Driving design for North America
The Challenge
Working with Volvo Cars the last four years has given us a front-row seat into the evolution of their brand and the automotive industry as a whole. With visions of an all-electric future and a push for innovation in the way car buyers discover and own vehicles, the variety of digital projects presented to us by Volvo has been wide-ranging and bold.
We’ve worked on dozens of projects and workstreams, leading in some and augmenting teams in others. From a global site redesign and the launch of an innovative car subscription service, to AR/VR car customization tools, we’ve made friends in all kinds of different departments and are grateful to be able to work with the company during a pivotal moment in their history.
We’re extremely proud of the work. But we’re even happier with how the work came to be: Each project was a collaborative effort that would have been impossible without the talented designers and engineers of Volvo. This case study is as much theirs as it is ours.
While we won’t showcase everything we’ve done together (some of it is still a secret!), the following stories give an overview of some of our team’s favorite projects.
Homepage Design
It’s hard to overstate the importance of a brand’s homepage. In many cases, it’s the starting point for a user’s interaction with Volvo. And with a company whose presence spans dozens of countries and languages, we wanted to make sure we created a beautiful, consistent experience that was in-keeping with strategic priorities and replicable for a global team.
Working with Volvo’s time-tested safety reputation for the messaging, we intentionally surfaced and prioritized their line of electric vehicles (dubbed “recharge”) to highlight the company’s vision for a climate neutral future. We made it easy for visitors to educate themselves on this emphasis and align themselves with Volvo’s new direction.
We also made sure the layout was flexible so that the site could adapt to different selling priorities while still feeling cohesive across global markets.
User Education
When selecting a vehicle, we wanted to emphasize Volvo’s strengths and give users everything they needed to make a smart decision for them. We needed to present site visitors with compelling vehicle options and specifications, give them the ability to customize that vehicle to their liking, and take them through an easy and intuitive purchase process – all in one seamless experience.
We began by mapping out a high-level strategy for the entire buyer education process. This meant lots of flow-charting and conversations to get teams in alignment and understand who owned what.
We needed to understand every entry point in which a user might discover and learn about Volvo’s electric vehicles. Laying out each journey helped us direct people to the right place where they could design and purchase their dream car.
Volvo Studio
Once users learned more about Volvo’s options, the next step was to get them behind the wheel. We worked with the valet and retail tools teams to create a flow that allows users schedule test drives online. Once booked, Volvo would then deliver the car directly to the customer’s home – a vital contactless option during the pandemic.
We also helped Volvo launch the digital component of their first “studio” location, providing another physical way for customers to explore the vehicles.
Purchase
When it came to the purchase experience itself, we ran a collective workshop with stakeholders to define the key elements of that specific journey. This ultimately produced an end-to-end flow and wireframes that illustrated the most important steps in the process.
We designed a pre-order flow that allows users to reserve a Volvo (like they might for a new cellphone release) by putting down a deposit online.
The final UI designs demonstrate the attention to detail and the necessity of customizing the flow to accommodate alternate currencies, taxes and other details for different countries. We made sure that “order status” was emphasized in a way that would build excitement for delivery day.
Care By Volvo
In addition to pre-ordering, we also helped launch Care by Volvo, an innovative car subscription service.
Subscribers can get comprehensive maintenance, tire and wear protection along with insurance coverage for eligible drivers. They even have the ability to swap cars out during the engagement, based on need, providing a refreshing driving experience year-round.
This negotiation-free process takes place online and the vehicles can be delivered to the subscriber’s home. We created flows that handle credit checks, dealer recommendations, and even the waiting process for car delivery. The entire experience was designed to keep users excited and informed all the way up until delivery day.
We're Grateful
The level of collaboration and momentum we’ve been able to create with Volvo Cars is a testament to their great people. After years of partnership, we’ve learned a ton from their teams and like to think a little Funsize has rubbed off on them as well!
