Role:

Sr UX Designer (& Architect)

Duties:

  • Information Architecture
  • Interaction Design
  • Visual Design
  • Data Visualization
  • Product Identity

Company:

Autotrader, Cox Automotive

Duration:

Aug 2016—Jan 2019

Platform:

Phone; iOS & Android

How a full overhaul of an internal app became a dealership analytics tool for managing vehicle listings and enhancing the sales pipeline.

Overview

Marketing Insights was a phone-based app that field sales used as part there conversation to retain dealership subscription for Autotrader vehicle listings. In it, real-time reporting was used to show the dealer how their listings were doing to provide a better understanding of their ROI. Eventually, the app gained enough interest on the dealership side that they began asking for the app for their own listing analytics.

The Problem

Our team was asked to redesign the app, top to bottom, to take to market as a B2B solution for our dealership customers.

Users

  • Dealers
  • Field Sales
  • Internal Corporate Users

Business Goals

  • Provide timely information
  • Aid in operational decisions for vehicle sales
  • Demonstrate ROI for vehicle listings
  • Retain dealership subscriptions

Discovery

Screens 0–4 | Connections App, iOS
Previous design: (Left to right) Sign In, Dashboard, Shopper Summary, Shopper Detail views
Screens 0–4 | Connections App, iOS
Previous design: (Left to right) Vehicle Summary, Vehicle Detail, Merchandising, Connections views
Information Architecture | Connections App, iOS
Information Architecture: Content Audit
Information Architecture | Connections App, iOS
Stakeholder workshop: Whiteboarding session
Information Architecture | Connections App, iOS
Stakeholder workshop: Whiteboarding session
Information Architecture | Connections App, iOS
App architecture: Screen flows based on findings
Information Architecture | Connections App, iOS
Content strategy: Screen flows with annotations

Delivery

We conducted various workshops with stakeholders to form the following for the product identity and overall app design.

Voice & Feel

  1. Professional
  2. Functional (but not Utilitarian
  3. Inviting

Design Principles

  1. Useful
  2. Intuitive
  3. Engaging
  4. Simple
Screens 5–9 | Connections App, iOS
Moodboard: Inspiration for look & feel
Screens 5–9 | Connections App, iOS
Moodboard: Beginnings of a style guide
Screens 5–9 | Connections App, iOS
Moodboard: Final pitch for app identity

Final Designs

Screens 0–4 | Connections App, iOS
(Left to right) Launch Screen, Dashboard, Virtual Lot Walk, Maps, and Merchandising views
Screens 5–9 | Connections App, iOS
(Left to right) Vehicle List, Vehicle Detial, Shopper List, Shopper Detail, and Live Feed views

The Outcome

The newly revealed [Dealer] Connections app was launched in 2017 on both iOS and Android. It received much acclaim from dealership users and was spotlighted in an internal all-hands meeting for Cox Automotive.

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