Background

The Showroom application is designed to work seamlessly with tools like VIN, Manager View, Deal List, and Accelerate My Deal, creating a connected ecosystem for efficient deal-building. However, this dependency poses challenges for dealers who don’t purchase/use VIN or Manager View. To address these needs, this project focuses on adapting Showroom for a VIN-agnostic workflow while maintaining compliance and compatibility with existing CRM systems.

Who are the target users?

1. Dealership Sales Representatives: Sales reps using Showroom to build deals in-store, particularly those without access to VIN or Manager View.

2. Audi Dealerships: Dealers under Audi’s OEM certification program requiring compliance with specific standards.

3. CRM-Dependent Dealers: Dealerships relying on existing CRMs to manage customer interactions and deals.

Stakeholder Interviews

I collaborated with product and engineering teams to gather and identify the critical requirements for adapting the Showroom application to meet the needs of VIN-agnostic dealerships while aligning with Audi’s compliance standards and Identified Key Business needs and constraints:

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Business Needs:

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1. Maintain Certification: Ensure compliance with Audi's requirements to avoid decertification.

2. Seamless Integration: Leverage existing connections between "Showroom" and Audi’s CRM for a smoother operational flow.

3. Minimal Changes: Implement only necessary modifications to meet Audi's needs without extensive overhauls.

4. Decent User Experience: Provide a satisfactory experience for dealers using the Showroom tool.

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Business Challenges:

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1. Manual Negotiation Process: Recognize that negotiations are handled manually, requiring careful coordination with Audi's CRM.

2. Limited Scope: Focus on selling Showroom as a tool for VIN-enabled dealers, with long-term standalone marketing plans set aside.

3. Efficient Deal Building: Support Audi in creating deals in-store while navigating existing CRM workflows.

4. Dependency on Audi's Systems: Ensure compatibility with Audi’s established systems and processes, which may limit customization options.

After collaborating with engineering and product teams, I analyzed the workflow and developed an optimized architectural user flow diagram to align technical requirements with user needs

Proactive Research-Driven Improvements

I conducted an informal cognitive walkthrough to evaluate the current experience and identify usability inconsistencies. This process revealed several key issues impacting the user journey. I documented these findings and collaborated with product and engineering teams to ensure they were addressed as part of this project, aligning the fixes with the overall goals for an improved and consistent user experience.

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Here are the key findings:

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1. Inconsistent representation of deals without associated car images, leading to a fragmented user experience

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Design Objectives

Combining all of my research findings, I defined a clear set of design objectives to guide and articulate the ultimate goals of the project, ensuring a focused and user-centered approach to enhancing the Showroom application. These objectives are:

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Project-Specific Requirements:

• Ensure users can operate Showroom independently of VIN and Manager View, avoiding any negotiation workflows within the application.

• Enable Audi users to send leads to the CRM.

• Inform users clearly:

  • When a deal is successfully sent to the CRM.

  • When an error occurs, with a suggested resolution method.

Universal Improvements Across Showroom Application:

• Ensure users clearly understand how to share the deal link through the appropriate CTA.

• Improve clarity when users open deals without a car image, addressing inconsistencies in deal visualization.