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1.0 FACES & LOGOTYPE
CAR NEXT DOOR
CAR NEXT DOOR
CAR NEXT DOOR
Logotype - One line Only use supplied logotype
Logos & logotypeLogotype - Stacked
UXD STUDY / SIMON METCALFE
BORROW CARS FROM REAL PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
CLIENT INTERVIEWRESEARCH
STAKEHOLDERSMeetings were held with key team members and stakeholders on several occasions to get a clear understanding of the business problem from the clients perspective.
Operations and business development managerChief financial officerChief technology officerSales team
KEY INSIGHTSLow conversion rate for new owners.The business problem described in one sentence - potential new owners were not completing the sign-up process without intervention from the sales team.
3 discrete back end systems cause inconsistencies between each stage of the sign-up processThe need for 3 systems currently limits the ability to standardise form design and layout completely, although Car Next Door are working to remedy this within 1 year with full back-end API integration of the primary web site.
The earnings calculator asks for details up front - a business decision following an A/B test A test (removing the need to enter contact details before using the owner earnings calculator) provided no improvement in conversion, and the sales team could not longer follow-up the leads. The request for to provide contact details upfront was reinstated for all visitors.
Common customer confusion and misconceptions: Insurance, steps to signing up, and income expectations.The sales and customer service team were all too familiar with the key questions and misconceptions that customers had after visiting the site, and were looking to reduce these queries as much as possible.
Design without limitationWith redevelopment of the main web site on the horizon, Car Next Door requested that the design phase of the UX study be carried out without being limited by their back-end systems. They hope that most of the recommendations can be implemented once the back-end limitations are removed.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
BUSINESSWe need to determine the cause of the high bounce rate on the online sign-up process, so that we can increase the conversion rate of customers and reduce the need for follow-up calls.
BUSINESS GOALS
Ensure potential customer contact details are recorded early as a safeguard
Motivate owners to convert without intervention from the sales team
Be able to auto-approve owners based on the data they provide at sign-up
Maintain golden ratio of 1 owner : 18 borrowers
Notify non-eligible users when they become eligible to use the service
RESEARCH
SURVEY OBJECTIVESThe client provided contact details of 12 recently on-boarded owners. An interview script was set-up to gather a background of each the owners, their reasons for signing-up and their pain points before, during and after. Key questions:
KEY INSIGHTSForms were not the biggest pain point.In fact, very few user mentioned the forms were an issue at all, and if mentioned, the issue related to technical issues loosing their form data. Once owners had confidence in the service, they had the intrinsic motivation to sign-up and would persevere through an inconsistent form flow.
Finding answers to queries was difficult, and often contradictory.Many users found the web site frustrating to navigate, and either would not find the answers, or would find duplicated and contradictory information. Circular links, and being redirected to the members handbook in for simple queries were two particular pain points.
Confusion with insurance, costs and potential earnings.Owners were unsure if they needed to cancel their own insurance, or if they could benefit financially from the service.
They got lost on-boarding process, and did not know what do to next.The on-boarding process gave no indication of how many steps there were, how long each step would take, and what needed to happen to progress to the next step. One owner described the on-boarding email notifications as “like a bit of spam”. Many emails were repeated, did not clearly describe what the owner had to do next, and thus they stopped progressing with the sign-up.
Speaking to the sales team was an important part in building confidence.The website alone was not sufficient in building enough confidence in owners to get them to sign-up. Thankfully, the early collection of personal details and diligent sales team made it possible to convert customers.
carnextdoor.com.au Existing Owners - Telephone Interview Results
Persona
TRAVELLER, ENVIRONMENTCREATIVE, EXPERIMENTAL
FAMILY, PRACTICAL, SCEPTICALCOMMUNITY, SHARING, RESEARCH, ETHICAL
BURDEN, RECOUP
Number
3
4
56
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Name
Hannah
Amanda
Mark
Wyatt Rob
Mark II
Emilie
Claire
Laura
Unni
Belinda
Tell me about yourself?
Sex
F
F
M
MM
F
F
M
F
Age (Year of birth)
33
35
4635
32
43
27
29
26
28 (50?)
35
Location (Post code)
Fitzroy, Melbourne
Surrey Hills
Balmain
Toorak, Melbourne
Brunswick, Melbourne
Marrickville, NSW
Newtown, NSW
Kew, Melbourne
Manly, Sydney
Type of accommodation
Shared
Shared rented
Flat
2 bedroom house, Rented
House, owned
Unit with partner
Unit, by self
Shared house
Flat, owned
Duplex, family
Relationship and children?
No, No
Yes, No
No, No
Married, baby
Yes, No
Yes, No
Yes, No
No, No
No, No
Yes, Yes
Profession
Government
Actor, Retail, Teaching
Musician, freelance
Doctor
Dept of Health, COO
Secondary School Teacher
Scientific
University ResearcherGovernment
Events manager
Status
About to go travelling
Hobbies – what do you like doing?
Do you use your car much?
Weekends, 3-4 times during the
week
Doesn't use it much on the weekend,
1-2 times during the week for work Varies
2 cars, Wife uses main car 3 days week, I use spare
car during these 3 days
2 time/week, personal
25% personal, 75% work, 3 days/week
work and rarely at the weekends3 times per week personal
Once per week, personal Once a week, personal2-3 days/week personal
Personal use?
Personal, visit mum in Oakley, go out
in the city, go to a wedding in
November, family holiday housePersonal, mostly, Kite boarding
Family car used for personal tasks
Shopping, visit family, but now only just visiting
family
Shops, gym, markets, home
improvements
Not specified
Soccer only
Children to sports, shopping
Work use
Personal
Work, auditions, retail shifts, drive to
Caroline Springs to work
Mainly work
Workshops after high school
Outside of using your car, do you use
any other kinds of transport?Yes
Tram, walk, bike
Motorbike, hardly use it, a little
public transport
Bicycle, buses occasionally to the city
Yes, good at using public transport, family all
lives close, bicycle, run, use train
Tram, a lot
Trains, buses
Cycling, walking, bus, train Tram, train
Bus,
What for?
What made you to decide to sign-up
for a car sharing service? About to go travelling, happy to
share it
Boyfriend told her about it, he used to
be with FlexiCar, "it's seemed like a
really good idea to keep the amount
of cars on the road down", "make a
little bit of extra cash out of my car"
Surrey Hills festival, "I hardly
ever use my car, and I don't
really care about it, and just
leave it on the street even
though it's brand new"
"it was inconvenient to have 1 car, so we got a
second car", "How good AirBNB was, and they had
services similar to that for cars", "If it's going to sit
on the drive for 4 days a week I might as well try
and squeeze a little cash out of it", "it can pay for
its own servicing and rego"
"We have less and less need for the car", "used
car services before so are used to the idea of
community sharing", "big on AirBNB,
SuperHosts on AirBNB", brought a car new,
doesn't make sense to sell it, "we are just
realising a loss", "fixed cost adsorption
method"
Friend of partner heard, had used other
services before, "my car is sitting there
most of the time"
Didn't want to drive to work any more,
"it's sitting there all the time and I don't
enjoy driving"
Get some value out of my
car as I only use it once per
week, share a resource that
is underutilised
Spoke to a friend who was going
away for 6 months, and asked
what they were going to do with
their car, more relaxed than
competitor, "they wanted blocks
of time, rather than an hour here
or there"
"There is so much time that I am not
using my car"
What did you need to know before
enrolling?
