carro
A mobile app for car enthusiasts, buyers, and those curious to explore, compare, and learn about cars.
Context
Carro is a mobile app that makes car research engaging, informative, and visually immersive.
Whether someone is a car enthusiast, a potential buyer, or simply curious, the goal is a single place to browse and see the information that matters without going through sales sites.
Insights
I ran secondary research, a competitive analysis, and informal interviews with seven people. The three below are from those interviews, one for each audience.
Car enthusiasts
People who follow automotive trends and care about how a car looks and feels.
Nick, 21 — college car enthusiast
Potential buyers
People comparing options before they spend money.
Sadhana, 42 — upgrading a family car
Casual learners
People curious about cars, without a technical background.
Shubham, 18 — enjoys exploring cars
What I asked
- How do you currently learn about cars?
- What frustrates you most about this process?
- What would make it easier or more enjoyable?
What that meant for the design
Insight
Users want a quick overview before they go deeper.
Decision
Lead with cards that show the headline specs and price up front.
Insight
Large visuals keep people engaged longer.
Decision
Let a hero image of the car dominate the screen.
Insight
Navigation should follow how people already group cars.
Decision
Browse by simple categories, not a spec database.
The Market
Existing products are good at either selling a car or entertaining an audience. Neither is built for someone who wants to learn first.
| Competitor | Strengths | Weaknesses | Opportunity for carro |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Comprehensive reviews and strong brand trust | Outdated interface | Deliver the same depth with a visuals-first layout |
|
Intuitive search and appealing imagery | Built around the sale | Make the experience educational, not transactional |
|
Strong entertainment | Little structured data | Pair the entertainment with specs you can actually use |
Most competitors either focus on transactional buying or entertainment/editorial. There's a gap for a research-first platform that is visually engaging but still contains relevant data.
The Problem
1. Scattered information
Car details live across sites and formats, so comparing models takes longer than it should.
2. Little visual appeal
Most automotive databases focus heavily on technical specs but lack engaging design for casual exploration.
Carro answers both by putting curated information, striking visuals, and category navigation in one mobile app.
What the product had to do
Visually driven
Hero images that spark curiosity before the specs do.
Easy to browse
A category layout with clear transitions between types of cars.
Accessible Information
Key details (price, mpg) visible without having to dig for it.
Motion
Interactions which make browsing smooth.
Structure
The product combines car discovery, comparison, and personalization in one experience. Users can browse curated categories, filter vehicles, explore detailed specs and imagery, compare trims, and find nearby inventory.
Favorites and liked cars make it easy to return to vehicles of interest, while brand preferences help personalize the experience. Users can also manage their account, language, notifications, other profile settings, and also browse as a guest.
User flow
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Wireframes
These wireframes represent a snapshot of the full experience, highlighting key moments across the end-to-end experience.
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Visual Design
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Heuristic Evaluation
A heuristic review evaluated how effectively the visual system supported key user needs and identified areas of friction.
| Criteria | Evaluation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Consistency and standards | Color, type, and navigation stay consistent across car types | Keep category labels in the same place |
| Minimalist design | Whitespace makes browsing feel calm | Keep images primary and text on cards short |
| Flexibility and efficiency | Categories are clear, but there is no way to jump to a specific car | Add search, plus recently viewed and recommended cars |
| Help and support | New users get no introduction to how the app works | Add a short walkthrough |
Iteration
Limited search
People could not look up a specific car. They had to walk the categories every time.
No introduction
Nothing explained how the app worked the first time someone opened it.
Iteration goals
- Make a specific car easier to find
- Show recommended and recently viewed cars
- Make the app easier to understand on a first visit
Updated flow
Updated screens
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What's next
Keep testing to find further points of friction, measure how impactful search and recommendations are, and add a short walkthrough so the first open is self-explanatory.