VW - Showroom journey

Our team: 5 Product designers from 3 scrum teams

Our cross-functional teams, Model Overview (MOFA), CMS, and Configure, collaborated to enhance a critical user journey - the Showroom journey. This journey enables users to learn about VW carline, explore features, options, and potentially progress to the car's configuration for purchase. Our project kicked off with a workshop involving product owners from both client and agency sides, along with our designers.

So we’ve ended up with these pain points to be tackled:

Users have to select a car's trim (a specific version of the car) before gaining detailed information about the car itself

The journey required users to select a trim multiple times, causing confusion and frustration

We reached an agreement with the client to test two different prototypes, specifically using the Golf model due to its complexity. The Golf model has 11 different trims, requiring our teams to familiarize themselves with each one before starting the prototype creation.

Our initial idea was to showcase the technical data at the showroom, highlighting all the features that the car comes with.

Technical data (engine, gearbox, fuel type and consumption)

The first one aimed for more clarity by eliminating the trim selection page choice, where the conversion rate was experiencing a significant annual drop.

Users have a single showroom per car where they can switch left or right between four different categories (Standard, Sport, R, MOVE). In the middle of the showroom, there are trim module cards. These cards are composed of 3/4 images, a short description, and a link providing more detailed information about the standard equipment of the trim.

The second variant, the model overview retains its second level, but with 11 trims grouped into three general categories: Standard, Sporty, and Racing. Each showroom would feature these trim module cards to provide detailed information about each version. Although the trim module lacks imagery, it includes a description with highlighted features and tags as a different approach.

Showroom card module comparison

We conducted remote user interviews with participants aged between 29 and 48, all potential car buyers, using a third-party company, IPSOS.

In variant 1, the stage switcher (swiping left and right) was often overlooked, or users assumed that swiping would only change the color of the car, not the category or trim itself.

In both variants, users were confused by the naming of each trim (GTI vs. GTI Clubsport), which resulted in a need for a comparison tool and a desire to understand the differences.

The second level was not as modern compared to the stage switcher.

The second variant was well-received by users, particularly the method of clustering the car trims. A number of participants cited the clear labeling and appropriate imagery as key factors aiding their decision-making process.

Users expressed a clear preference for maintaining information about the standard equipment, pricing, and tags, deeming these as crucial additional details.

This project presented a unique challenge - neither variant was a clear winner, necessitating a new solution. We decided to combine all positive feedback into one live version, maintaining the second level as a separate page that accommodates trim cards, where we combined both showroom card modules into one:

3/4 imagery

Highlights

Tags

Access to the compare tool and standard equipment

The success of clustering trims into three categories led us to implement the same tab navigation used in the Configure workshop. This approach streamlined the user journey, improving the overall user experience.

Implemented 2nd level of MOFA

From the CMS team's perspective, they have added technical data tiles to their showrooms and abandoned the concept having more info about trims, since the 2nd level of MOFA remained. The entrance to the car configurator remains below the car picture, even though both teams agree on the need for future optimisation.