Improving payout transparency for EV drivers
At ev.energy, we reward users for charging off-peak, supporting the grid, and reducing emissions. But a spike in support tickets revealed a critical trust issue that users didn’t know if or when they’d be paid.
Background
At ev.energy, we encourage users to charge their EVs during off-peak times through utility-sponsored incentive programs. These programs offer real monetary rewards, but we identified a growing issue: users didn’t trust that their rewards would be paid out. Despite functioning systems, payout-related support tickets spiked, and feedback from utility partners suggested that this lack of visibility could harm program credibility.
Problem
During a regular customer support review, I noticed a 35% spike in payout-related tickets — even though there were no system errors or regressions. Investigating further, I reviewed over 40 anonymised user tickets, the backend admin panel logic, and the live app UI. A clear pattern emerged: users couldn’t see the status of their rewards, weren’t sure if their payout was sent, and often didn’t know if action was needed.
At the same time, our commercial team shared concerns from utility partners, who were starting to question the reliability of our incentive payouts due to user confusion. This highlighted a key opportunity: a small UI improvement could deliver major gains in trust and transparency.
Goal
Design a payout status system that:
Communicates payout status clearly and builds user confidence
Reduces the volume of support tickets
Works flexibly across multiple payout systems and program types (monthly, real-time, etc.)
User insight
I collaborated with CS and data teams to segment affected users. We focused on high-engagement users enrolled in smart charging programs, US-based users using common payout channels like PayPal and Venmo, and newly enrolled users unfamiliar with our reward systems. These were our most valuable users — and the ones most affected by the lack of clarity.
My role
I led the full design process, including:
Mapping backend payout states into clear, human-readable statuses
Writing user-friendly labels and helper text with CS and content leads
Designing reusable components with dynamic CTAs, dates, and icons
Collaborating with engineering, product, and our comms tooling team (Braze)
Validating through agent feedback and user testing
Design challenges
Simplifying complexity
The backend contained 7+ payout states with subtle differences. I worked with engineering to simplify this logic into clear, user-facing messages like “Your payout was sent” or “We tried to send your payout” with relevant actions (e.g. confirm your PayPal).Supporting multiple program types
Some programs paid monthly, others paid instantly. I ensured the system could support both fixed and rolling payout logic, while keeping the design consistent and agnostic to local program naming.Creating a flexible component
Using our design system, I created a scalable component that supported payout status, dates, optional action buttons, and contextual helper text. This design worked across mobile apps, the web portal, and internal admin views.
Validation
To ensure clarity and tone, I tested five copy variants with support agents and ran quick Maze tests with users to confirm comprehension. Over 90% of users correctly understood the new labels. Final messaging was reviewed with legal and comms to ensure compliance.
Outcome
Four weeks after launch, we saw:
A 34% drop in payout-related support tickets
A 14% increase in successful payouts among eligible users
An 18% CSAT increase for reward-related interactions
A 2-minute reduction in support ticket resolution time
One support agent summed it up best:
“It’s a huge relief to be able to say, ‘You can check that in the app now.’ Before, we had to explain every edge case manually.”
Business impact
Improved retention in our highest-value utility programs
Reduced operational friction during peak payout cycles
Positioned the product for international expansion through early localisation and scalable status logic
Established a repeatable pattern that can be reused for other rewards (e.g. CO₂ credits, carbon offsetting)
What I learned
Payout messaging isn’t just a technical detail — it’s a trust touchpoint. Treating it like a product, not an afterthought, turned a confusing experience into a moment of clarity and confidence.
This project also sharpened my skills in systems thinking, multi-team alignment, and balancing backend constraints with clear, honest user communication.
