01
Understanding
Context
When I initially started working on the redesign of the 'car uploading process', I anticipated it would be a straightforward task. The existing designs required a better layout that adhered to design patterns and was more intuitive. How difficult could it be to request users to upload their car information and input a few details?
Problem Statement
The existing car uploading process lacked a visible value proposition for users and the company. Sellers, especially those with limited car knowledge, found it overwhelming to provide the required information.
Discovery
Key findings from the research:
Overload of information: Sellers felt overwhelmed by the amount of information required during the car uploading process.
Lack of a visible value proposition: Users had difficulty understanding the unique benefits of using the platform compared to competitors.
Knowledge gap for sellers: Sellers with limited car knowledge struggled to provide accurate and relevant information.
Heuristic markup of current design
💡 How these findings informed design decisions:
The insights shifted the focus from relying on the blog to integrating the vehicle experts' knowledge and blog content into the product.
The goal is to guide users through the search process based on competence, motivation, and context.
02
Solutions
The riskiest theme identified is the concern that customers may not adopt the service. The different solutions explored in the project aimed to improve the value proposition.
1 | Physical Context + Automation
This solution aimed to provide a competitive advantage by designing for physical location and automation. It included features such as cross-device navigation and allowing users to decide how to start, adding flexibility and convenience to the process.
Providing optionality based on location and how prepared they are
Optimize for Phone and desktop-to-phone transition
Showing information based on physical location
Guiding the user and removing doubt
VIN Photo automates information and speeds up process
2 | Education and Autonomy
This solution focused on educating users so they could make informed decisions on their own. It provided context, tips, and guidance to empower users with knowledge and increase their confidence in the car uploading process.
Possible locations to find Trim
Providing information before task is started to remove any surprises
Helping information to complete flow
This solution emphasized giving users the ability to personalize their experience. It allowed users to move on even if they didn't have all the information and provided flexibility to accommodate individual needs and preferences.
Letting the user pick how to start
Ability to move to next step
Help option when the user needs it to remove any doubt
03
Outcome
Halfway through the project, several factors emerged that posed challenges to continuing with the original product strategy. These factors included business changes, technical miscalculations, and a lack of resources. Consequently, the implementation of the user value proposition was compromised.
As a result of my findings, which I communicated to the CTO and Marketing VP, the decision was made to discontinue the project and the associated product.
