car everywhere
test case
An app designed to help beginners choose a car, explore mechanics, and get answers to their questions.
role: product designer
timeline: may — june 2024
when my brother was buying his first car and handed the money to the seller, my dad came up and knocked on it — the door fell off
How do beginners choose their first car? What about experienced drivers? And if they have no one to help, are too afraid to ask, or don’t know where to find answers?
The main goal of "Car Everywhere" was to create a product that allows beginners to ask questions without fear and check out cars with reviews from a service.
For example, if the fuel consumption is 17 liters per kilometer, it means the car consumes a lot of fuel. If you're tight on finances, it’s better to choose a more economical option.
challenges along the way
I don't know much
I’ve heard a couple of times that this is a real problem. I hadn’t spoken to anyone or looked it up online.
starting from 0
I needed to fully develop the product based on research, data, and my expertise.
finding people
I had to look for people from different segments, not just beginners but also experienced drivers who’ve been behind the wheel for more than a decade.
talking to people
I reached out to people who would actually use this product: learners from driving schools, people with less than 2 years of experience, and those with 10 or more years of driving behind them. I conducted 6 interviews with these 3 audience segments.
I realized that the main problem for beginners is fear, and for novices, it’s the technical questions: Where do I put the spark plugs? Why is the car beeping? Experienced drivers enjoy answering questions to help someone out, but not all of them are willing to assist in person with the car itself.
I decided to find out through interviews with questions about...
- Do you like cars? Planning to buy one? How did you make the decision?
- Are you getting your driver’s license? When?
- Did you have any questions about cars? How did you find information? Do you have anyone around who knows about cars? Why don’t you ask them?
- Has anyone ever asked you about cars, and you knew the answer? How did it make you feel? Did you help them? Why did you help?
- Are you interested in car mechanics? How do you learn about it? What if you don’t know the name of a part? What steps do you take to find out? How do you feel about it, and why?
- Have you searched for a car for yourself? Show me how you searched. Do you look at the specifications? What do you check first? Do you understand everything that’s written? Do you search for what you don’t understand? What emotions do you experience, and why?
- Do you have favorite car brands? Why these brands? Are you planning to buy one soon? Why? Which one are you considering? Why? How did you choose it?
- Are you planning to buy a car? What do you pay attention to? Have you looked at reviews? Where and how? Will you go to check the car alone?
insights from interviews
nerds and newcomers ask more questions online, regardless of ability
They tend to categorize their questions: if it’s a “dumb” question in their opinion, they ask online. If it’s “normal,” they ask in real life. The main issue is fear of judgment. On forums, there’s the fear of being mocked or laughed at. Some might watch videos or use apps to simulate being inside a car, though this is rare rather than a consistent habit.
people like helping for free
More experienced drivers are happy to help, as it contributes to creating more knowledgeable individuals and brings a sense of satisfaction. It doesn’t take much effort.
people don't choose cars by brand
The more experience they have, the less they focus on the car’s brand and model. New factors come into play: price, quality, fuel consumption, spaciousness, and cost of maintenance. When buying, they mainly look at photos. According to experienced drivers, you can tell a lot from a car photo.
people rely on social influence
Interestingly, the less experience a person has, the more they rely on social support when making a decision about which car to choose.
post-design feedback
After gathering information from people, I started designing the user flow screens aimed at addressing the issues faced by different segments. After creating the screens, I got feedback from participants and had them complete tasks to assess the usability.
user flows
nerd #1
nerd #2
newcomer #1
newcomer #2
experienced
benchmarking
I analyzed direct competitors: Auto.ru, Av.by, and indirect ones: WB, Ozon, and Yandex Market.
With direct competitors, I was interested in how cars are sold, the features provided, and how questions are answered.
With indirect competitors, I focused on the visuals, the tone of forms, banners used to attract an audience, and special offers.
screens
I created screens reflecting the various user journeys of my respondents. They were based on qualitative research, market analysis, and existing solutions.
For example, the journey of a beginner who doesn’t have structured information about cars. The information is categorized by topics to make learning easier. There’s a quiz to help reinforce knowledge, and if a wrong answer is chosen, an explanation is provided immediately.
The way of a beginner who doesn’t know which car to choose. The information is categorized into topics to simplify learning. Based on the interviews, most people focus on price, so I highlight it as a category. I create a hierarchy of the main categories. I also add reviews from services to help with decision-making, grounded in the opinions of experienced drivers. Additionally, I introduce a section for questions that drivers can ask.
The way of a beginner who doesn’t know the answer to a question. I implement sections for questions: answered and unanswered. I also add a category system for questions, so the answer can be easily found.
The way of a beginner who can’t find an answer through search. If a user can’t find the answer via search, they have the option to ask a question directly on the homepage.
The way of an experienced driver who knows the answer to a question. When an experienced driver navigates to a question, they can easily provide an answer.
lacking data?
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