Switch N Go!: Rethinking the Car Buying Experience.

Problem Statement

In 2020, COVID-19 brought the global economy to a standstill, forcing industries to rapidly adapt their business models. The automotive industry was especially impacted, as stay-at-home mandates disrupted traditional in-person car buying and factory shutdowns caused widespread supply shortages. To survive amid uncertainty, automotive companies had to quickly rethink how consumers purchase vehicles.

As part of a group project through UCLA EX., our challenge was to create a holistic solution for the car buying experience at a dealership.

Solution

After collaborative brainstorming sessions, we proposed the concept of a Car Club Membership. This membership aimed to provide consumers with flexible access to vehicles without the long-term commitment of ownership, addressing both health concerns and supply chain limitations.

My Role and Contributions

UX Research

Conducted extensive user research, interviews, and surveys to identify pain points in the car-buying experience.

Prototyping

Created wireframes and various prototypes to help refine user flows and experiences.

Graphic Design

Designed a promotional Instagram advertisement to ensure a cohesive visual identity and engage potential users.

Assumption

We began by examining assumptions around car buying and selling during COVID-19. This helped us surface core customer pain points such as:

Prolonged time in dealerships
Safety and health concerns
Lack of confidence in online vehicle purchases

Research

Through our research, we identified key pain points in the car-buying experience which revelealed:

The traditional car-buying process averages nearly five hours, leaving many customers fatigued.
Market trends showed a shift toward digital purchasing, with nearly 30% of U.S. car sales in 2020 completed online.
Due to COVID-19, buyers increasingly preferred contactless experiences, driving rapid growth in the online used car market.

To validates these insights, we conducted user surveys and user tests to pinpoint any gaps. In our findings, we discovered some critical factors for car buying included:

Price and Financing
Incentives and Trade-Ins

Results

From our research and understanding, we explored many options in possible solutions such as:

an enhanced contactless shopping experience.
improving the educational aspect of buying a car.
an at-home buying experience.

Ultimately, our solution to address the paint points in the car buying experience was a car club membership concept that provides a monthly subscription to try out different vehicles before committing and include:

Pop-up Dealerships

A personalized and easy experience with a self-service kiosk to reduce the amount of time spent at a dealership.

Educational Resources

A 24/7 virtual assistant to help educate buyers about the car buying process to help individuals make a confident decision in purchasing a vehicle.

At-Home Experience

An experience that offers everything a dealership would, with easy enrollment for car club membership and various packages at the comfort at one's home.

Takeaways

Collaboration requires patience and clear communication.

To be an effective teammate, it's crucial to understand the importance of teamwork which involves high levels of patience, active listening, and consistent communication to align everyone's ideas and goals.

Mindfulness goes a long way.

When expressing ideas or thoughts, it's important to be mindful of how it might be communicated. Sometimes, being too direct might affect how things can be perceived and impact the overall chemistry.

Trust is essential for any collaboration.

Gaining the trust from peers becomes essential for the group to function as a cohesive unit to execute at high levels. That comes from doing good work but also trying to understand one another.

Switch N Go!

Team