A sleek mobile app for car enthusiasts, buyers, and casual admirers to explore, compare, and learn about cars.
Overview
Carro is a mobile application designed to make researching cars engaging, informative, and visually immersive.
Whether you're a car enthusiast, a potential buyer, or someone simply curious about different models, carro offers a streamlined way to browse categories and view specifications.
Process
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Empathize
I conducted secondary research, competitive analysis, and informal user interviews with 3 participants who fit the target audience profiles (car enthusiasts, potential buyers, casual learners).
Competitor Analysis
| COMPETITOR | STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES | OPPORTUNITIES FOR CARRO |
|---|---|---|---|
|
comprehensive reviews, strong brand trust | outdated UI | Simplify content delivery with visuals-first approach |
|
Intuitive car search, appealing imagery | focus primarily on sales | expand to an educational, research-focused experience |
|
strong entertainment content | less structured data about various cars | combine entertaining aspect with structured specs |
Key Takeaway
Most competitors either focus on transactional buying (Carvana) or entertainment/editorial (Top Gear). There's a gap for a research-first platform that is visually engaging but still contains relevant data
User Interviews
Car Enthusiasts (1)
Potential Buyers (1)
Casual Learner (1)
Interview Questions
- How do you currently learn about cars?
- What frustrates you most about this process?
- What would make it easier or more enjoyable?
Key Insights
Insights
- Users want quick overviews before deep dives
- Large visuals keep users engaged longer
- Navigation should be intuitive and based on category
Notes for my design
- Use a card-based layout with headline specs and prices up front
- Hero images of each car to dominate the screen
- Simple categories differentiating types of cars
Define
Based on user research insights, I defined the core problem and established clear design goals for the Carro application.
Problem
People interested in learning about cars often face two issues:
Scattered Information
Car details are spread across multiple sites and formats, making comparisons time-consuming
Lack of Visual Appeal
Most automotive databases focus heavily on technical specs but lack engaging design for casual exploration.
carro solves this by bringing together curated information, striking visuals, and intuitive navigation in a single mobile platform.
Ideate
Target Audience
Car Enthusiasts
those who follow automotive trends and value aesthetics
Potential Buyers
users exploring options before making a purchase
Casual Learners
those curious about cars without technical knowledge
Design Goals
Visually Driven
hero images of cars to spark curiosity
Seamless Browsing
a clean category-based layout with smooth transitions
Accessible Information
key details (price, mpg) visible without having to dig for it
Nice Animations
microinteractions for a nice feel
Prototype
User Flows
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Featured Wireframes
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Featured High Fidelity Designs
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Test
Heuristic Evaluation
| Criteria | Evaluation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Consistency and Standards | There is uniform colors, typography, and navigation patterns across car types | Maintain category label placement consistency |
| Minimalist Design | Clean whitespace enhances the browsing experience | Continue prioritizing images and maintain reduced text clutter in car cards |
| Flexibility and Efficiency of Use | Navigation is intuitive but users must move step by step through categories, and there is a lack of search for a specific car | Add search bar for cars, and add "Recently Viewed" or "Recommended Cars" to improve efficiency |
| Help and Support | No onboarding to guide new users | Introduce a short walkthrough for news users |
Iteration
Key Issues
Limited Search
Users couldn't search for specific cars.
Lacking App Info
No guidance for how the app works.
Iteration Goals
- Improve ability to find specific cars
- Increase personalization by displaying recommended and recently viewed cars
- Enhance clarity and user understanding of app
Updated User Flows
Reflected Design Updates
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Next Steps
From here, the next steps are to continue conducting usability testing to reveal further pain points, measure how changes affect engagement and retention, and improve the onboarding experience with a walkthrough.