Costs, how much time required,
how it operated
"Because I use the car so sporadically I
needed to know how hard it was to
book it", "as an owner of a car, I can
also borrow other people's cars, can't
I?", "I can hire someone else's car if I
needed one at short notice", "how
easy it was to cancel my insurance
and change over my registration"
"Do you need a certain time
available?", insurance, how it
works, "know it's all legit"
"Want to make sure the car was compressively
insured", "end up loosing money", "Make sure the
company is reputable", "an estimate of how much
cash it would generate to see if it was worth doing
or not"
"We didn't realise we were applying for a
service", "no clear delineation between for he
customer between hooking into the CND
network to find out more, and actually
progressing with an application", "you are not
sure where you are up to in the process
because you don't know what the end process
looks like", "you are not sure what you are
doing until somebody lifts the phone and
speaks back to you", "cost implications"
Pricing structure, "what I had to pay as an
owner", security, "if my car had any
damage"
Insurance, how it works
Dealing with issues, Insurance
"How much it was", "Interested to
se what areas people needed cars,
that there actually people using the
service that wanted cars"
Did you find the information okay?
Not really that easy, web site
difficult to navigate, emailed
"Yes, I called and they were really
helpful", "When I read stuff online I
sometimes misinterpret", "does the
$75 cover my registration, or will I
need to pay that as well"
Yes
Yes, "but you have to work a bit for it", "I got
similar checklist on several different occasions,
some by post and some by email and some that I
found online; they didn’t all necessarily agree
with each other"
"That's great as stock standard option but
what does that mean for me", "you don't know
about costs until you are already well through
the process", "have the fees more prominently
displayed", "hypersensitive awareness", "I'm
not even sure what this is costing me so I
weren't looking for it, it's bloody hard to find",
"links are circular, point you back to the
members handbook", "kind of felt like a bit of
spam", "discrete processes hitting me in a
disjointed way"
Found some of it online, "when I called
them up I had them explain it in more
detail"
Yes
Yes
"The website wasn't that user
friendly to be honest", "I was
trying to find out everything
online", "it's all there but it's
hard to navigate"
"Finding out how much it was
wasn't that easy as I recall", finding
people using
Where did you find it (friend / review /
website)?
Website, emails
On the website or talking to
CarNextDoor people
"I had to phone them up because I don't
understand what the situation is with point, A, B,
C"
Website and phone
Website, phone
Website, easy to use
Website
Was it clearly explained?Yes
Yes
No, it's a complicated process and if you
oversimplify it does not do it justice, "
commercial realities of community sharing
were missing for me"
For the most part, "unsure about how
much I had to pay per month as an
owner", finding out how much I could
earn from my car was pretty clearYes
Yes
"I had to give them a call to find
out the answers to the
questions"
Yes, relatively
Did you have any concerns?
Fully covered insurance wise
"When I first tried to sign-up, the
application on the website didn't go
through", "I actually filled in the
whole form and tried to submit it and
it wouldn't go through", "I probably
would have signed-up earlier but that
happened and I was a bit… kind of...
put off"
"When phoning the insurance company they asked
what is the name and date of birth of the youngest
driver", "they weren't prepared for it even though
it was a very major insurer I was talking to", "lie
and pretend that we've got a young driver and
pretend and make up the date of birth and the
name, which sounds a bit unethical", "raise your
eyebrows as to whether they are organised with
the questions that insurance companies are going
to ask"
"Unanswerable questions that you are trying to
answer in your head", "Will it end up being an
overhead on my time that doesn't actually
give me a return", "am I getting into something
that I am going to have to get quickly out of as
there are missing pieces for me"
Pretty easy
Inconvenience if something
does go wrong, not being
able to access it if I want it
"I was concerned about the fact
that no-one would rent my car
as where I live in Melbourne I
don't feel a lot of people use
cars", "I don't know if they
market them really well because
I never knew about it until
someone else showed me"
Paying to be on their website but no-
one is using my car, How annoyed
are they going to be if I decide to
pull it down and they would have to
take Fred, worried if it doesn't turn
out to be worthwhile, "worried I am
going to have to withdraw"
How did you find the level of
information that was provided?
"I was a bit confused by the way it
was calculated", "I was confused
whether Rego was included or not", "I
found the frequently asked questions
really useful", "I got a speeding fine
from one of my borrowers and went
to the FAQ, I think they're really
valuable"
"Too much information sometimes"
List of questions, all were
answered by the PDF
Good
In general, how do you evaluate if you
are well informed about a product or
service, in order to make an informed
decision about whether to use it? Needed to be fairly well
informed
"Answer the questions that pop-up
before going through with buying the
service", "Making sure that it's easy to
get that information"
"Questions and answers that
happen pretty smooth", "Nice to
see some testimonials"
productreview.com.au, unbiased, star ratings.
"Need to understand how it works and
how it fits into my life"
"Is everything I ned to know clearly
available to me", "there's no fine print and
things that get confusing"
List of questions and
concerns, they have to be
all answered / dealt withGood phone call
Language was very personal, phone
call helps
How was the on-boarding experience
with CarNextDoor?
Fine , smooth
Clunky, "do the 7 steps to sharing which sounds
nice and easy and catchy, step 1 was phoning up
the insurance company that was a rough start",
"several of them weren't relevant to me and didn't
seem to make much sense", "why haven't you
completed the checklist", "I thought , "one of the
emails of the 10 emails that I received had a link on
it in order to get to another site", "they were
waiting for me to click on the green bar at the
bottom of the site that had been on email 7 or
whatever"
Quick, within a matter of
days
Good, simple, except answered
questions about taxation - "he
said it's not an issue but I still
think it is", "I didn't get a clear
answer on that"
How did you find the sign-up process
(web forms)?Okay
"Someone called me and put all my
details in, so it was really easy"
"Didn't work on my browser or
something, I tried another time
and it wasn't working, a bit of
teething stuff with that"
Reasonably straightforward
Very straightforward, "to the point where I felt
I had not given enough information for the
magnitude of the step that I am about to take" Was really easy
Pretty straightforward
Clear, easy process
Credit card details, "why do you
want my credit card details
because you should be paying
me money not the other way
around"
Not too bad
How did you find competing the
paperwork?
A lot of emails that were not
very useful, didn't tell me what
I needed to do
"there is a bit in the information
about changing your registration that
doesn't need to be there"
Fine, it was easy
Straightforward
Had no existing insurance, so had to do no
paperwork
Easy
RTA problems, "making
sure I had all the right
documents to have the
information to log onto the
RTA website"
Straightforward
Okay
Fitting the locking device, “Fred”?
Fine
Good
Fine, looks a bit odd, "it's quite
large will someone try and break
and steal it because they are
pissed"
Fine, reasonably unsightly, "does it damage the
seals on the top of the window?"
Issues with Fred, but clearly explained in-
person
Fine
"I don't know how to use it but I have a
spare key"
Bit of a pain, annoying to
take it on and off, better if
the device did not have to
be removed, "worried I will
forget to take it off or put it
back on", "would prefer it if
it stayed on the car
somehow", "the one thing
that feel could be improved
a bit"
I've never used it
Fine
Did you experience any problems?
No
"The mobile site is a bit slow, it would
be really good if it was a bit faster",
"In this fast paced society that we
live in!", "review reminders don't
load" - has to go to the website and
log in
"I'm getting cabs this weekend,
ugh!", "A few things turned up",
fuel card pin did not work for
one of the users, Got some taxis
to keep the car available
"I haven't received a flyer about my own car",
"there hasn't been the slightest sniff of interest" Missed the checklist, a really critical email
Issues with installing the GPS, caused
problems with the immobiliser, had to pay
extra for a special tow truck due to the
immobiliser problems
"I haven't been able to access any account
information to see how much money I
have earned"
No
Delays with installing the lockbox
Post on-boarding experience
(managing availability)?To soon to tell, people don't
know how to operate my car is
it has some unusual methods of
control - they call me rather
than reading the profile, might
be worth putting a laminated
sheet in the car
"I did try and book my car a couple of
times and it didn't actually work"
"I don't know how much I
receive from my hire" - "I don't
know what portion of that I
receive", Booking the car on the
phone does not work, it's a bit
odd, "Do I have to review after
each person borrows it, it might
be returned dirty and I might
not know it", "I don't have time
to go and check it", the day rate,
is it a 24h day?"
