NorthWest AutoHaus
Improving the Used Car Buying Experience
TIMELINE12 Weeks
Jan 22 - April
DELIVERABLESE-commerce website redesign
ROLEService Designer, UX Designer, UI Designer
METHODSService Audit, Employee Interviews (2),Co-Creation Workshop
CONTEXTNorthWest Auto-Haus is a family owned used car dealership in Vaughan, Ontario. Specializing in selling and servicing Volkswagen and Audi Vehicles.
PROBLEMCustomers experience confusion and uncertainty when researching and evaluating used vehicles due to unclear information hierarchy and limited transparency around services and purchasing practices.
INSIGHTVehicle and service information was not clearly prioritized across digital and physical touch-points, making it difficult for customers to quickly understand key details.
HOW MIGHT WE
How might we improve the clarity and transparency of vehicle information and dealership services to help customers make more confident purchasing decisions?
THE SOLUTION
Redesigned the vehicle listing and supporting information system to improve clarity, hierarchy, and transparency across the purchasing experience, helping customers better understand key details and build confidence in their decisions.
SUMMARY
Overview of Research Findings
3 main problems were found through out the vehicle purchasing process, including both the physical and digital space.
Lack of Awareness
Website vehicle listing page is overcrowded with multiple features
Website doesn’t present critical information in a hierarchical order for seamless scanning
In-person vehicle spec sheets do not highlight key specifications
In-Accessible Practices
No physical or digital area that outlines services
Customers are forced to inquire about services to feel at ease
Doesn’t explicitly say that the store operates with a no negotiating approach
What was the Process?
Research to Design
DiscoverConducting Research
I began with conducting a service audit for two primary purposes: to observe users in their environment and gain deeper insight into pain points. Afterwards, I conducted 2 interviews with the staff and a used vehicle customer, as a result the following benefits are:
Benefits
Offers a unique perspective and insights into the context and environment
Builds empathy through observation of user attitudes and actions
Gains insights into users behaviours and needs
Able to validate assumptions between users and business goals
Front End: Used Vehicle Customer
Identify problem areas users face when shopping for a used vehicle
Evaluate areas of improvement that would benefit users
Analyze what services are offered by NorthWest Auto-Haus
Mid: Car Sales-person
Evaluate how well the current system impacts the user-experience
Examine the frequency of users experiencing issues when researching their desired vehicle
Analyze if users report feeling unsure about the buying experience
Back-End: Manager/Owner
Identify the key responsibilities and daily task of Owner/Manager.
Examine the areas where most frequent problems arise
Evaluate the areas within the vehicle buying experience that could benefit from improvements
Problem #1 Lack of Awareness
The current website and store lacks a dedicated system that outlines dealership included services, purchasing steps, maintenance-options and financial information.
Why is this a problem?
Loss of credibility
Lack of transparency
Missed possible upsell opportunities
Problem #2 In-Accessible Practices
The vehicle inventory and information pages are overcrowded and lack a clear visual hierarchy, making it difficult for users to quickly identify key vehicle features, specs, and actions among the dense content and multiple interface elements.
Why is this a problem?
Users struggle to find important vehicle information
Dense layout increase cognitive load and slow decision making
Key features and actions become easy to overlook
Cluttered experience reduces usability and overall engagement
Understanding the Entire Service
Using these insights, a stakeholder map was created to better understand all the stakeholders involved, how they’re connected and how these problems may affect them.
Who are we Designing for?
I synthesized the findings into three main personas from the front end, middle end and back end, capturing their demographics, goals, needs and behaviours
What Does the Users’ Journey Look Like?
I created journey map containing each persona, using insights from the service audit and interviews to better understand their interactions and needs
Ideating Potential Solutions
I used the findings to conduct a co-creation workshop aimed at brainstorming potential solutions. The workshop focused on addressing two key issues with the greatest impact.
Improving the layout of product and spec information
Service & Business transparency
Workshop Outputs
The “How Might We” statements focused on simplifying the user experience, clarity and increasing customer confidence
How Does the Service Interconnect?
Next, I created a service blueprint of the current vehicle purchase process by integrating all three journeys, mapping the interactions, touch-points, support processes, and solutions.
Within the service blueprint, I implemented 3 key solutions
Redesigned vehicle listing, inquiry forms & appointment booking
“Things to Know” page and appointment confirmation
Redesigned in-person “Spec sheets”
THE DELIVERABLES
A newly reimagined experience at NorthWest Auto-Haus
Solution: Reimagined Landing Page
The new landing page eliminates cognitive overload by prioritizing relevant information, better colour contrast and white space.
Solution: Reimagined Vehicle Listings
The redesigned inventory page improves clarity and usability through a cleaner layout, stronger visual hierarchy, and simplified navigation.
The experience feels more modern, making it easier for users to browse and compare vehicles efficiently.
Solution: Improved Vehicle List
The updated listing replaces the previous bloated version, ensuring key details are clearly presented.
By structuring information into top features and specs so customers. can easily understand and compare their options.
Solution: Improved Application Process
The current “Apply for Financing” button leads straight to a form without explaining the process of financing vehicle.
Directing users to a section that outlines the finance process better informs customers before committing.
Solution: ReImagined View More
Previously, accessing additional vehicle details meant navigating through dense text with no visual hierarchy.
The new format organizes key information into clear categories, making it easier for customers to find specific details.
Solution: Streamlined Appointment Booking
The redesigned experiences streamlines the booking journey by bringing appointment scheduling directly into the vehicle. browsing flow.
This reduces friction, improves accessibility, and creates a more seamless path from discovery to action.
Solution: ReImagined Spec Sheets
The updated “Spec Sheet” presents information in a clear structured format, categorized into comfort and vehicle specs.
This ensures key details are easily understood.
Upfront Approach
The new “Things to Know” page helps inform customers about the vehicle buying process, ensuring they understand the steps to acquire a vehicle. Along with the services included.
TAKEWAYS