Rethinking the Fuel Stop: Product Design for the Gas Station Visit

Rethink the experience of stopping at a gas station. Decide whose experience you are improving, what goes wrong for them today and what you would change. ```hint Walk through one stop Break a single visit into steps, from noticing the tank is low to pulling back onto the road, and note where time, money or patience is lost at each one. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Are we designing as the station operator, as a carmaker, or as a technology company whose software could work across many stations? - Does the experience include charging electric cars, where a stop lasts much longer, or only liquid fuel? - Is success measured by driver satisfaction, by more visits and shop sales for stations, or by something else? - Which market is this for, given that self-service, attendants and prepaying rules differ by country? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A stated perspective and goal, the different users of a station laid out, and one segment chosen with a reason - The visit broken into stages, with pain points tied to specific stages for the chosen segment - Prioritized solutions and an MVP that account for what stations would have to install or integrate - Success metrics with guardrails, including safety while driving - Risks and trade-offs specific to fuel retail, including station economics and the shift toward electric cars ### Follow-up Questions - Your design needs stations to install or integrate something. Why would an operator agree, and what would you offer them? - How would the design change at a site where most visitors charge electric cars and stay much longer? - Your top feature launches in one city. How would you tell whether it shortened stops rather than just moving drivers between stations?