Problems with the online calendar, "it's something
you want to be able to do quickly on your
computer or on your phone via their website",
"needs to be pretty light on its feet", "the moment
it starts to get clunky and I'm making phone calls
and getting bogged down at it starts to come at a
bit of a cost to my sanity"
"Car came back with some damage and
they have already contacted me about
fixing it", "they seem pretty proactive"
Extending use of my own car, could not
make another booking as it says it has to
be at least 45 minutes later
The process was a little
confusing at first
Issues with the website and
mobile app, I have no issues as I
don't really use the carTo new to use the service
Would you recommend CarNextDoor
to another?
Yes, and do. "I've almost got a friend
to sign-up but she's just paid her
insurance and got a big discount on it" Yes
Not yet, Too early, "Gone through the hassle with
none of the benefit yet"
Yes, and already have, "the concept is
phenomenal"
Yes, if it would suit them
Yes, definitely
Yes, and have
Yes, and have, "I think it's a great
idea", "90% of the people I know
work in the city and have a car, 5
years ago when I didn't have a
car I could have done with this
service", "sharing something you
are not using kind of helps a lot
of people to find cars easily"
Yes, "think it’s a really good idea if
you are in a high density urban area"
Have you used another car share
service yourself?
GoGet
No
No
GoGet
FlexiCar, GoGet
Yes, Flexi car
No
No
No, considered DriveMyCarNo
Can you tell me about the experience?With ex-boyfriend, fine
Before we earned cars, easy, convenient, liked
being able to tap on with the card
We needed something larger than the car we
had, more straightforward, more mature in
their processes
Overall okay, although car was quite far
away
What computers and devices do you
have?
MacBook, iPhone (preferred,
because I have it all the time) iPhone (preferred), laptop, iPad
MacBook (preferred), iPhone
(preferred also), iPad
Laptop, 2x iPhone, iPad (preferred)
PC desktop, Mac desktop, Android, iPhone,
iPad (preferred)
MacBook, Android (50/50)
Android (Preferred), Laptop PC
MacBook (preferred),
iPhone
iPhone
MacBook (laptop), iPhone
Are there any questions you would like
to ask me?
Quick bio
Lives in shared house, mostly
uses car for personal use,
enticed by the service as she's
going travelling, not in a
relationship", she's "happy to
share it", is very time poor and
was concerned "how much of a
burden would it be to do
something like this"
In a relationship but living in shared
house, uses her car for work and
family visits, but with a lot of causal
work and also teaching jobs, work
varies and therefore the car use
varies. Amanda really liked the idea
a it keeps a lot of cars on the road
down
Has a car and doesn't really
care about it that much, even
though its new, more worried
about the logistics of people
returning the cars dirty, or
having to get taxis if he
suddenly needs a car
Family, with baby, both himself and wife work
and it was getting inconvenient having one car.
They brought a second car and signed-up up for
CarNextDoor to justify its worth and help make
the car pay for itself. They don't use a lot of public
transport, just a little to get to the city, but do
have a bicycle
Male in relationship, good job, very
professional, brought a car but realised it
wasn't really a sound investment as they don't
really need it. Very community based, family
based, find public transport no problem and
feel that their car is a expense / loss and a
burden. Also very much into Collaborative
Consumption, particularly noted through his
status at AirBNB. Approached CarNextDoor
as he wants to try and recoup some money on
the car. XXX is very busy with a house move
and a car
Lives with her partner in a unit, use the
car for work but not really for personal
use, Existing insurance had expired which
was a motivator to sign-up, pretty relaxed
and easy going, used car share services
before so very familiar with how they
work
Lives by herself but is in a relationship.
She brought a car to drive it to work but
no longer does this, and barely uses it for
personal she doesn't really enjoy driving.
She can't sell the car because it's in
finance so may as well get some use out
of it. How much the service is making is
very important to her, and she would like
to know regularly how this is going.
University researcher,
sporty, rides the bike and
walks a lot outside of
public transport. Currently
the car is only used for one
thing, a sports activity, so
she considers the resource
underutilised. Doesn't look
at her email at the
weekends
Sounds about 60 years old,
professional who works in the
government, plans things
carefully and had time to
research into competitors, likes
the time to do their research
unaided, and gets frustrated
when they cannot complete this.
A sceptic, but a believer "I think
it's a great idea"
Wife of a family, doesn't use her car
that much, is concerned that the
service is not going to be popular
enough.
OWNER INTERVIEWSRESEARCH
What did you need to know before enrolling?
What made you to decide to sign-up for a car sharing service?
Did you find the information okay?
How was the on-boarding experience with Car Next Door?
What computers and devices do you have?
Demographics and car use
PERSONAS
Devices
Transport Methods
“ If it’s going to sit on the drive for 4 days a week I might as well try and squeeze a little cash out of it.”“ An estimate of how much cash it would generate was
important to see if it was worth doing or not.”
StoryWith the birth of their second child and an increase in his working hours, Nick was finding his increased use of the family car for work had begun to impact on the family’s travel requirements. Nick Purchased a second car for work, so that the family car was always available to cater for the needs of his wife and children.
BehavioursBeing a doctor, Nick is very health conscious and likes to engage the family in sports and encourage exercise. Since the arrival of their second child, the car has been the preferred transport for his wife to run their eldest to her school and sports activities.
Nick and his wife are familiar other sharing services such as airbnb, but has yet to participate in sharing their own resource. While Nick does consider the value of collaborative consumption schemes to the community, the safety of his family and security of his possessions is of utmost importance.
At the weekends when Nick is not working, he spends most weekends with a family and uses a single car to visit friends, nearby attractions, nature reserves and shopping when required. The most convenient time for Nick to browse the internet is when he’s at home looking after the baby. He uses the family iPad or MacBook.
Needs• To know that all of his decisions are financially viable.• To be aware of all possible problems and outcomes of a situation.• To ensure that putting time and effort into something new is going to be
worthwhile.
Pain points• Discovering there are
caveats with an investment that were not known beforehand.• Making a poor financial decision.• Doing something that is not best practice or by the book.
“ I was interested to see if there were people in my area that actually wanted cars.”
“ It was inconvenient to have one car, so we got a second car.” ex+30+40+70$
Environment
Community
Financial
500+500=
0+1000=
400+600=
200+800=
300+700=
BioMale34DoctorMarried, 2 children
Situation2 bedroom house, RentedBalmain, Sydney
Nick
PERSONAS StoryJane is a well educated traveller, living in a shared house while she saves for a deposit for her own unit. While Jane does use her car regularly, she finds it is still unused for a substantial amount of time, and this time will increase due to an upcoming travel trip.
BehavioursJane is an incredibly social and busy person. Outside of work she visits local markets, coffee shops, and the gym using a variety of transport methods depending on distance. She also makes quarterly trips in the car to see her family in Newcastle or to the family holiday house in Forster. Many of Jane’s personal trips are non-essential and with good public transport in her area she could choose to leave the car at home more often.
Jane likes to get out of the house as much as possible, and will prefer to browse the internet on her phone at her coffee shops while waiting for friends.
Jane finds it difficult to put time aside for practical tasks such as managing finances. When it comes to changing service provider or signing up for something new, it will often take a change in circumstances or an external motivator for her to finally take the plunge. If her flow gets interrupted she me be put off and may rethink her options.
