A tool that allows car owners to quickly compare prices of local auto shops.
This problem originated from our various experiences at auto shops. We all noted that we would receive wildly different quotes for the same repair or maintenance item. Conversations with others revealed a common theme: it is almost impossible to anticipate a car repair bill. Formal user and market research revealed that the problem was not isolated to our experiences and that the current tools and solutions available did not adequately solve the problem.
There were three key insights that came from the survey and user interviews. In order to keep the scope of this product hyper-focused, we identified the need for quick price comparisons as the most valuable to users.
Based on our target users' pain points and expressed needs, we knew that the solution should quickly provide clarity on repair bills and provide a way for customers to compare local prices. To make this a MVP, we opted for the following features:
We recognized that most users of Dr. Car Quotes will be using a mobile device, so we put our primary focus on mobile designs.
Lo-Fi Mockup
Hi-Fi Mockup
Shipped Version
Once our mobile designs and workflow were addressed, we made it desktop accessible too.
We began the project by conducting user and market research and analyzing the results. Through the process of card sorting, I created a user flow for the web app, "Dr. Car Quotes." During the ideation phase, I recognized the importance of user interviews and was grateful to be on a team that valued this input.
We wanted to create a fun and memorable name for the app. After some brainstorming, our designer landed on "Dr. Car Quotes" and the rest of the team loved it. We aimed for a simple and clean design that incorporated a character users could trust as a reliable source. The color scheme of blue and yellow was chosen to represent honesty and satisfaction.
After iterating through the low-fi and high-fi designs internally to ensure they met our scope requirements, we used Figma to create a prototype and test it with users.
The user feedback indicated that the MVP was on target for its goal of providing customers with clear quotes and confidence.
It also revealed a number of UI/UX improvements that needed to be made. The three we chose to act on were:
Where is it hosted?
What is your tech stack?
Backend
Frontend
High level journey of a request
What was the hardest part of development?
Does your app have any scaling issues?
What are some key takeaways?
We all enjoyed working together on this project. We see the need for and the potential success of this tool so we plan to keep up the conversation about how to source the data for auto shops and how to effectively monetize the tool.
The importance of focusing on the problem space was reinforced and I learned how crucial it is to clearly pitch the problem space to a team.
I learned how to guard myself and the team against scope creep and how to ruthlessly prioritize shipping a working MVP on time.
I've enhanced my knowledge of effectively communicating UX design processes and design choices with my team, and understand the significance of consistent communication.
I have also learned the Agile process and can prioritize tasks efficiently under tight deadlines. Additionally, I am confident in presenting, discussing, and receiving feedback on ongoing work as part of our team's iteration process.
Working with the development team was a collaborative process and I was grateful for the support of a great product manager who made the process enjoyable. To ensure a smooth handoff from design to development, I documented everything in the design files and used Figma as a tool.
I have learned the value of seeking clarification and actively listening to the perspectives and suggestions of others. This has greatly improved my problem-solving and communication skills. By taking the time to understand different perspectives and ideas, I have been able to effectively communicate my own thoughts and ideas to others, leading to more productive and collaborative discussions and decision-making.
If there’s anything this time spent building our product has taught me it would be how effective communication and synergy among the team members made working on this product seem effortless. Being a part of the decision making process on the roadmap of our product in order to reach the desired goal has been an eye opening and exciting experience.
Working asynchronously was a challenge for all of us initially. The developers hail from Nigeria and were 6 hours ahead of the designer and PM. We quickly learned the value of an async daily stand up, how to utilize video messages to quickly communicate challenging questions or ideas, and to ensure all deliverables were sent on or before their due dates.