Background
In early 2010 Code Computerlove performed a full research, design and development job for The Car People.
The Car People are a regional chain car supermarkets, selling nearly new and used cars. They are very proud of their “no hassle” approach and their brand proposition promises customers “a positive car-buying experience with no pushy salespeople, no inflated prices and no nonsense”.
They wanted to offer a very different customer experience compared with other car supermarkets, and their new website had to reflect the “no hassle” and “here to help” propositions and communicate them effectively.
Research and Definition
As principle IA on the project I first carried out a detailed content audit of their current site in order to understand what they have and evaluate it’s merits. I also produced a competitor analysis document which evaluates the client’s main competitors’ sites.
I combined my findings from this research with existing market segmentation data provided by the client to create a set of detailed personas and accompanying scenarios.
Using this combined information I then created a set of user journeys to satisfy the new scenarios. These journeys then fed into the creation of a site map and a set of process flow diagrams.
The diagrams identify key paths through the site (including the “happy path”), which then informs the design and development process.
Design
The project ran according to Agile project methodologies, and involved me working with key stakeholders and our creative & technical teams to incrementally create a complete set of detailed interactive wireframes which outline all pages within the site, and demonstrate key functionality and interactions.
Tools Used
Microsoft Powerpoint was used to create the expert reviews, competitor analysis, personas and scenarios, Visio was used for sitemaps and process flows, and the interactive wireframes were produced using Axure RP Pro.
Assets & Resources
Process Flow - the critical path is marked in red
Update 2nd November 2010:
The Car People website won Car Supermarket Website of the Year at the Auto Trader Click Awards 2010.
Update 30th November 2011:
The Car People website recently won Car Supermarket Website of the Year for the second year running, as well as winning Best Used Car Locator at the Auto Trader Click Awards 2011.