Needs• To have new experiences
to talk about with her friends.• To find new and innovative ways to benefit the community and the
environment, without having to dedicate too much time.• To know how a new product or service will work and if it will fit into her life. • To have basic but concise information on how much something will cost.
Pain points• Dealing with uncertainties that pop-up and interrupt her plans. • Having to put time aside for practical tasks.• Reading small print or lengthy documents to get answers.
“ I was concerned how much of a burden would it be to do something like this.”
“ I need to understand how something works and how it will fit into my life.”
“ I was going away for 2 months, and was happy to share it.”
400+600=
0+1000=
500+500=
250+750=
350+650=
BioFemale33High School TeacherPartnered
SituationShared house, RentedMarrickville, Sydney
Jane
Transport Methods
Devices “ It seemed like a really good idea to keep the amount of cars on the road down, and make a little bit of extra cash.”
ex+65+75+35$Environment
Community
Financial
PERSONASMark
“ The concept is phenomenal. 5 years ago when I didn’t have a car I could have done with this service.”
BioMale47Civil ServantPartnered
SituationHouse, OwnedHawthorn East, Melbourne
Devices
ex+90+60+50$Environment
Community
Financial
Transport Methods150+850=
0+1000=
650+350=
600+400=
750+250=
StoryMark was born in Victoria and has lived there for most of his life. He has recently moved into a new house. Mark is very close to his immediate family and thus made the decision to purchase a house nearby to them.
Mark purchased his first brand new car a few years ago as an investment, but since the move he finds he is using it less than once a week. Realising the potential loss in value from selling the car, Mark is determined to make the investment viable.
BehavioursMark and his partner are very familiar with collaborative consumption and are frequent contributors to such services. They have achieved a good status on airbnb, as well as having utilised car share services for hiring cars in the past.
Although open to new experiences, Mark is a careful researcher and doesn’t leave anything unknown. He performs most research on his home computer, but also will refer to his mobile phone when out of the house and requiring an immediate answer.
Needs• To be up to speed with the latest news, events and issues concerning the
local area and population. • To be actively participating in new and existing community programmes
and initiatives with his partner and family.• To know he is helping to make a positive change to the lives of friends,
family and the local community in whichever way possible.• To be very well informed about a product or service before proceeding,
including what the potential alternatives and competitors are.
Pain points• Being wasteful or unresourceful with purchases, services or finances.• Failing to get answers to questions or queries though his own research.• Failing to follow government or council regulations or laws.
“ We brought the car new and it does not make sense to sell it. We are just realising a loss.”
“ We are SuperHosts on airbnb.”
“ We have less and less need for the car.”
PERSONAS StoryLouise lives by herself in a single apartment and has been working in a marketing position since she graduated from university.
Having recently passed her driving test and due to the location of her office, she purchased a car on finance with primary goal of commuting. However, she’s since found the commuting traffic to be too much and overall does not enjoy driving at busy periods. Due to the car being on finance, she is unable to sell it at present.
BehavioursLouise heavily relies on public transport to visit friends and go on weekend shopping trips. She still uses the car at less busy times, mostly for trips to see her parents.
With the increased living costs from moving from a shared house to a 1 bedroom unit, Louise has to be organised and budget carefully. She takes an active interest in her finances and the products and services that she engages with.
Needs• To be kept up-to-date by her service providers.• To be in control of her finances.• To be able to find information quickly and effortlessly.• To be able to complete budget calculations regularly.
Pain points• Processes that are excessively complicated.• Having to spend time reading detail that is not relevant to her situation.• Being inconvenienced at a short notice.
Transport Methods
Devices “ I can’t sell the car. It’s sitting there all the time and I don’t enjoy driving.”
“ I need to be able to access account information to see how much I have earned.”
ex+30+40+80$Environment
Community
Financial
150+850=
0+1000=
700+300=
000 +1000=
300+700=
BioFemale27MarketingSingle
Situation1 bedroom unit, RentedEarlwood, Sydney
Louise
“ Is everything I need to know clearly available to me? I shouldn’t have to read fine print and things that get confusing.”
CAR NEXT DOOR
DRIVE MY CAR RENTALS GOGET EASYCAR
CLUB GETAROUND BUZZCAR RELAYRIDES
Country Australia Australia Australia England U.S. France U.S.
Peer-to-peer Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Short term rental Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Unattended key handover Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No
Social media sign-up No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
Earnings calculator Web form Web form /
SMS No YesInteractive No Yes
Interactive No
COMPETITIVE ANALYSISRESEARCH
KEY INSIGHTS
Car Next Door is the only short term peer-to-peer rental service in Australia.
Not all peer-to-peer services facilitate the borrowing of cars without the owner having to meet the borrower in person.
The highlighted features are currently not provided by the Car Next Doors website, and implementing them may help improve user engagement with their product.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSISDesign patterns from competing and similar businesses were compared.
Particular attention was paid towards sign-up processes and interactive calculation of incentives.
USABILITY TEST
COMPETITOR (BUZZCAR)
“I don’t really want to read through all that text here”The last phase of the owner sign-up has a bulk of text at the top of the form. It might be important, but this user did not want to have to take the time to read it.
“Is it hourly/daily or per km? How does that work?”Several users did not understand that the per km charge is in addition to the hourly and daily rate.
“Does that mean it doesn’t cost anything?” While on the earnings calculator page, this user didn’t understand if there were any costs involved with sharing a car.
“I don’t know what the DCL is!”Damage cover liability!
“Love isn’t the clearest; English is my first language and I was sceptical to what that was”“Love” is the label of the link for the reviews (testimonials) page, but the page title itself is called Reviews.
“I should not need to give contact details to get a quote”Some users were reluctant to hand over personal details in order to get an estimate of their earnings.
“I would prefer to see a breakdown of how they came to the calculation”This user found the earnings calculator did not show what percentage of demand was used to calculate the predicted owner earnings.
“Who are the underwriting company?”This user wanted to know who the underwriters were for the insurance and breakdown cover, and could not find the answer on the site.
“Oh god, so many boxes!”Many users found the current site’s earnings calculator confusing.
“What are the tax implications?”A question also asked by an owner during the existing owner interviews. This user could not find the answer on the current site event though it has been previously documented!
“75% of 33c is confusing. Just tell me.”This user didn’t like to have to work out how much they received of the fees charged when someone borrows a car.
“Peer to peer - is that people the same age?”This user wasn’t familiar with Buzzcar’s use of the word “peer”.
“Sign up for free!”The name of the sign up link clearly indicated that the sign-up was free for the user.
CURRENT WEBSITE
RESEARCH
ANALYSISTaking into account the insights from the research performed so far, the (business) problem statement was redefined from the users point of view.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
USERI am a car owner with limited time and computer skills, who does not drive my car very often. I would like to enrol my car on carnextdoor.com.au so it can help pay for its own running costs. I would like to sign-up online, but I am struggling to understand the process and get the answers to my queries. This is frustrating me and is affecting my confidence in the service.
ANALYSIS
Owners need to find out how much they could earn from their car, and also the most the service could cost them if their car does not make any money.Methods• Interactive slider to calculate earnings.• FAQ page: costs.• FAQ page: earnings. • Search query: returns FAQ entries.
During sign-up process, owners need to clearly know their progress, what need to happen to move to the next step.Methods• Sign-up forms: current progress and total
steps visible throughout the process.• Email notifications: current progress, total
steps and next action required.• My Account: displays current sign-up
progress after logging-in.
Owners need to easily understand all the steps in with the sign-up process, and how long the process is expected to take. Methods• FAQ page: steps involved.• Sign-up forms: total steps clearly visible on
first page.• Search query: returns FAQ page.
Owners need to be able to pause the sign-up process at any time and return to it.Methods• Sign-up forms: save and exit option.• Email notification: complete sign-up.• My Account: shows option to complete
sign-up after logging in.
