The Outcome
Reflecting on my strategic journey at CarExpert, I delivered a comprehensive realignment of the business, unveiling a depth of complexity that reshaped executive perspectives. By guiding the product team beyond quick fixes to develop well-integrated, scalable products, I led a design transformation that harmonized our vision with actionable innovation.
My leadership in crafting a forward-looking product ecosystem, underscored by a user-first approach, has consistently driven businesses such as CarExpert to industry leadership. The successful execution of a multi-horizon strategy showcases my commitment to not just meet but set market standards, positioning CarExpert at the forefront of the automotive digital space.
The Process
1. Gleaning Insights from User Research
In the beginning of this transformative journey, I meticulously gathered insights directly from the heart of our market - car buyers and sellers. The figure below showcases my handwritten notes, a testament to the authenticity and depth of our research. These notes were methodically taken in three distinct phases: pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase. This progressive approach not only provided clarity but also allowed me to segment each stage into sub-stages, laying a solid foundation for our comprehensive understanding of the customer journey.
In total, I conducted 32 interviews, reaching out to a diverse range of individuals across different market segments. This breadth of perspectives was crucial in ensuring we captured every possible angle, enriching our dataset with a variety of experiences and expectations. The detailed notes from these interviews were instrumental in forming the core insights that drove our project forward, shaping a strategy that is as informed as it is empathetic to the customer's needs.
2. Transcription Meets Technology
In the pursuit of speed and accuracy, I harnessed the power of multiple AI tools to process and analyse our interview data. What previously took 2 to 3 weeks at Carsguide was astonishingly condensed into less than a week of processing. This dramatic reduction in time was achieved without compromising on the depth or accuracy of the insights.
The first stage involved transforming the spoken words from our interviews into accurate transcripts.
The next phase was where the real magic happened. Utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT, I organized these transcripts into coherent, thematic groups. This not only streamlined the analysis but also brought to light patterns and insights that might have been overlooked.
Finally, the culmination of this process was the creation of affinity maps. These visual representations, crafted from the AI-processed data, were instrumental in identifying key themes and trends. They enabled a clear understanding of the diverse needs and preferences of our users, guiding our strategy with precision and depth without losing any detail.
3. Mapping the Customer Journey
In mapping out the customer journey, my approach was to dive deeply into the granularity of the car buying experience. To achieve this, I engaged with ChatGPT, asking it a series of detailed, granular questions. These inquiries focused on specific aspects such as actions, motivations, pain points, and goals, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of each stage and substage of the journey.
Utilizing the precise and insightful answers from ChatGPT, I consolidated the information into succinct bullet point lists. These lists were meticulously organized by the different stages of the car buying process, transforming a complex array of data into a clear and concise format. This organization was crucial in capturing the essence of the customer experience at every touchpoint.
Further streamlining this process, I compiled all the responses into an Airtable database. This method of data organization not only facilitated efficient management but also enabled me to seamlessly integrate the data with Figma. The result was a visually compelling journey map, auto-populated in Figma, which succinctly illustrated the various stages of the car buying process. This map, born out of in-depth AI-assisted analysis and innovative visualization techniques, became an indispensable strategic tool in understanding and improving our customer engagement strategies.
4. Refining the Path: Version 2.0
While refining our customer journey map to Version 2.0, I encountered a pivotal insight: the initial map, while detailed, was too general for our specific aim of creating a tool that effectively guides users through the car buying and selling process. To address this, I initiated two key modifications to enhance its relevance and impact.
Firstly, I integrated the concept of 'in-website goals'. This addition shifted our focus to more specific, actionable objectives within the website, aligning the map more closely with the user’s online journey. This refinement helped in crafting a tool that not only mapped out the journey but also actively facilitated it, providing clear guidance and support at each step.
Secondly, I streamlined the journey map by consolidating one of the steps into its neighbouring stages. This was not just about simplification; it was a strategic move to craft a more compelling narrative, both for internal understanding and for presenting to executives. This consolidation brought clarity and coherence, making the journey easier to comprehend and more engaging to discuss.
With the introduction of in-website goals, a natural progression was to then focus on the B2B aspect of our business - how we serve OEMs and Dealerships. This shift was instrumental in aligning our platform not only with the needs of our B2C users but also with the business objectives of our B2B partners. It allowed us to balance and integrate the dual aspects of our platform effectively.
This holistic approach put us in a comfortable position to understand and articulate CarExpert’s unique value proposition. We were no longer just mapping a journey; we were defining the essence of CarExpert’s role in bridging the gap between users, dealerships, and OEMs. Version 2.0 of our journey map thus became a critical tool in strategising how to deliver value across all fronts of our business.
5. Story Mapping Our Future
Being truth to my own trademark, I facilitated a dynamic story mapping session as a key step in reimagining the car buying journey.
This approach, honed and perfected , has always been more than just a methodology for me; it's about fostering shared understanding and securing buy-in through collaborative design.
Bringing people together to co-design and story map is a strategy I've employed consistently since 2015 across various organizations and clients. Whether it was with Musica Viva while at Hostworks, Gavelytics in the USA, Sweat in Adelaide, or with giants like Newscorp, Carsguide, and Canon in Sydney, this method has proven its worth. It's been a cornerstone of my work even in my engagements with KPMG clients like Rest Superannuation and Johnson and Johnson. People sometimes refer to this as 'manufacturing consent', but I see it as 'objection management'. To me, it's all about embracing multiple perspectives to align our direction forward.
