Vehicle Datalytics
Description
The scope of this project was to research and develop a website prototype for Vehicle Datalytics, a seed-stage startup. The company is currently developing an on-board diagnostic (OBD-2) device that would interface with a vehicle's internal computer to retrieve its status information, which can then be shared via wireless connection. The company's goal was to leverage this information to provide a suite of services to vehicle owners. Our goal was to create a user-centered website design for vehicle owners who need to get their car serviced and connect them to mechanics.
UX/UI Designer
RESPONSIBILITIES
User Research, Competitive/Comparative Analysis, User Interface Design, Usability Testing, Visual Design
The Problem
As an MVP, the company asked that we help them prototype a vehicle repair marketplace, which will connect vehicle owners with repair shops and allow them to get service quotes. Establishing this product will allow the company to build a revenue stream to support development of a custom connected car device, as well as additional services.
Vehicle Datalytics originally sought to be a fleet tracking and management network. Ultimately they decided to move away from a B2B model towards a consumer facing marketplace. Our team had three weeks to develop a brand identity and an online space that established trust so users felt comfortable identifying their vehicle problem and proceeding to book an auto repair appointment. A major factor to consider was the varying levels of car knowledge and the most effective way to diagnose an auto repair prior to speaking with an expert.
Original Homepage
Stakeholder Suggestions
The solution
To develop a streamlined, easy to use vehicle repair marketplace that connects vehicle owners with mechanics. This project only focuses on the vehicle owner interface and had to consider a future mobile technology the company plans to sync with the website.
Requirements included
Allow the user to easily look up local mechanics and book repairs
Establishing trust between the website and its users
Easy to understand content for all levels of experience
Detailed information about the users vehicle
research
We began our project research with the hypothesis that successful marketplaces attract the largest number of buyers and sellers. Our user research indicated that the level of mechanical knowledge varied widely; we concluded that by initially addressing the needs of the novice car owner, then the site would also function effectively for the more knowledgable demographics, thus attracting a larger number of users.
The themes that emerged centered upon trust (mechanics are nearly universally distrusted), time (people rely on their cars to help them live their lives), and cost (people expressed skepticism and uncertainty about repair costs).
People tended to fall into two camps: either they knew very, very little about cars, or they were quite educated, to the point of being able to perform many of their own repairs (which many had done in the past). But both groups were suspicious of mechanics, and both groups turned primarily, if not solely, to trusted family and friends when they needed to find a mechanic.
Wordcloud illustrating the dominant themes that emerged from our data: trust, time and cost
comparative analysis
We conducted a comparative/competitive analysis on four companies, each selected to show a range of business model variations.
interview data
findings
1. Users rely heavily on their cars to help them live their lives, whether this includes a daily commute or multiple trips thought the week for errands
2. Word of mouth and personal referrals are the primary ways our users found mechanics. They go to people in their circle that they already trust.
3. Users expressed skepticism and uncertainty about repair costs. Lack of transparency makes them feel vulnerable to being taken advantage of.
personas
Through our research, we created two personas. Our stakeholder initially wanted to focus on novice users like Krista, who have very limited knowledge about car repair and would be susceptible to being taken advantage of. Our research showed that users like Krista would take an enormous amount of convincing. However, we discovered users like Matt would adopt the site's services more readily. Their level of knowledge and confidence regarding car maintenance allowed them to easily make a decision about which mechanic would be best for their needs.
We convinced the stakeholder to go with Matt as the persona, using Netflix as a case study. Netflix began as a mail order movie rental business catering to a niche market offering hard-to-find foreign, art, and old films. They created a strong following with this niche market and then branched out to reach a larger audience with streaming, offering more mainstream content, and producing their own original content.
lo-fi prototype & usability testing
After the initial research phase was completed, we quickly built a low-fidelity, clickable prototype for usability testing with Sketch and InVision. Our design and structure was based on user research, data from our comparative analysis, and an early wireframe from Vehicle Datalytics. We created two ways for our User to access the MVP and determined where Vehicle Datalytics can introduce their future technology in development
Prototype 1 Site Map
Prototype 1 Site Map
We ran usability tests on this lo-fi prototype to develop our subsequent mid-fi prototype. The testing results for this prototype indicated that novice owners had fundamental difficulties with communicating the services they need for their car. Even when their assumptions were correct in understanding the car’s problem, their lack of confidence in their own diagnosis often prevented them in moving forward with a repair unless their judgment was confirmed by a mechanic.
1. Users who had a more advanced knowledge of cars found the site most useful.
3. Designs need to focus on building trust for user satisfaction.
2. Users need a variety of options to convey their vehicle issues.
design studio
Our team met with Vehicle Datalytics stakeholders to better identify brand identity, UI terminology, and design direction. We utilized this time to be creative and actualize our thoughts about Vehicle Datalytics. Our results affirmed that we were all in alignment about how the site should look and feel. We used the information from this meeting, along with the results from usability testing, to reiterate our prototype and its user flow.
mid-fi prototype & usability testing
Based on the findings of our usability tests, we decided to make two changes to the initial product. First, we reviewed our primary persona hypothesis, and determined that an expert vehicle owner with a strong understanding of car repair would be the more likely MVP marketplace user. It was also concluded that future developments of the product - especially development of an OBD-2 device that would eliminate the user’s need to manually enter in technical information- would allow the marketplace to expand its user base.
Our second change consisted of adding multiple trust building features, intended to make users more comfortable with the product-- during testing users would follow our task instructions to book a service, but most indicated that they would be reluctant to book a service in real life because they were unfamiliar with the marketplace, booking process and the end mechanic performing the service. Elements we added include clearer statements about the company’s warranty policy, expanded content on the process and company background, and even a spinner during bid search that notified the vehicle owner of what was occurring as the marketplace generates pricing.
findings
1. Users’ reaction to site: “Simple, easy, clear, cut and dry, straightforward.”
2. Trust is still an issue, with users reporting that they would look “independently” outside the site for external validators that Vehicle Datalytics is a trustworthy business.
3. Users refuse to pay at site for major or expensive repairs. Present your business model clearly to your customers.
Hi-fidelity Mockup
the outcome
My team and I presented the second, mid-fidelity prototype to our client, along with the compiled results from the second round of usability testing. This prototype traced back to our client's preliminary screens from the start of the project as well as to our initial research and testing results.
Future Iterations
As a marketplace connecting owners to mechanics, the next necessary step for this product is to conduct a similar research/testing process with the mechanic-facing portal. However, more research is needed to understand the needs and goals of these different repair shops.
Currently, more data is required to move forward on this project. With so many different variables needing to be considered to satisfy such a broad user base, extensive reiterations backed by usability findings will be the key to this products success.
Some of the challenges they face include developing the two separate UI's, an organized database of content, the variety of ways for users to convey their vehicle issues quickly and efficiently, to then identify said issue and trust that they would be connected with the best mechanic. Therefore, a strong information architecture, backend development, and word of mouth will play a major role in the future success of this site
Tools & techniques
Pen & paper, Sketch, Axure, Invision, Omnigraffle, Photoshop
User interviews, Use Cases, Scenarios, Personas, Competitive/Comparative Analysis, Affinity Diagrams, Card Sorting