Owners need to understand how insurance cover works, and be prepared for the common queries that insurance companies may raise.Methods• FAQ page: typical insurance scenarios.• Search query: returns FAQ page.
USER GOALSAND FEATURES
ANALYSIS
Simplify earnings calculator
Display sign-up progress
Pause sign-up process
Answer insurance queries
Explain sign-up steps
Owners need to feel confident when using the website. Technical problems that disrupt the flow and smoothness will reduce confidence, particularly when personal details are being requested.Methods• Website : consistency and uniformity between all
sections.
Owners need to understand how they are paid when someone borrows their car, and how they can keep track of their earnings. Methods• FAQ pages: how do I get paid?• Search query: returns relevant FAQ page.
Users need to quickly find answers to common queries regarding rego, tolls, permits, breakdown cover and the damage resolution process, without reading fine print.Methods• FAQ pages: multiple.• Search query: returns relevant FAQ page.
Owners need to know their car can be made available to them, when required, with the minimum of effort.Methods• FAQ page: how managing availability works.• Search query: returns FAQ page.
Owners need to find out how income tax works in relation to earnings they receive from their car. Methods• FAQ page: tax.• Search query: returns FAQ page.
Owners need to know the benefits that they can bring to the community by sharing their car with others. Methods• Testimonials• FAQ page: “Why join Car Next Door”.
Owners need to understand what their travel options are if their car is unavailable.Methods• FAQ page: what happens if my car is unavailable.• Search query: returns FAQ page.
Explain car availability
Explain travel options when car unavailable
Show community benefits
Quick access to other common queries
Explain payment and tracking of earnings
Smooth web site experience
Income tax help
ANALYSIS
USER GOALSAND FEATURES
HIGH PRIORITYEA
SYH
ARD
LOW PRIORITY
FEATURE PRIORITISATION
Explain sign-up stepsPause sign-up process
Answer insurance queries
Explain car availability
Explain payment and tracking of earnings
Income tax help
Smooth web site experience
Show community benefits
Explain travel options when car unavailable
Quick access to other common queries
MVP Simplify earnings calculator
Display sign-up progress
ANALYSIS
The MVP represents what can be implemented with relative ease on the current web infrastructure.
Features such as the display of the sign-up process, and the ability to pause and save the sign-up process may not be possible without back-end changes.
Many of the features are simple content updates, which have been ordered by priority based on the frequency that the goal was raised in interviews and usability tests.
WHYCar Next Door want to build-up their peer-to-peer network by signing-up new customers, increasing geographical coverage.
WHATVoice: Casual, positive Tone: FriendlyMessage: We are a friendly, reputable and well established car sharing community which you will very much enjoy being a part of.
WHOThe audience are qualified drivers who:
(a) need a low cost, safe and convenient method of hiring cars for short and long trips, which range from social events, utility and vacation. The cars need to be easy to book, pick-up and access.
(b) own a car, and would like to make use of its idle time to make money to cover costs, reduce cars on the road, or to help someone in the community who needs a car. The service must guarantee adequate protection of their car, and participating in the service must not be time consuming or inconvenient.
WHEREThe content may be accessed on computers, tablets or mobile phones, but owner sign-up is probably more likely to occur at home where the car is nearby and supporting documentation is accessible.
HOWThe majority of the sites key content is text, with some supporting infographics, photographs and videos. Text is in the formats:
• General information pages (key content)• FAQ questions and answers (key content)• Tables (key content)• News, media and blog updates (supporting content)• PDF documentation and policies available for download (supporting
content)
WHENContent updating and archival should be performed:• with a change to company policies, procedures or pricing• at least every 6 months to ensure accuracy and completeness• at least once per week for time-sensitive content (news, media and
blog updates) to maintain credibility
STYLE GUIDE
Terminology standardisation• “Borrow” in place of “rent”, “hire”, and in place of “book” if possible.• “Share” in place of... rent?• “Car brand” in place of “Car make”• “Car” or “Vehicle”• “Earnings” in place of “Income”?• “km” should always be lowercase
Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Layout trends• “$1,000” - comma separator for 3 decimals and above• Refer to existing style guide document as provided by Car Next Door
CONTENT STRATEGYANALYSIS
Page Section Importance Title Text Alt Title Alt Text Media Links
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 1What happens if I damage the car?
When you borrow a car through Car Next Door, you’re protected by our comprehensive insurance policy. Like with a rental car, you can choose to reduce the amount that you would be responsible for paying in the event of damage to the car, from the standard $2,000 down to $500.
Zendesk Damage Cover 3
Do I need my own insurance to borrow a Car Next Door vehicle?
Nope! How good is that? As a member, Car Next Door provides you with first class comprehensive damage coverage underwritten by a major international insurer approved by Australian Prudential & Regulation Authority (APRA).
Zendesk Damage CoverHow does damage cover work?
During your reservation, Car Next Door protects you with our comprehensive damage coverage. This means you don’t need your own insurance – cha-ching savings! Should you be involved in an accident, and you are not in breach of your agreement, you’ll only be liable for your chosen excess. You'll need to report this damage to us straight away.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 1How do I get the keys?
The keys to the car are stored in an electronic keysafe on the outside of the car. We love this little thing so much, we call it Fred. You’ll get a code to open Fred and get the key. When you’re finished driving, just put it back as you found it. Where are the keys?
In all Car Next Door Vehicles, car keys are located in the lockbox and accessed via PIN entry. See this article on how to use the Fred, The LockBoxer.
ZendeskBooking a Reservation 1
How do I reserve a car?
There are three simple ways to make an instant reservation:
Right here on our website. Just login using the blue button on the top right corner and go from there.With your iPhone, Android or other smartphone using our mobile site - https://m.carnextdoor.com.au/Call us and we'll find you a car ($2 Call Centre charge applies): 02 8035 8000
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 1 How do tolls work?All of the cars are fitted with eTags. If you drive on any toll roads during your booking, the amount of the toll will be charged to your credit card at the end of the month. There are no nasty surcharges from us! How Do I Get The Keys?
Zendesk
The Most Frequently Asked Borrower Questions
Do the cars have tolling devices (e.g. e-TAGs) and can I use them?
Yes, all cars have tolling devices installed and you are free to drive through any tolls. You will be billed for any tolls at cost price at the end of the month with no nasty surcharges from us!
Zendesk
The Most Frequently Asked Borrower Questions
Tolls - Can I get a refund via the M5 Cashback Scheme?
Unfortunately, we are not able to participate in this scheme. From the RMS Website:
EligibilityTo participate in Cashback you need to open an electronic tolling account, register for Cashback and pay your M5 tolls using an electronic tag.You can only claim Cashback if:
You are a NSW resident.Your vehicle is registered in NSW for private, pensioner or charitable use. Trips made using government or business registered vehicles (including vehicles provided as part of a salary package), leased vehicles, rented vehicles, smash repair courtesy vehicles, car dealership loan vehicles, interstate registered vehicles or any other vehicle where business usage is shown on the registration papers, for example 'business general' or 'primary producer' are ineligible.You have registered for M5 Cashback with your tolling provider.You have paid M5 tolls using a NSW issued electronic tag.You have submitted your claim within twelve months of the close of the Cashback quarter. Claims received more than 12 months after the close of each quarter will not be accepted.Your eligibility for a Cashback rebate starts from the first day of the month in which you register for Cashback. M5 tolls paid before the date you register will not be refunded.We are ineligible on two counts.
Our eTags are issued by a Victorian organisation.A requirement for participating in Car Next Door is that all NSW vehicles are registered as Business Use. This is to ensure the car has adequate CTP cover. Cars registered as Business Use are not eligible for this scheme.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 2
Can I share the driving with a partner or a friend during the booking?
