GM Connected Vehicle
The Challenge
To remain competitive in a rapidly evolving automotive and tech landscape, GM must continuously improve its vehicle companion app to meet rising customer expectations. The app serves as a critical touchpoint between drivers and their vehicles, offering features like remote start, vehicle diagnostics, service scheduling, and real-time status updates. With GM’s growing portfolio of electric vehicles, the app also needed to support EV-specific functionality such as charging management, range monitoring, route planning, and energy usage insights. Our challenge was to evolve the app experience to be more intuitive and personalized while ensuring it performs reliably and reflects GM’s brand across a wide range of vehicles and use cases.
The Process
We approached the redesign of GM’s vehicle companion app with a user-centered, iterative design process. Our goal was to ensure the app supported both traditional and electric vehicles in a seamless, consistent experience.
Research and Discovery: We began by reviewing existing app analytics, user feedback, and customer support logs to identify pain points and feature gaps. We also conducted competitive analysis to understand how other automotive and EV apps were approaching similar challenges.
User Interviews and Journey Mapping: To better understand driver needs, we spoke with a range of GM customers, including EV and gas vehicle owners. These insights helped us map common tasks, uncover moments of frustration, and define what success looked like across different user types.
Defining Use Cases and Requirements: We worked closely with product managers and engineering teams to define key use cases for EV features like home and public charging, trip planning, and range anxiety reduction. We also established technical constraints and prioritized features based on feasibility and impact.
Wireframes and Prototyping: We explored multiple layout and interaction models, focusing on clarity, responsiveness, and accessibility. Low-fidelity wireframes were quickly tested internally, then refined into high-fidelity prototypes that reflected GM’s visual language.
User Testing and Iteration: With clickable prototypes, we conducted usability tests to validate flows such as starting a remote charge, checking battery levels, and scheduling service. Feedback guided improvements to navigation, visual hierarchy, and terminology.
Collaboration and Handoff: We collaborated closely with developers to ensure accurate implementation across platforms. Design specifications were documented clearly, and we remained involved through QA to preserve design integrity.
The Results
The redesigned app delivered a simpler, more intuitive experience that better supports both traditional and electric vehicle owners. A major improvement was the shift from cluttered popup drawers to a streamlined scrollable layout, allowing users to view key vehicle details and actions in one continuous flow. This simplified navigation, reduced the number of taps needed to complete core tasks, and created a more mobile-friendly experience overall.
The updated design also improved clarity around EV-specific features like charging status, range monitoring, and nearby charger availability. Visual hierarchy and language were refined to reduce confusion and support quick decision-making on the go.
Key outcomes: The final product aligned with GM’s broader design language and performance goals while giving users a more confident, connected experience across vehicle types.
