Reduction in Language Barriers
Satisfaction with Feature Navigation
Improvement in Follow-Up Accuracy
The outdated process involves salespeople managing customer interactions through physical catalogs, paperwork, and manual data entry, which slows down the purchasing process, creates room for errors, and reduces overall efficiency. This traditional system leads to long wait times and a lack of seamless communication between the customer and the salesperson.
It began as a design challenge but quickly turned into a passion project that I keep refining as I learn new skills. So far, I've improved the visual design to make it more engaging, developed more effective solutions to the core problem, and made significant strides in enhancing accessibility.
This ongoing process helps me expand my skill set and iterate on my designs!
Imagine walking into a car showroom, eager to find your next vehicle, only to see the salesperson buried under stacks of catalogs and forms. The excitement quickly fades as the outdated process drags on, making the experience frustrating.
Digicars, a leading car-selling facility in India, is set to transform this experience. Their goal is to streamline and modernize their operations with digital solutions, enhancing the buying journey for customers and empowering salespeople to provide a seamless, efficient service.
I’m designing an application for one of India’s leading car-selling facilities, tailored for salespeople who are highly skilled in their roles but may lack tech proficiency and fluency in English. These users, aged between 40 and 50, come from various regions across the country, bringing diverse backgrounds and expertise to the table.
The typical user journey of a salesperson starts with:
During my research, I conducted in-depth interviews with five sales professionals aged 45-50. The insights below highlight the main challenges they face when relying on pen & paper:
Difficult Data Retrieval
When a customer comes back weeks later, it takes forever to sift through old forms to find their details.
Manual Loan Checks Delay Sales
Manually checking credit scores and loan eligibility slows down the process, leading to customer frustration and potential sales loss.
Difficulty in Keeping Track
Organizing follow-ups or tracking a customer’s interest through physical files often led to missing opportunities.
Digicars recognizes that integrating technology can address the above challenges and boost sales. However, it's crucial to consider the potential obstacles salespeople may encounter during the transition to digital systems.
How might we ease the transition to digital tools for salespeople, enabling them to make more sales without feeling overwhelmed?
The most important task was to onboard users into our app seamlessly, as it was the entry point of our user experience. We aimed to eliminate language barriers and explain the sales process
A central hub for quick access to goal setting, follow-ups, adding customers, browsing cars, and checking loan eligibility. It also provides useful resources for help
Seamlessly capture customer details, preferences, and budgets in a streamlined digital form.
Visual reminders for pending customer follow-ups to ensure timely communication.
Detailed view to track interactions and set future follow-up reminders.
Instantly verify customer loan eligibility with easy-to-follow checklists.
Storyboarding was utilized to illustrate how digital transformation can seamlessly integrate into the user journey for salespeople at Digicars, showcasing each step from customer interaction to follow-up management without disruption
After visualizing the user journey, I developed an Information Architecture (IA) that organizes the app's content and functionalities clearly and intuitively
Following the creation of the Information Architecture, I established an extensive user flow to outline the step-by-step process for salespeople as they interact with the application
.png)
The user flow diagram enabled me to create low-fidelity wireframes that could be tested and refined
After defining the app's color palette, I performed color accessibility testing using the A11y - Color Contrast Checker plugin in Figma to ensure compliance with WCAG guidelines
Understanding the Sales Industry
Developing this app presented several learning opportunities, particularly regarding the complexities of the sales industry and loan management, which expanded my understanding of these fields.
Inclusive Design
prioritizing accessibility in the app design was essential, especially considering the diverse age group of potential users. This challenge pushed me to advocate for inclusive design practices that cater to all users effectively.
Scheduling User Engagements
Coordinating tests and interviews proved to be a unique challenge due to the users' full-time commitments at the showroom. Balancing their daily operations with our project requirements required careful planning and flexibility.
Drawing from personal experience, during my car showroom visits, I found reliance on pen-and-paper methods causing sales delays. Sales teams faced challenges with digital platforms due to limited tech-savviness, education, and language barriers. Difficult-to-use digital platforms further hindered sales efficiency, highlighting the need for a tailored, user-friendly digital solution for diverse Indian sales teams aged 40-50.
To achieve digital transformation of one of the best car selling facilities, that works very smoothly on ground, without disturbing its existing workflow. The goal is to create an application that is upgraded yet the user doesn't have to learn anything new.
40% rise
in micro-influencers joining the platform within the initial three months.
25% increase
in successful brand-influencer collaborations within six months post-landing page launch.
