road.

From the moment users searched for the nearest IONITY station to the ease of navigating there, every aspect was designed to ensure a seamless, worry-free experience. The contactless payment system, coupled with secure storage of credit card details, meant transactions were not just effortless, but also protected.

Through my supportive copy treatment, I positioned the app not just as a tool but as a companion that takes charge, upholding user confidence, and consistently delivering on the promise of a seamless and reliable charging experience.

Future-focused

At the heart of IONITY’s vision lay the belief that the future of mobility is not only electric but also incredibly user-friendly and connected.

The IONITY PASSPORT subscription was more than just a cost-effective solution for frequent travellers; it was framed as a commitment to a sustainable, borderless future of car travel. My copy treatment emphasised a service that not only offered a price advantage and flexibility but also symbolised a journey towards a more integrated and sustainable mobility landscape.

By highlighting features like contactless payment and a detailed charging history, I wasn’t just simplifying the charging process but also building a bridge towards a future where EVs seamlessly integrate into users’ lifestyles. This future-focused approach in my copy was supportive, reassuring, and unrelentingly innovative, making every trip with IONITY not just a journey but a step towards a brighter, more connected future of travel.

Connectivity

At IONITY, we understood that being on the road means being connected, not just to destinations but to a network that supports the journey every step of the way.

My copy treatment took charge of the EV charging experience by incorporating a real-time station availability display, ensuring users never had to guess where the next charge would come from. Whether planning a routine commute or an adventurous road trip, the seamless integration with favourite route planning apps meant users were always in the driver’s seat.

The user-friendly interface I described not only led users to the nearest IONITY charging station but also showed photos of the station to ease on-site orientation. This wasn’t just about technology; it was about creating a travel companion that understood and adapted to user needs, offering a reassuring sense of control and connection to the broader EV community.

Inclusivity

IONITY was all about opening up the roads — and charging options — to every driver, and every type of EV. My copy treatment took a universal approach: whether users were first-time EV drivers or seasoned electric explorers, IONITY offered an intuitive interface ensuring they would find their nearest charge station without fuss or confusion. Real-time information on all charging points was emphasized as a promise to every user, who would get reliable navigation and fast, easily accessible charging.

I acknowledged that each journey is unique, and so are the needs of each driver. That’s why the app took charge as a multi-lingual guide and a helpful companion to whoever needed help along the way.

Bringing it All Together

The development of the IONITY app was a comprehensive effort to craft a digital companion that addressed the real concerns and needs of EV drivers. By focusing on the key talking points of Peace of Mind, Future-focused, Connectivity, and Inclusivity, my copy treatment ensured that the app not only provided practical solutions but also fostered a positive and reassuring user experience. Each aspect of the app was designed with the user in mind, creating a seamless, supportive, and engaging journey for every EV driver. This approach was grounded in a deep understanding of user needs, thorough research, and my intuition for delivering the right message in the right context.

Driving User Engagement App (And Great App Store Reviews)

The impact was significant. By marrying functional UX writing with emotionally resonant Comms copy, the IONITY app became more than just a tool; it became a part of the journey. This transformation has been reflected in glowing user feedback (star rating ⭐ 4.5 on the iOS App Store) which praised the app for its intuitive and engaging experience, proving that the right words can indeed drive technology forward.