Year: 2015

Domain: Car Maintenance

Project type: Interface design for a mobile app

Project Brief:

Research, propose, design, prototype, evaluate and refine an interactive system designed for a specific domain and context.

Why did we choose this domain?

many opportunities and pain points in the field of car maintenance

no dominant technology for users new to the scene

a unique domain that the team was interested in learning and tackling

Who is this for?

Car owners who are curious or want to be experts in maintenance of their cars

What are we making
to solve this problem?

A mobile app that allows users to identify car issues, find tools, and fix it themselves.

Why this approach?

We are reducing the overwhelming process car diagnostics by making it more efficient and as well as help users to get motivated to fix small issues themselves, saving them money and gaining experience.

How are we approaching
this problem?

providing meaningful information to allow them to make informed decisions

identifying problems through OBDKey code or by inputting the symptom

suggesting tools and parts and where to get them

showing easy to understand instructions with videos to accompany every step

expressing encouragement through tone and copy that this issue can be done easily

Research

What exists?

OBD key readers for diagnosing the car
Software and websites that help you identify the issues

What doesn't exist?

Software and websites that focus on DIY and use step-by-step instructions
A continuous workflow, avoiding the need to switch between interfaces
Information about severity and whether users are able to fix it themselves
Provide encouragement and motivation to users
Evaluation of steps

We conducted user interviews and online surveys on car owners to gather insights about the workflow of car maintenance and their motivations.

We identified a three stage user journey: before, during, and after car maintenance

Mockups

We developed a style guide to maintain a uniform look across all our screens.

Interaction Flowchart

User Testing

Methodology

Methodology: Usability testing and interview

Think aloud, in-context, post-test questionnaire

Issues

Navigation confusion between main navigation bar, progress bar, and hamburger menu

Find Tools was confusing as there was a conflict between checking tools for toolbox or for shopping

Validated that experts like to skip and scan over steps, and that beginners are okay with single step-by-step to avoid overwhelming

The app motivated them through the interactions in addition to the knowledge of cost and time

We reiterated our design after performing user testing and receiving feedback from critiques.

We recognized a need to emphasize what tools are being used for each step, as well as to clarify the navigation bar by removing the hamburger menu and consolidating the toolbox and history into the home screen, to remove the navigation issue and provide meaningful information at a glance

Future Opportunities

There are additional opportunities that we could pursue, such as expanding to other vehicles
(boats, motorbikes), as well as explore different types of interaction (motion, voice)
in a car maintenance environment.

Process

Why did we choose this domain?

many opportunities and pain points in the field of car maintenance

no dominant technology for users new to the scene

a unique domain that the team was interested in learning and tackling

Who is this for?