My Role & Team
Shivani Mehta
UX Research, Low-fidelity designs, High-fidelity designs, Branding, User Testing
Tools
Created for
Mobile Phones
Time frame
1 week
Limited understanding of the sales industry
Creating this app was a challenge due to my limited understanding of the intricacies of the sales industry and loan management.
Time management for interviews and testing
The users' full-time commitments at the showroom made it challenging to schedule tests and interviews without disrupting their daily operations.
Challenging age group targeting
Inquiring about people's age felt uncomfortable, and the showrooms predominantly catered to a younger demographic.
Expressed frustration
in managing loan-related tasks due to the inefficiency of juggling multiple tools and systems.
Need simpler follow-up process
by gaining access to essential tools and resources in handling challenges during car sales.
Prioritized goal-setting feature
enabling them to define and track their sales targets seamlessly for improved performance in car sales.
I love helping customers find their dream cars, but the paperwork can be overwhelming. I need a solution that simplifies the administrative tasks and keeps me informed about the latest models and pricing.
Fierce Competition
Faces pressure to meet sales targets in a competitive market.
Tedious paper-work
Struggles with tedious and time-consuming paperwork.
Lack of resources
Encounters challenges in finding efficient tools and resources to support sales efforts.
Goal-setting feature
Increase car sales and commissions by setting sales targets.
Access to resources
Seek tools and resources that can make his sales process more efficient.
Serve customers
Access to detailed car information, pricing, and features to answer customer inquiries.
As a Gen Z Micro Influencer, I strive to connect with relevant brands directly, without any middlemen, and have greater control over brand collaborations. My primary goal is to increase my visibility and gain access to exclusive deals and promotions that align with my values and interests. Therefore, I am looking for a user-friendly platform that offers a seamless experience, making it easy for me to understand and navigate.
Obstacles due to middlemen and irrelevant brand collaborations
Lack of visibility and recognition as a micro influencer
Difficulty in understanding and navigating complex technology and features
Increase visibility & connect with relevant brands directly
Increase visibility & connect with relevant brands directly
Increase visibility & connect with relevant brands directly
Empowering users with the ability to select their preferred language enhances their comfort and ease of navigation within the app. It broadens the app's accessibility.
Gamification adds an element of fun and competition to apps, boosting user engagement and motivation. It encourages users to achieve goals, and interact enjoyably with the app
Color coding and labels in interface design streamline user interaction by providing visual cues and clear descriptions, improving usability and user understanding.
Onboarding screens are introductory screens that guide users through its features and functionalities, helping them become familiar with the app's interface and purpose.
1. We engaged the same 5 participants from the UX research for usability testing, ensuring alignment with our target user group.
2. The usability testing took the form of moderated sessions, in the user's showrooms at their convenience.
3. Participants were assigned 6 tasks mentioned below, and I observed and recorded their actions and behaviors while maintaining periodic communication with them throughout the process.
Onboarding process
Explore the onboarding screens and register as a new user.
Navigate to Learning resources
Check out the "Learning Resources" available in the app.
Add a new customer
Go ahead and try to add a new customer.
*Customer details were provided in the task sheet*
Check loan eligibility
After adding the customer, check if the customer is eligible for a loan.
Add a new follow-up
Add a follow-up for the new customer for their new car.
*Car details were provided in the task sheet*
Update follow-up status
Go to your follow-ups and update the status the recent follow-up to "Mark as done".
Faced language barrier
During the onboarding process, users encountered language barriers that hindered their ability to register on the app.
Found it difficult to navigate
Users couldn't find the "Learning Resources" option easily. It wasn't discoverable
Unable to save and navigate
Users were frustrated with the missing "save details" option and unclear navigation while adding a new customer, leading to process disruption.
Information & flow mismatch
Found information and flow mismatch while checking loan eligibility of a customer
Missing 'Add Follow-up' in 'Follow-up' Tab
Users experienced difficulty locating the "Add Follow-up" option within the "Follow-up" tab, leading to confusion and hindered task completion.
Unaware of swipe gestures
Didn't know about the swipe gesture to update the status of the follow-up. Feature didn't work well with the users
-min.gif)
Customer satisfaction
After conducting usability tests, the app's design led to an enhanced customer experience. Customers were able to navigate the options seamlessly, resulting in heightened satisfaction and positive interactions.
Acquired Insight into the Sales Process
During the design process, I gained valuable knowledge about the intricacies of the sales process, enabling me to create a more intuitive and effective sales-oriented application.
Focused on Accessibility
Emphasizing accessibility through design choices tailored for users aged 40-50, the app prioritized legibility and ease of use, promoting inclusivity and effortless navigation.
