SCE Charge Ready Portal

The Challenge

Southern California Edison's $436 million Charge Ready program—the largest single-utility EV charging initiative in the US—was facing significant enrollment friction. With only 97 of 3,291 applications completed and businesses citing complex processes as barriers, SCE needed to transform their enrollment experience to meet California's ambitious goal of 5 million zero-emission vehicles by 2030.

The existing portal suffered from utility industry-wide UX failures: 32% navigation failure rates, multi-hour completion times, and satisfaction scores trailing other industries by over 100 points. Business customers struggled with unclear eligibility requirements, repetitive data entry, and no visibility into their application status.

The Solution

I designed a comprehensive 5-screen enrollment experience that transformed the complex infrastructure application into an intuitive, guided journey. By applying SCE's authentic brand guidelines—their distinctive teal and yellow palette—I created a professional yet approachable interface that builds trust while reducing cognitive load.

Additional Use Case: SCE Charge Ready App

Beyond enrollment, the SCE ecosystem includes a comprehensive charging management app for business customers. This companion application enables real-time monitoring of charging stations, usage analytics, and cost management across multiple locations.

Design Process

User Research & Pain Point Analysis

Working with DRGx's Business Customer Development Group, I conducted rapid research sprints with facilities managers, property owners, and fleet operators. Key insights revealed that businesses needed clarity on grid capacity requirements, transparent timelines, and simplified documentation processes.

Information Architecture Redesign

I restructured the enrollment flow based on user mental models rather than utility backend requirements. Technical specifications moved to step 3 after basic site information, allowing users to provide familiar details before complex electrical requirements.

Visual Design System

Building on SCE's brand identity, I developed a component library optimized for form-heavy interfaces. The teal primary color guides attention to CTAs, while the yellow accent highlights important information. Consistent spacing, typography hierarchy, and interaction patterns create predictability across screens.

Technical Implementation

The portal was built as a certified GreenTech solution, prioritizing performance and accessibility. Advanced integration capabilities ensure seamless data flow with SCE's backend systems while maintaining security compliance for sensitive business information.

Business Impact

Beyond improving user satisfaction, the redesigned portal directly addresses SCE's business objectives. By reducing application abandonment and improving data quality, the utility can accelerate infrastructure deployment toward their 37,800 port goal. The streamlined process particularly benefits the 47% of applications from disadvantaged communities, ensuring equitable access to clean transportation infrastructure.

The design system's modular architecture enables rapid adaptation for SCE's other programs—Charge Ready Transport, Schools, and Parks—creating consistency across the entire EV ecosystem while reducing development costs by an estimated 60%.

Reflection

This project reinforced how thoughtful UX design can accelerate critical infrastructure deployment. By treating business customers as partners rather than applicants, we transformed a bureaucratic process into a collaborative journey toward California's clean energy future.

The success demonstrated that utility companies can match modern digital experience standards when they prioritize user needs. As California's EV adoption accelerates, removing enrollment friction becomes as crucial as the physical infrastructure itself.

Next Steps

Future phases will integrate predictive analytics to estimate approval likelihood, AI-powered documentation review to accelerate processing, and expanded language support for SCE's diverse business community. The portal architecture is ready to scale for California's ambitious transportation electrification goals.