CarTech
Problem:
Finding a trustworthy mechanic is difficult, having a bad experience at a repair shop is common, and car trouble is confusing, stressful, and time-sensitive. People need a way to easily access mechanics and auto repair shops they trust and have specific questions answered about their cars quickly. There is an opportunity to create a product that connects users to trusted mechanics and repair shops that will relieve some of the burdens that come with car ownership.
How do we make car ownership and car trouble less stressful?
Understanding the problem space:
I first began looking at the marketplace before creating CarTech. Is there a similar product connecting users to trusted mechanics already? Is it working well? What is it lacking? What are the most useful features? What can CarTech bring to the marketplace that isn't being done currently?
I found two websites that connected users to mechanics. JustAnswers and 6ya. Both were a part of a larger program that connected users to *all* kinds of experts, not mechanics specifically. I performed both a competitive analysis and usability analysis to learn more about what they were bringing to the market and what they were lacking.
One of the biggest takeaways in learning about the current market space was that there wasn't currently a product just focused on a smaller niche of specialized and trusted mechanics, through a website or mobile application. Was there a reason for this or was this a market opportunity? I went to real people to find out more about their needs, goals, and frustrations in this area.
Research and Observation:
I interviewed 4 users of varying ages and demographic to learn more about their car ownership stresses. Each of my interviewees had a different history with car ownership- some owned cars, some leased, some had old cars, some had what felt like constant issues, and some felt like their car was very reliable.
What are their attitudes surrounding their car? What are their frustrations? What are their needs? What are their goals? Where do they feel most confident in owning their car? Where do they go to research car issues? Do they trust the information they find? Are there other car-help subscription services they pay for currently? Have they ever attempted a car repair on their own? Why or why not?
Some of the biggest takeaways from the interviews:
Everyone has had a bad experience with an auto shop and overall feels negative about their auto shop experiences.
Everyone felt somewhat confused and skeptical when any car issues arose.
Nobody felt like they had a good handle on when their car needed routine maintenance or a good system of storing repairs that had previously been done on their car before.
Hearing this new frustration from users led me to design another aspect of CarTech, a way to store all routine maintenance and repair receipts in one place, and have CarTech give users reminders of when their car needed things like oil changes, tire rotation, new tires, etc.
Research-based user personas:
Based on information gathered during user interviews, I created two personas that would utilize CarTech, and further defined what features of the app each of these personas would utilize. Meet Anna and Michael:
As a thorough researcher and hobbyist, Michael will feel successful when he saves time and energy being able to chat directly with a mechanic to get answers, as opposed to having to filter through sources on the internet. Michael will also utilize the car information storage aspect of CarTech, being someone who appreciates organization and systems.
Anna, the DIYer, would primarily be trying to achieve her goals in the resources aspects of CarTech, such as scheduling a video call with a mechanic to have them walk her through changing the oil on her car. As a capable and ambitious woman, Anna would like to learn from a car expert how to take care of her car in order to feel more competent.
Creating, Prototyping, and Testing CarTech:
With Anna and Michael as my reference for users’ pain points and problems around car ownership, I began to create a product with solutions.
Some key features I wanted to create included a way to connect with a mechanic by instant message or by scheduling a video consultation, a way to find a trusted auto repair shop locally, and car information storage for upcoming maintenance and recent repairs.
Within the many iterations of CarTech, I conducted two usability tests with 5 users per test. The tests were each moderated, remote tests, where the participants were given goals to achieve within CarTech and encouraged to verbalize as much of their thought process as possible while navigating through the app.
My goal in testing was to find out if CarTech was usable, efficient, and intuitive, and to ensure that users understood the goals and the value of the app. Were they able to easily and intuitively succeed in completing all the tasks? What were the most common errors and points of friction encountered? I also wanted to get as much feedback as I could on any other details they noticed or thoughts they had while navigating CarTech. Here are some of the biggest changes that were made based on user testing between various iterations:
Home Screen
The first iteration of CarTech had no buttons or information on the mobile home screen, the second iteration had buttons that linked to various parts of the app. With user testing, I heard that users didn’t find those links helpful, and one of the most useful parts of the app is the car reminders, which they felt were hidden deep within the app. I reworked the home screen to have the reminders in a more prominent space and added links to what users felt were the two most valuable features inside CarTech.
Avatars
A big change after user testing was deciding to have an avatar system for both user and mechanic profiles. This is to eliminate bias when users are selecting mechanics, as well as add a layer of security when mechanics are viewing users, both values of CarTech.
Saved Cars
In one of the previous iterations, CarTech had filter options for users to select the make and model of their car. The feedback I got during usability tests was that users felt like it was redundant to type in their car information when the app already had it stored. I changed the filter option to have users’ cars as an option, as well as a third option if they needed to access resources for a car not their own.
The CarTech Prototype:
Conclusions:
Moving Forward
Within my initial user research and usability testing, another frustration and need I heard was that people wish they had a way to quickly book an appointment with an auto shop through the app, without having to call that auto shop. Creating a 'schedule' function within the app and a way for auto shops to update their availability would be the next feature I would add within CarTech.
Another side of CarTech that I would like to design next is the “Mechanic” login and functions. This will require doing new research, personas, user flows, and testing to create a sustainable way for mechanics and auto shops to be able to update their availability easily.
Lessons Learned
One takeaway from this project is to be thinking about accessibility in UI towards the beginning- Accessibility is very important when designing, I knew that would be a focus before the finalized CarTech was released, but I wish I would have done it sooner in the design process. Having to go back and change color palettes, button sizes, and text fields toward the end was time-consuming. Next time, I will begin designing with accessibility in mind from the beginning.
More testing with design- The design and user flows were guided through user feedback throughout the whole creation of CarTech. I would have liked to have focused on and gotten more feedback about the UI and design aspects of CarTech during its creation. The only test I did in regards to design specifically was a preference test on the background of the splash and login screen. I got lots of user feedback on the design elements during my user testing, but if I have the opportunity I would like to do more intentional design testing with users to see their preferences.