Automotive Video Platform
Project Summary
Details
Feb-Jul 2020
Design Lead
Web App & Windows App
Sketch, Zeplin, Illustrator, Whimsical
Distributed team
Background
Buying a car is a big decision, and owning a car an even bigger responsibility. For that reason, car dealerships employ F&I Managers (Finance & Insurance) to guide customers through the insurance process. F&I Managers often video record their conversation in order to evaluate their performance and assert legal compliance. However, with the sheer amount of video data this creates, it creates pain points of discoverability, storage, and ease of use.
Reahard & Associates, a family-owned company that provides hands-on training to F&I Managers, approached our consultancy to revamp their video platform.
Product Summary
F&Insights is a platform for F&I Managers to record videos and for key stakeholders to review in order to improve their salesmanship and compliance.
F&I Managers use the Windows installed app to record video in their office and enter information specific to the customer transaction. From there, the videos are stored in the cloud and available to view on the web app. Stakeholders are able to search for, view, comment on, and send videos to their colleagues to review.
We conducted user research to better understand the users and their daily habits, goals, and pain points. I collectively set goals with the design researcher and product manager. The researcher and I then facilitated and synthesized 6 user interviews with auto industry stakeholders.
Discovery Phase
Research Results
In our research, a few key insights stood out to us:
- Videos are a positive coaching tool. People who watch videos are constantly seeking learning opportunities with an unstoppable positive attitude.
- Videos support consistency and learning. Trainers and directors regularly watch videos to see if F&I Managers are applying their learnings.
- Videos are necessary for compliance. The recordings offer proof of what really happened to help dealerships cover financial risk and preserve their reputation.
We identified 4 main personas:
- Finance director - the supervisor who oversees several dealerships
- Trainer - the hands-on instructor who guides F&I Managers
- Admin assistant - the one who ensures compliance and consistency
- F&I Manager - the one who interacts with the client and records the video
The user journey was simple: users would identify what video they wanted to watch, watch and evaluate the video, and then provide feedback (either async or in real-time). When browsing for videos, users typically browsed either by performance (highest and lowest grossing deals) or calendar time (any random video from the past month will do). Users typically did not search for specific videos unless it was a compliance issue, in which case speedy and accurate results were imperative.
We created a platform that was rich with features and workflows. I used IBM's Carbon Design System and Sketch to create high-fidelity wireframes quickly and efficiently. I then organized and shared the wireframes with the distributed team using Zeplin.
Design Phase
Feature: Search and Filter
Stakeholders need to search for videos in order to find the one they want to watch.
There are a number of different use case scenarios for search and filter, the most common one being a regular monthly review with a trainer or supervisor.
I created a layout to optimize filtering and browsing. Filtering is a primary interaction and requires discoverability and visibility into all the filters. The search results were the primary focus, and therefore deserved the majority of the screen space. In the previous platform, this page was a drab data table with a few filter dropdown menus shoved in the corner. In the new layout, users are able to filter multiple values at once and view a much more visual display of the search results.
Note: The final design of the video tile was a bit our of my hands. The client was very specific of how they wanted the information displayed. Because I'm salty, I'd like to present my preferred text hierarchy (V2).
Feature: Watch Video
Stakeholders watch videos in order to review for compliance and/or learn how the F&I Managers can improve.
This page was especially complex because it required a deep level of interaction as well as large amounts of data. The design borrowed heavily from video platforms such as youtube and vimeo. Since we read left to right and top to bottom in Western culture, the most important element (the video) was in the top left. Interactive elements (such as download, comment, share) are on the left for easy discoverability. Secondary information is on the right for users interested in the details.
Feature: Record Video
F&I Managers need to record on the correct computer and upload it with the correct transactional information.
About half of Reahard's customer base also use a Dealership Management System (DMS), which stores customer and transaction data. When a user opens a transaction in the DMS, that action triggers an API signal to automatically start recording. For users who don't use a DMS, they need to manually initiate recording.
From a business perspective, it was advantageous to create consistent experiences for both DMS and non-DMS users. Therefore, we built a Windows installed app that non-DMS users could launch from the web app. Therefore, recording occurred off the web app for both users.
At this point, we were working with the complexity of 3 different apps interacting with each other. This led to a complicated and ethically concerning corner case in which someone could record video in the wrong office without obtaining consent. However, we still needed to account for users moving across different offices and give them the flexibility to switch cameras when needed.
I created user flow diagrams and (many) wireframe iterations to help facilitate discussions of how we would address these concerns. We ultimately decided to build confirmation dialogs into the Windows installed app. We also added eye-catching banners and selection menus into the web app to help keep users aware and informed.
Performance Dashboard
Supervisors want to see performance metrics to understand how people are interacting with the videos.
As always, with the creation of content comes the creation of data. Our system captured data on how many videos were recorded and watched within a given span of time, as well as how many unique deals were logged (there are sometimes multiple videos per deal) and reviewed (i.e. there is a completed compliance checklist associated with the deal).
The main use case was a supervisor who wanted to ensure their team of F&I Managers were watching their own videos. Though F&I Managers were often encouraged to do this for self-improvement, in reality they rarely did. I designed the performance dashboard to be clear, transparent, and colorblind accessible so that it would increase transparency and accountability.
My Impact
While our engagement with the company ended (due to misalignment around their troubleshooting and support needs), the efficiency of my design work helped speed up development and put us on track for an ambitious timeline. The product provides immense value for Reahard's clients and is a critical revenue source for their business.
Reflection
This project was a truly commendable effort from the entire team and a tremendous opportunity for me to design a complex interface from scratch. I learned many things, including:
- Reach for lowest effort, highest value - especially when cost savings are imperative.
- Take time to understand the problem before jumping to solutions - this often results in more effective ideas.
- Use what's worked before - there is no need to re-invent the wheel.
