Golden A' Design Award in Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design Goes to Energy Plus Mobile Application by Jaeho Chung, Dana Lee and Yoo Hayeon

The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Jaeho Chung, Dana Lee and Yoo Hayeon for mobile technologies, applications and software design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 21, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design category for Energy Plus Mobile Application by Jaeho Chung, Dana Lee and Yoo Hayeon, designed for Energy Plus. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Golden A' Design Award Explained

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

More About Energy Plus Mobile Application

Energy Plus is a mobile application that simplifies fueling in Korea by reducing a twelve step process to four actions. The main feature, Quick Fuel, lets drivers start refueling and complete payment with a single barcode scan, without cash or physical cards. Preferred fuel type, payment method and loyalty details are registered once and reused at every visit. Real-time fuel prices and station navigation support the choice of station. After each transaction, a digital summary with payment details and rewards information is provided.

Award Record

Jaeho Chung, Dana Lee and Yoo Hayeon is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.

About the A' Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design Award

The A' Mobile Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good design in mobile industry by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to mobile designers, application developers, software engineers and user interface designers from all countries. Entries typically include smartphones, tablets, wearables, mobile applications, mobile games and mobile software. Awarded mobile designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/mobile

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/182017
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182017
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182017
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/379202
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.gscenergyplus.com/

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Energy Plus Mobile Application
Function: Mobile Application
Category: Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Software and Electronics & Appliances
Colors: Lavender, Light Gray, Gray, Light Slate Gray and Medium Sea Green
Images: 5
Client: Energy Plus

The Recognition

Laureate: Jaeho Chung, Dana Lee and Yoo Hayeon
Recognition: Golden A' Design Award
Edition: 2025 - 2026
Design ID: #182017

Credits

Team: Dana Lee, Hayeon Yoo
Image Credits: Main; The cover image presents the Energy Plus home interface and the activated fueling pattern screen. It highlights the Quick Fuel entry point and preset preferences, demonstrating how users can initiate refueling with minimal interaction. Cover; This image illustrates the simplified fueling registration flow and the Fuel Report interface. Users can register preferences in a few clear steps, reducing repetitive input during future visits. The Fuel Report visualizes consumption patterns to support informed decision-making. A dedicated dark mode ensures visual comfort and accessibility across different lighting environments. Cover; This image presents fuel-type specific fueling patterns and the integrated barcode interface. Each fuel type is clearly distinguished through color and layout, enabling fast recognition at the pump. Cover; This image showcases the Shake & Pay feature and widget interface. The motion-based interaction allows users to access Quick Fuel instantly without navigating through menus. The widget provides direct entry from the home screen, extending usability beyond the app and supporting contextual, time-efficient interaction. Cover; This image combines the Fuel Report dashboard with the location-based station service interface.

Design Details

Unique Properties: Energy Plus redefines Korea’s fueling by reducing a traditional 12 step process to four. Its signature feature, Quick Fuel, enables refueling and payment via a single barcode scan eliminating the need for cash, physical cards, or app navigation. For on-the-go access, Quick Fuel is available via widgets, Shake&Pay, and CarPlay. Real-time pricing and navigation simplify station selection. Post-fueling, digital reports with rewards and review prompts ensure a seamless and connected user journey.
Inspiration: Quick Fuel is designed to eliminate persistent pain points, such as cumbersome refueling steps, physical loyalty cards, and the risk of missing discounts. Users pre-register their preferred fuel type, payment method, and loyalty information once, then seamlessly reuse that preset for every visit. A single tap reveals a barcode; scanning it at the pump completes both fueling and payment instantly. This streamlined action delivers a faster, more intuitive, and satisfying experience for drivers.
Research: Type of Research: UX design research. Research Objectives: simplify the fueling journey and reduce user friction. Methodology: mixed-method approach combining qualitative interviews and quantitative behavior analysis. Data Collection and Tools: user journey mapping, usability tests, in-app analytics, and review mining with NLP tools. Participants: Korean drivers aged 20~60. Results: reduced fueling steps and clearer decision-making. Insights and Impacts: users value speed and certainty over feature variety. The research improved transaction efficiency, station operations, and digital adoption in real-life fueling behavior.
Challenge: The greatest challenge was translating a traditionally physical, pump-based process into a seamless digital interaction without disrupting existing station infrastructure. Legal payment regulations, POS compatibility, and unstable network environments limited technical flexibility. Socially, drivers were accustomed to manual selection and card presentation. The design had to reduce steps while maintaining trust and clarity. Balancing security, speed, and familiarity required iterative prototyping and close collaboration with engineers and station operators.
Realization and Technology: Energy Plus was developed on a modular UX framework integrated with real-time fuel and payment systems. Quick Fuel securely connects user preferences(fuel type, payment method, and amount)to station POS through a single barcode protocol, enabling a seamless one-scan transaction. AI-powered station personas use natural language processing to convert customer reviews into structured insights. The system is optimized for unstable network environments at gas stations and built on scalable APIs supporting widgets, Shake & Pay, and CarPlay. This technical foundation ensures a secure, responsive, and fully connected fueling experience.
Operation and Interaction: Energy Plus operates through a simple four-step flow: open the app, tap Quick Fuel, scan the barcode, and refuel. Users set preferences once, so each visit becomes a confirmation rather than a setup. The barcode connects payment and fuel choice instantly at the pump. Widgets, Shake & Pay, and CarPlay allow access without searching through menus. The key moment is the single scan, turning a complex, multi-step process into one smooth action, reducing wait time and mental effort.
Project Duration and Location: The project started in March 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. User research and usability testing were conducted in Seoul and surrounding metropolitan areas. The service was officially launched nationwide in January 2024 through the Energy Plus mobile platform and continues to evolve through ongoing design development and iterative improvements.
Specifications: Energy Plus is a mobile application. It integrates real-time fuel price APIs and POS-linked barcode protocols with encrypted payment processing (TLS 1.2+). AI station personas are generated using NLP-based review analysis. Average transaction latency remains under 1.5 seconds in LTE/5G environments. The platform supports widgets, Shake & Pay motion detection, and Apple CarPlay integration, ensuring seamless and accessible interaction across contexts.
Keywords: Fuel Payment, Quick Fuel, One-Scan Payment, Mobility Innovation