Timeline
July 2024 - Present
Team
- 1 UX Designer (myself)
- 1 UI Designer
- 1 UX Writer
- 3 Developers
My Responsibilities
- User Experience
- User Research
- UI Design
The Problem
While there are several car resale platforms in New Zealand, a wide majority of them suffer from poor visual design, lack of user-friendly features, and high platform fees. Essential functionalities like car comparison tools and robust filtering options are not commonly available, making it difficult for buyers to find the right vehicle. Additionally, trust and security are major concerns, as users struggle to assess the condition of second-hand cars, and many platforms lack proper listing verification.
Challenges
- Since the team was unfamiliar with the local car market and had to adhere to the time and budget constraints of the project, we relied on both the client's own research and secondary sources to ensure the platform met user expectations.
- With all cars in NZ being imported and technically second-hand, buyers needed reliable indicators of vehicle health.
- Many existing platforms lacked proper verification for listings, making them prone to fraudulent activity.
- Competing solutions are inaccessible with complex navigation menus, poor visual design and a lack of useful features like comparing cars, loan and insurance calculators, and stricter security measures.
- We had to design a cohesive solution for 4 kinds of users namely buyers, private sellers, car dealers, and the website administrators.
Research
Key Insights
- Users want a good website experience that includes simple navigation, strict security measures, and transparency while shopping online.
- Users want to be able to find a car that is best suited for their budget and needs. They also want to be able to compare different options before they can make a decision.
- The top factors affecting a car purchase include the car's age, make and model's popularity and service history.
- E-commerce provides car sellers with a cost-effective method for reaching wider audiences and boosting car sales while gaining a competitive edge in the market.
The Process
Target Users
Based on our findings, we identified three main types of users - Buyer, Private Seller and Dealer. I have outlined them below:
Our Solution
Based on the insights from the research, here's the solution we came up with:
- We opted for a simple and straightforward information architecture to make navigation easy and reduce cognitive load.
- Additionally, while selling a car, sellers only have to enter the vehicle registration number, which fetches other related information from the government register of all vehicles in New Zealand, while checking for fraudulent and stolen vehicles.
- After submitting a listing, it is verified by an admin before making it live. This provides an added layer of security protecting buyers from fraudulent sellers.
- Details like service history, warrant of fitness and car images are displayed on the vehicle details page so users can make an informed decision.
- Furthermore, users can perform a feature-to-feature comparison between 3 cars (2 on mobile), helping them find the perfect match.
- Users can choose from a robust set of filtering options to view listings that match their preferences closely.
- Dealers also get a personalised dashboard with helpful insights, making it easier to view information at a glance.
- A comprehensive admin panel was designed to ensure complete control over the websites functioning like verifying listings, moderating users, handling customer complaints and communication, managing ad campaigns, and viewing website analytics.
Information Architecture
As I was responsible for creating the IA, I designed a clear navigation structure with separate flows for each user type to avoid confusion. Furthermore, I incorporated a robust filtering system (eg. price range, car make, model, year, mileage, WoF status) to allow users to find the perfect match. I also integrated a comparison tool to ensure users could evaluate multiple cars side-by-side.
Wireframes
Design
Logo
Colour Palette
Typography
Components
High-Fidelity Screens
Next Steps
With design for Phase 1 completed, the platform is undergoing the development part. A good next step would be to test the platform against some KPIs, with real users, to identify any usability issues and validate any hypotheses. The insights from testing can be used to refine the design further to meet business goals. Additionally, it would be optimum to plan the next phase and begin research in advance to finish designing just in time for development.