Only if they are a Car Next Door member. If you want to share the driving, then your friend or partner can join Car Next Door for free.
In the event of damage or an at-fault accident, the person who booked is responsible for the Damage Cover Liability (DCL) cost, regardless of who was driving when the accient occurred. The DCL amount will also be based on the Rate Plan of the person that booked.
Can I share the driving with my friend or partner on a long drive?
No. Only Car Next Door members can drive the cars, so unless they sign up to Car Next Door, it looks like your mate is going to be navigator.
There is an easy solution though! To keep your options open, have them sign up for free! As long as they are a member of Car Next Door, & have been through the same checks & measures as you have, once approved they will also be able to drive the car even if its under your booking. And vice versa.
Can I share the driving with my friend or partner
Zendesk
Can I share the driving with my friend or partner on long drives?
Only APPROVED Car Next Door members are insured to drive any of the Car Next Door vehicles. If you have a friend or partner that you'd like to share the driving with, then simply get them to Join for Free through our website. Then they can drive the car, even though the trip is booked under your name.
If the booking is in your name, then in the event of damage or an at-fault accident, you are responsible for the Damage Cover Liability (DCL) amount regardless of who is driving, and the DCL amount will be based on which ever Rate Plan the person that booked is on.
E.g. Bert is a Heavyweight member & therefore has a permanent DCL reduction of $500 for all trips taken for just $19 p/mth. His wife, Margaret, is a Featherweight member, as she only drives occasionally, and her DCL is $2,000. They go on a long trip together, booked under Bert's Member ID & have a minor prang when Margaret is driving where she is at fault. Bert is liable for the DCL, which is only $500.
Note, if the driver is 21-25yrs old, then the 21-25yr old DCL amounts will apply.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 1How does petrol work?
You’ll pay 33c for each kilometre you drive. This covers both fuel and wear and tear on the vehicle. If you need to fill up during your booking, you can use the fuel card (it’s in the glove box) to pay for fuel. Just make sure there’s at least a quarter tank of fuel in the car when you drop it home, so that the next person who drives the car isn’t stuck.
If you need to fill up at a petrol station that does not accept our fuel card, you can send us the receipt to be reimbursed [to be confirmed].
You will be Credited $2 Driving Credit for filling up the car.How does the petrol / fuel work?
Regardless of which car is used, the Borrower will be charged 33c per km that they travel which covers fuel.
A Borrower is responsible for refuelling the car if the tank reaches ¼ full (otherwise fines apply). They can do so by using the fuel card located in the glove box, which can be used most major petrol stations. The Owner pays for these fuel card charges, and are compensated by the 33c per km paid by the Borrower.
The PIN number for the card is available on their booking confirmation email (or in My Trips on the Car Next Door mobile site)
Zendesk
The Most Frequently Asked Borrower Questions
Who is responsible for putting fuel in the car?
It is a requirement that you fill up the car any time the tank is below a quarter of a tank full. But you don’t need to pay. You will find a fuel card in the glove box with the member handbook. You will need to take this card, and photo ID to the counter and they will take note of the car number-plate to make sure that you are filling up the right vehicle. You will be Credited $2 Driving Credit for the trouble.
Zendesk Taking a Trip How do I buy fuel?
There is a fuel card included in all Car Next Door vehicles. You’ll find it in the glove box. You will need to take this card, and photo id to the counter and they will take note of the car number plate to make sure that you are filling up the right vehicle. When you make your booking, the booking confirmation will include the PIN for the fuel card, which you will need when you fill-er-up. You will be Credited $2 Driving Credit for the trouble.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 2 How do I pay?At the end of your booking we automatically tally up how far you’ve driven and how long you’ve had the car for, and charge the credit or debit card on file. We’ll email you an invoice each month.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 1 Where are the cars?Car Next Door is expanding into new suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney every week. If we aren’t in your suburb or city yet, then show your interest by signing up to help us get to you faster. Find a car
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 2How long can I book a car for? Your reservation can be as short as half an hour, and increase in increments of 15 mins for up to 60 days.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 3Do I need to have a smartphone?
Having a smartphone is highly recommended as it makes booking, finding and accessing the cars ridiculously simple. However you can still use the service if you don’t have one.
Do I need an iPhone or smartphone to use Car Next Door?
You don't, but accessing the mobile site makes your booking even simpler!
You can book online and make a reservation at carnextdoor.com.au. However, having a smartphone makes it really easy to find the car you’ve booked when you’re out on the go (through our mobile site - m.carnextdoor.com.au). If you don’t have a smartphone make sure you check the exact location of the car online before you get there.
Having a fully charged mobile phone before each trip is essential. When hiring a vehicle you'll need it to end your reservation via SMS, or via the "End Now" button on the mobile site. The Car Next Door Crew are also available to help so having a phone to call them is useful. Heading off on your journey without a phone, or a phone with 2% battery left, could be inconvenient for you. Mobile site (Dead link)
ZendeskEncountering the Unexpected
What happens if my phone has no charge and I need to manage my reservation?
It is always a good idea to ensure you have a fully charged mobile phone before you start your Car Next Door journey. If you don't, you may need to find access to a phone to call us if you need assistance - 02 8035 8000.
You'll need your mobile phone to:
- access the location of the car at the start of your reservation (via the mobile site, or via SMS)
- access the PIN to open Fred The LockBoxer via the mobile site, or via SMS and access the PIN to ensure he is locked at the end of your journey
- end the reservation for vehicles fitted with Fred The LockBoxer (via the mobile site or SMS)
- call us if you need help with any of the above! ( 02 8035 8000)
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY
WHAT IF I GET A SPEEDING OR PARKING FINE?
In the unlikely event you get a speeding ticket or parking fine, it’s best to pay it straight away. If the car owner gets a ticket that a borrower is responsible for, we forward it to the borrower to arrange payment. Because there’s hassle and paperwork involved for the owner and us, we charge the borrower $40 admin fee in addition to the fine.
What happens if I get a parking/speeding/other ticket?
Um, you’re gonna have to pay for that.
If you get a speeding ticket or parking fine, then pay it straight away. If it gets forwarded to the Owner, then to us, then we’ve got to work out who was driving that car at that time and call you up and you know, it’s a lot of effort…. If we need to do this we will charge an admin fee to process your ticket.
Obviously this admin fee won’t apply for a violation where you didn’t know you had been stung, (speeding/red light camera for example) but you are still gonna have to pay the fine!
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY
CAN I BRING MY PETS ALONG FOR THE RIDE?
Some cars are “pet friendly” and allow your furry friends to travel within a suitable pet carrier (you’ll need to bring your own). Can I take my pet in the car?
Some cars are “pet friendly” and allow your animal to travel within a suitable pet carrier that you supply. You should check this prior to making the booking and make sure the vehicle is left in the the state you found it. If a car is not pet-friendly, you will not be able to take your animal friend.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY
THE 11 GOLDEN RULES OF BORROWING YOUR NEIGHBOUR’S CAR
Neighbour-to-neighbour sharing works because our members treat each other, and each others’ cars, with kindness and respect. Read these 11 Golden Rules before you drive.
is-it-for-you/rent-my-car/11 golden rules
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY LOOKING FOR MORE INFO?
Check out our FAQ’sGive us a CallEmail us faq / email / call
Zendesk
The Most Frequently Asked Borrower Questions 3
Can international Borrowers rent cars through Car Next Door?
All Borrowers that are Temporary Residents (i.e. do not have Permanent Residency or Citizenship) are required to take a photo or scan of their drivers licence (international or Australian is accepted) and passport, and authorise Car Next Door to take a $500 refundable deposit for the term of their membership. This can be fully refunded when the Borrower either ends their membership (refund is processed 32 days after last booking) or sends us evidence of Permanent Residency.
