• Visual status: clearly signal availability/operational state, while considering the local environment (avoid light pollution for residents, businesses, and wildlife).
• Online status: make operational status and availability accessible remotely.
• Information: provide clear, accessible details (e.g., charging speed) readable in different weather and lighting conditions.
• User guidance: publish step-by-step instructions for starting and paying for charging.
• Feedback prompts: use visual and audible cues for payment acceptance, session start, progress, and completion.

Implementation tip: treat the screen/UI as a safety-critical interface—high contrast, large type, and minimal steps.

• Payment options: enable easy payment including non-proprietary, non-smartphone payment, with additional options as appropriate.
• Price information: use a simple pricing unit consistent with the wider market (e.g., pence/kWh). Clearly identify costs where charging is bundled with parking or other services.
• Open access: support ad-hoc access without requiring subscription or network registration.

Operator insight: “guest checkout” is not optional if you want broad adoption—especially for visitors and occasional users.

• Tethered vs untethered: tethered cables can improve ease-of-use but are not suitable everywhere.
• Hybrid approach: consider providing a socket in addition to a tethered cable so users can use their own cables.
• Low-profile installs: for lamppost-style chargepoints, sockets alone may be more appropriate.
• Cable storage: implement cable management (e.g., retracting/protective systems) to prevent trip hazards and reduce vandalism.

Field reality: the “last metre” matters—most wear, weather exposure, and damage happens at the cable/connector end.

• Cables and sockets: ensure an ergonomic plug handle and minimise resistance when extending/manoeuvring cables.
• Cable length: provide sufficient length to reach varying socket locations across vehicle models.
• Height and location: ensure the chargepoint, cable, socket, and information are accessible for diverse users, including wheelchair users.
• Safety in use: provide sufficient space to accommodate different vehicles and mobility needs.
• Night design: support safe navigation at night by illuminating the chargepoint and surrounding area.

Practical heuristic: if a user cannot operate it one-handed (where reasonable), it will fail accessibility in real-world conditions.

• Sourcing and processes: certify that suppliers use environmentally conscious and ethical approaches to materials and manufacturing.
• Maintenance and repair: design for routine maintenance with minimal non-standard training and tooling to increase uptime and reduce costs.
• Reliability: target a minimum of 99% chargepoint uptime per annum to build user confidence.
• Upgrades: modular designs and upgradeability extend usable life.
• Reuse and recycling: consider end-of-life pathways to maximise environmental benefit.

Asset-management view: modularity is a commercial feature—spares strategy, swap time, and field repairability drive lifetime TCO.

• Disruption: reduce disruption to the surrounding environment during installation wherever possible.
• Adaptable design: allow aesthetic variations so chargepoints can be deployed in different contexts, including distinct or historic environments.
• Branding: enable operators to configure design elements to represent their brand.

Local-authority note: aesthetic adaptability can be the difference between swift approval and prolonged stakeholder objections.