Through generative research, our team discovered a pain point that customers were experiencing pretty frequently. Customers expressed to us their inefficient methods when it came to keeping track of vehicles that they were interested in. CarMax had the ability to save favorites but it required customers to create/sign in to an account which a lot of them expressed they were not willing to do.
As a result, we created the watchlist feature which allowed customers to save a limited amount of vehicles to a page without requiring authenticating into an account. This resulted in:
15% increase in conversion rates
25% decrease in customer service inquiries
30% increase in return visits
10% faster sales cycles
The Challenge
Customers were using inefficient methods like writing on napkins, creating spreadsheets, and taking screenshots of car pages to keep track of vehicles that they were interested in. We had the favorites capability but that required authentication which customers were hesitant to do, especially newer customers. The challenge for our team was to figure out a way to allow them to keep track of these vehicles without requiring an authentication into an account. Early insights told us that within a 90 day period, 41% of all attempts to save a car were unsuccessful — users were not signing in or completing the registration process.
The Research
Throughout the course of the project, I led the team through multiple mixed-methods of research including auditing the current experience, benchmark testing, user interviews, usability testing and A/B testing.
We determined that customers:
Expect to have to sign in to save a car but they don't want to
Had security concerns about creating another password/account
Expected there to be a limit to how many cars they could save without authenticating
Overall, they loved the idea of a watchlist feature
Preferred a page over a drawer-like experience
Needed clear, explicit communication throughout the watchlist to ensure they were clear on limits, expiration etc.
The Design
We started the design process with wireframes and rapid prototypes all the way up to high fidelity design specifications for developer hand-off. I led multiple design reviews and brainstorming sessions throughout the duration of the project with key stakeholders and more junior designers that were a part of my team on the project.
What I Learned
Over the six months this project took to complete, I learned that customers had security concerns, brand loyalty issues, valued personalized shopping experiences, consistency in their experiences are paramount, and that we should continue completing generative research on a normal basis.
In addition, I learned that multiple design checkpoints throughout the week with stakeholders was a good process to continue on future projects and this was the first project at CarMax that I had an opportunity to lead a team of more junior designers which I really enjoyed and continued to do so through my time at CarMax.