WHY? Because we can't do our normal checks and measures on Temporary Residents, and as we are in the business of lending out real peoples cars, it is important that the Car Owner is protected in all circumstances. We're sure you understand!
The Most Frequently Asked Borrower Questions
How Can I Change my Rate Plan?
Head to this page: "Borrowers-Rate Plan Change Request" and fill out the form!
If you are moving up in rate plan, changes take effect in the current month, within 2 business days after this request is received.If you are moving down in rate plan, changes take effect in the next calendar month after this request is received, and will not affect any current bookings in the current month.You can move up a weight division anytime.You can move down a weight division once per year free of charge. Each subsequent move will incur a $20 fee.The full detail on the rates & plans are on our For Borrowers page
CONTENT AUDITANALYSIS
Text is the primary media type on Car Next Door’s web site, and plays an essential role in communicating core business values, and informing and converting new customers.
A systematic review of the existing site content was performed to create a content audit. Simple tools such as Find and Replace facilitated the quick reviewing and clean-up of content. The spreadsheet will be passed back to the client for final review and to allow live content to be updated.
Content tasks:
Axure’s Repeater data structures were utilised to house the bulk of the content in the prototype. The repeaters allowed for immediate updating of data in the prototype from the audit between test sessions.
Multiple spelling corrections rectified.
Content categorised and rated by importance.
Gap analysis based on research and feedback.
Duplicate content identified and marked for deletion.
Lengthy, outdated or poorly worded content marked for client review.
Correction of content issues detected during usability tests.
Terminology and punctuation standardised en masse in line with content strategy.
BORROWER STORY
1 Dave finds his ideal wardrobe at a local garage sale. Desperate not to loose a bargain he purchases it on the spot.
2 Realising the wardrobe is quite heavy, Dave looks for a way to transport the wardrobe home. He decides a van would be the easiest method. 3 Dave searches on the internet and discovers
the carnextdoor.com.au website. He discovers a nearby van, signs up and books the van.
4 Dave uses the Car Next Door application to help him locate the van. The key is stored in a secure box on the side of the vehicle.
5 Dave drives the van to the garage sale and the garage sale owner helps him load the wardrobe to the van.
6 Dave drives the van home.
7 When arriving at home, Dave’s housemate helps him unload the wardrobe from the van. The app reminds him to return the van.
8 Dave returns the van to where it lives. The app reminds him to replace the key back into the secure box. Dave walks back to his house.
OWNER STORY
1 Wendy and James purchased a second car but found that it is seldom used. The running costs for both the cars are stacking up.
2 After being told about carnextdoor.com.au, Wendy signs up online to earn money from her vehicle while it is not being used.
3 Wendy completes the sign-up process, has the lock box fitted, and markets the car using posters in the nearby streets.
4 Meanwhile... Borris is in need of the car for a day out at Palm Beach with his friends. He sees Wendy and James’ car is nearby and books it.
5 Wendy is alerted that the car has been rented by Borris. Borris and his friends collect the car.
6 Borris begins his beach extravaganza with his friends.
7 After a successful day at the beach, Borris ensures the car is full of petrol and free of sand before returning it to Wendy and James. 8 Back at Wendy and James’ house,
Borris drops off the car and replaces the key in the lock box. Wendy and James review their new earnings.
USER FLOWANALYSIS The user flow is divided by the two main types of customers:
borrowers and owners.
While the owner flow is most relevant for the problem statement, the borrowers flow has been mapped for analysis, because the borrower and owner sign-up processes share many features.
The happy paths are based on first time users wanting to immediately borrow or share a car. However, it is expected that in practice most customers will spend several minutes reading other pages to answer their queries before signing-up.
The owner sign-up process requests contact details up-front - so if it’s aborted, the customer
can be contacted by the sales team.
CARD SORT
Participants were also asked what they would expect to find on the home page.
Their layouts affirmed the key actions for the site, what features should be available on the home page, and where users expected to find certain features (such as log-in and sign-up).
A further set of participants were asked to group the FAQ questions separately. The groups were used to confirm category names used in the support section of the current site, and to introduce them to the main site.
ANALYSIS
HOME PAGE FAQ CATEGORIES
Card
nam
e
Card
no
Abou
t Us
Borr
ower
s
FAQ
Help
Intr
oduc
tion
Key
Actio
ns
Loca
tions
of S
ervi
ce
Med
ia
My
Acco
unt
My
Acco
unt
(com
mon
)
Ow
ners
Sub
Actio
ns
About us 1 80% 20%Blog 2 40% 40% 20%
Borrow a car 3 50% 33% 17%Borrow a van 4 50% 33% 17%
Change my password 5 100%Contact us 6 80% 20%
Environmental information 7 20% 60% 20%Extend my booking 8 50% 38% 13%
Fees and charges 9 33% 50% 17%Find out how insurance works 10 20% 60% 20%
Find out if cars are available in my area 12 50% 33% 17%How can I make sure my car is available when I want it 13 17% 50% 17% 17%
How does fuel work? 14 33% 50% 17%How much money could my car earn? 15 50% 17% 33%
I cannot get into the car 16 43% 29% 29%I have broken down 17 43% 29% 29%
I have damaged a vehicle 18 43% 29% 29%I have had an accident 19 43% 29% 29%
Invite friends 20 40% 20% 40%Journey history 21 29% 43% 29%
Log-in 22 20% 40% 40%Lost property claim 23 38% 13% 38% 13%
Manage my account 24 100%Newsletter sign-up 25 60% 20% 20%
Press coverage 26 60% 40%Read FAQ 27 40% 40% 20%
Request to extend the service to my area 28 14% 14% 14% 14% 29% 14%See when (how often) my car been used 29 43% 57%
Share my car for others to drive 30 14% 14% 14% 14% 43%Sign-up for news and alerts 31 60% 40%
Sign-up 32 20% 20% 20% 40%Social media pages (Facebook/Twitter) 33 60% 40%
Testamonials 34 40% 20% 40%The car has a problem 35 20% 40% 20% 20%
There is damage to my vehicle 36 29% 29% 43%There is lost property in my car 37 29% 29% 43%
Update my address 38 100%When someone borrows my car, how do I get the key? 39 50% 17% 33%
Where is my car? 40 38% 13% 50%Who has borrowed my car 41 38% 13% 50%
Map (user created) 42 100%
The initial card sort helped develop a user friendly information architecture and top level navigation.
Some minor changes were made to the card names between participants. In particular, removing phrases such as “Find out...” Prevented participants from grouping similarly named cards without proper analysis. Some participants had trouble grouping some cards, such as “Share my car for others to drive” and “Request to extend service to my area”.
A similarity matrix was performed on the results to confirm the patterns spotted during the sorting exercises.
carnextdoor.com.au
Borrow a car
BorrowingHow it works
Search by area
Browse map
Refine by vehicle type
Refine by transmission
Refine byvehicle price
Refine by dateView car detailsBorrow car
Sign-up as borrower
Extend the service to my area
Testimonials
Share my car
SharingHow it works
Earningscalculator
Sign-up asowner
TestimonialsSubtopic 4
Plans and pricing
Borrower
PlansDamageliability
Owner
Earningsinfo
Earningscalculator
FAQ
Borrower
Search FAQGetting started
InsurancePricing and payments
ParkingOn the road
Encounteringthe unexpectedDocumentation
Get help (If logged-in)
Owner
Search FAQGetting startedInsurancePricing and incomeOn the roadEncounteringthe unexpectedDocumentation
Get help (If logged-in)
Sign-up
Sign-up as borrower
Sign-up as owner
Help
Borrower
Extend mybookingWhere is the car?