For this particular project at CarExpert, the story map served as a preamble to a complete reinvention of the car buying journey. By engaging various stakeholders in this process, we were able to view the problem through different lenses, ensuring that our approach was comprehensive and well-rounded. This session was not just about plotting a course; it was about aligning every participant towards a common vision, ensuring that each voice was heard and each perspective was valued.
This typical 'Edgar move', as many have come to call it, has been a key factor in my ability to successfully lead and innovate in diverse environments and with a multitude of clients. It's a testament to the power of collective creativity and strategic alignment, and it's a practice that I have proudly made a hallmark of my professional repertoire.
6. A New Vision: The Reimagined Car Buying Journey
In reshaping the car buying and selling journey at CarExpert, I focused not just on crafting a journey map, but on developing a simplified storyboard or workflow. This was designed to communicate our grand vision across the three main stages of the car buying and selling process. The beauty of this approach was its clarity and the ease with which it emerged, a direct result of the team effort I facilitated during the story mapping workshop.
This was no ordinary journey mapping exercise. It evolved into a collaborative effort that transcended traditional methods. The process was transparent and almost effortless, thanks to the story map that preceded it. We weren't just plotting steps; we were weaving a narrative that would guide our entire strategy.
Through a few iterative rounds of feedback with the Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO), and the artistic talents of my direct report, Paul Chavez, this vision came to life. Paul is an incredible artist whose illustrations captured the essence of each step in the journey with just the right amount of detail. His contribution was instrumental in bringing our concepts to visual fruition.
I compiled these elements using OmniGraffle to create the final representation. This tool allowed me to structure our ideas and Paul’s illustrations into a cohesive, visually appealing storyboard. It wasn't just a map; it was a narrative, telling the story of our customer's journey through the car buying and selling process in a way that was both engaging and easy to understand, a symbol of our commitment to innovation and customer-centricity and a testament to the power of team collaboration and the effectiveness of blending strategic thinking with creative design.
7. High-Level Features: A Blueprint for Innovation
In my role at CarExpert, my focus was on developing high-level features, establishing them as the foundation of our blueprint for innovation. This initiative was more than just adding new functionalities; it was an endeavor to create a seamless car buying experience, merging meticulous engineering with a deep understanding of user needs. I began this process with a thorough analytical deep dive, scrutinizing every facet of the car buying journey. It was crucial to not only pinpoint the necessary features but also to grasp how they would interact within the ecosystem and with the end-user. This extensive analysis was vital to ensure that each feature we developed was an integral part of a unified, user-friendly system.
From this comprehensive analysis, I extracted key features that would act as the building blocks for an enhanced user experience. These features were intentionally designed to span the divide between the current state of car commerce and the future we envision at CarExpert. Central to their design was the user's perspective, ensuring every innovation we introduced would meaningfully enrich the customer journey. This approach was about creating a synergy between what users need and what technology can offer, shaping a path that leads to a more intuitive, satisfying, and advanced experience in the automotive digital space.
8. Car Marketplace Feature Roadmap to Excellence
In charting the roadmap to excellence for CarExpert, I meticulously balanced our development momentum with the current capabilities of our system, aligning with the twin stars of business imperatives and user-centric value. This roadmap emerged from a deep understanding of where we stood technologically and where we aspired to be, ensuring each feature was a step towards a seamless melding of user needs and robust business strategy. It was a roadmap that was as much about harnessing our present strengths as it was about paving the way for breakthrough innovations.
My development of this roadmap involved a strategic layering of priorities, where the immediacy of business needs met the long-term vision of user experience. Presenting this plan to our executive team, the CPTO showcased a journey of growth that was realistic yet ambitious, a trajectory that promised consistent value delivery through phased feature releases. This approach was designed to not just meet but exceed the expectations of our users and business partners, propelling CarExpert towards becoming a paragon of the car marketplace industry.
9. CarExpert Vision: A Three-Horizon Strategy
At CarExpert, my strategic vision unfolded across three distinct horizons, each designed to guide us through the evolving landscape of car commerce with precision and foresight. The first horizon laid the foundation with our Minimum Viable Product, ensuring we delivered immediate value while setting the stage for the innovations to come. The second horizon was about growth, differentiating our offerings and enhancing functionality to outpace competitors. The third and most visionary horizon was our beacon, charting a course toward a future where advanced analytics and AI-driven personalization redefine the automotive marketplace.
In presenting this tripartite strategy to stakeholders, I crafted a narrative that was both compelling and grounded in data-driven insights. It was a vision that encapsulated CarExpert's dedication to excellence and innovation at each stage of growth. This strategy wasn't just a roadmap; it was our declaration of intent, demonstrating our commitment to lead the market not only in performance but in aspirational thinking, ensuring CarExpert remains synonymous with progress and user-centricity in the automotive industry.
Conclusion and Learnings
Concluding I recognise the inherent challenges of championing a user-centred design philosophy in environments traditionally swayed by opinion rather than data-driven insight. My journey has been a testament to the transformative power of strategic design thinking, even as it occasionally disrupts established norms.
The roadmap I introduced, while initially met with skepticism, ultimately served as a catalyst for a broader shift in perspective. It highlighted the need for design to transcend beyond the mere aesthetics of 'pushing pixels' and evolve into a strategic role within the corporate echelon. Despite resistance, the roadmap not only gained traction but also laid the groundwork for an important dialogue on the value of design thinking in strategic business decisions.
Looking ahead, my goal remains to find collaborative avenues where my expertise in both design execution and strategic planning can influence and elevate the design ethos at an executive level. I am committed to demonstrating that the path to success in product development is not through a feature factory approach, but through a deliberate, user-centric strategy that champions innovation and positions design as a key driver of business growth.