I cannot get into the car
The car has a problem
I have damaged the car
I've had an accident
I've left something in a car
Owner
Extend mybooking
My car has been damagedWhere is my car?
There is lost property in my car
My account
Log-in
Forgot password
Extend my bookingMy journeys
View current journeyView past journeys
My cars
Add new car
Manage caravailability
Edit car profileView car history
My details
My password
My address
Invite friendsLog-out
About us
About usJobsContact us
EmailPhone
Extend serviceto my area
Sign-up for the newsletter
Invite friendsMedia
BlogPress coverageSocial media
Environmental information
Key
Search field Map Date entry Video Options checklist Text field Form Interactive slider
IA/NAVIGATIONANALYSIS
This IA represents the structure of content, plus suggested top and sub level navigation.
The FAQ questions are not shown for simplicity, only the hierarchy of categories.
Sections aimed towards existing customers, such as My account and Help, are not likely to be implemented in the prototype as the project is concerned with converting new owners.
DESIGNThe paper designs were first reproduced in Balsamiq and basic A/B testing was performed.
The project quickly outgrew the capabilities of Balsamiq, and high fidelity prototypes were produced in Axure. These could quickly and easily demonstrate validation, pop-ups and interactive elements.
DESIGN RATIONALEDESIGN
HOME PAGE
FORMS
With the intent on keeping the home page uncluttered, a simple home page prototype was built with just the key actions identified during card sorts. The key actions for borrowers and owners are arranged in a tabbed interface, which was well received as a low fidelity prototype. All other information previously on the home page was moved to new page, called How it works.
Testing was performed early and users appeared to understand the purpose of the website, and were able to perform basic navigation without any issues, so no alternative design has been tested yet. The blue and pink colour scheme has been used throughout to represent borrowers and owners.
A basic earnings calculator was provided on the Share your car tab. Although this did not meet goal of recording details early, it provides functionality that users expect without having to part with personal information.
The owner sign-up process was originally split into two discrete parts, to reduce the initial input down to precisely what Car Next Door needed to assess owner eligibility. This process was tested as a low fidelity prototype and was found to be confusing - participants did not understand there was a second part to the sign-up.
The owner sign-up process was rebuilt as a single 5-step process. To protect against leakage, data is collected in order of importance to the approval process. If customers decide leave the sign-up process, the sales team should have sufficient data to assess the customer and decide if a follow-up is required.
In addition to providing friendly mistake handling and a clear progress indicator, customers can find out what they need to complete the sign-up, save their progress at any time. Customers whose age is identified as below 21 will be presented with a notification that they are too young, and the site will offer to remind them when they are eligible.
Display sign-up progressPause sign-up process
Explain sign-up steps
Record potential customer details early
Record potential customer details early
Simplify earnings calculator
Notify non-eligible users when they become eligible to use the service
DESIGN RATIONALEDESIGN
CALCULATOR
FAQ / CONTENT STRATEGY
A detailed version of the home page earnings calculator was provided for customers wanting detailed calculations on their earnings. This calculator also does not support the business goal of recording customer details first, but again is in line with usability feedback.
To simplify the calculator some input fields have been removed (such as car brand), and interactive sliders have been used for numerical input such as availability. These UI elements make interaction more fun and help promote exploration of the tool and potentially other pages on the site too.
The content audit revealed that many of the queries that users could not find the answer to, had in fact been answered in the FAQ section, and just could not be located. This is because the FAQ questions are split between the main site and the support site, carnextdoor.zendesk.com. Users often gave up before discovering the support site or were put off buy its difference in appearance from the main web site.
The new FAQ section contains an updated database of relevant questions in a single, searchable, categorised location. Users can search across all categories at once, or browse the questions.
The prototype FAQ page is basic, but has performed well in usability tests because the organisation of the content has been much improved.
Record potential customer details earlySimplify earnings calculator
Answer insurance queries
Explain car availability
Explain payment and tracking of earnings
Income tax help
Explain travel options when car unavailable
Quick access to other common queries
TEST AND ITERATEUsability testing was performed on both the low-fi and hi-fi prototypes throughout their development.
Tests were performed in the users home where possible, with a mix of directed and exploratory tasks.
Test metrics were kept simple: determine if the users is correctly understanding the product, and if they can answer the questions in a relaxed and timely fashion.
“Tell me about this website.”
“What would you need to know before sharing your car on the service? Please now find the answer to your questions.”
“You are 23 years old and are looking to borrow a car. Find out how much the excess would be if you damaged the car.”
“You would like to join Car Next Door. Please sign-up.”
“You have a car that is not being used regularly and you would like share it on Car Next Door. Your car is a 2012 Toyota Yarris. Find out how much you could earn.”
ITERATION
ITERATION
ITERATION
ITERATION“Do I not need to put where my drivers license is from?”
“Should there be another box for setting the to and from date?”
“Why do they need to know this?”
“How are they storing this information?”
Keep those users on that happy path!FORMS
TEST AND ITERATE Discrete hints placed in close proximity to an IA element helped answer participants queries so they could stay on track.
ITERATION
“Because there is nothing in there does it mean that you can’t reduce the damage?”
“I thought this was all one big table.”
“I get the daily rate plus the charge per km; is that what it is?”
“Why don’t they put membership there, that would be useful.”
TABLESTEST AND ITERATE
ITERATION
ITERATION
The damage cover liability table was moved in line with the borrower plans in an attempt to keep things simple. The new layout confused some participants, so the table was changed back to a pop-up window. Further testing of these components is essential.
Even small changes made a big difference to the in the understanding of how participants interpreted tables and data. Several users did not recognise the table was listing membership plans, and that the per km charge was in addition to daily rates.
“It says I am better off; is that how much money I will make?”
“Earnings calculator makes me just think of earnings.”
“Is my membership fee included in that?”
“Perhaps it should say there that we cover your insurance?”
“It does not break it down into days, weeks, months etc.”
CALCULATORTEST
ITERATION 1 ITERATION 2 ITERATION 3
Multiple versions if the earnings calculator were produced. Most participants preferred Iteration 3, however some welcomed the comparison between their existing insurance and the Car Next Door membership fee. Almost all users did not realise they could cancel their insurance at some stage, or did not take it into account when calculating earnings.
This feature of the web site will need to undergo further testing.
SUMMARYUSER AND BUSINESS GOALSThe user and business goals have been considered throughout all phases of the study, and usability testing is showing a positive move towards meeting some of the goals. However, even the recent usability tests are showing some issues remain, so further testing is required.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?Test, test and test againEvery usability session provided new and interesting insights that, with testing, could further improve the experience offered by the product.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!Some elements (in particular tables) designed differently to the original in an attempt to improve their experience. They had not previously been identified as a pain point in previous research. Usability testing revealed issues with some of these new designs, and consequently they were modified to match original and had more success.
WHAT NEXT?More testing!Components such as the calculator need additional work to ensure they are understood enjoyable to use by all user types. In addition, there are several pending content updates that need through testing, such as the terminology wording for “damage cover” that may be ambiguous. Accessibility testing should also be covered.
Mobile siteThe importance of designing for mobile cannot be underestimated. Existing customer research showed that most customers use their mobile phone or tablet device to browse the internet at least some of the time. Car Next Door’s site is responsive, but its effectiveness was not measured. While the new form designs could be converted to mobile with relative ease, tables and calculators will need to be re-designed for each platform or the experience of these components will suffer or fail.
Review the post-approval on-boarding processOne pain point for many users was the post-approval on-boarding process (the steps you take to ready your car for sharing). Owners found this confusing and convoluted. Although new owners will not discover the on-boarding process until after successfully converting, making improvements in all areas will help provide positive experience that owners and borrowers are more likely to share with others.