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Service Design | User Research | Visual Design
Understanding The Auto Body Repair Customer Experience
The Challenge
Understand what is stressful about the auto body repairs service and solve accordingly.
Overview
This project I worked on as a consultant with two other researchers. Our goal was to research and understand key touchpoint that customers perceive to be more/less stressful, and to present a variety of solution to the business that might improve the service experience.
My Role
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User Researcher
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Lead Visual Designer
Stakeholder Research
Understanding The Service
We hosted 6 in-depth interview sessions with staff to understand how the service works and here stories from past experiences. We found that there were many gaps in assurance and follow up for customers if they should slip through the cracks.
“This place is maxed out. The amount of work we push through this place – I know shops twice our size that would love to push out what we are able to. “
-Austin Body Works Manager
Customer Research
Learning The Customer Experience
We had customers create personal journey maps and emotional charts in order to understand and empathize how they felt at key moments in the experience. We found signs confusion towards certain interactions within the experience and themes of distrust toward auto body shops in general.
“Going by myself as a female…a lot of times you get taken advantage of. That’s why I brought my boyfriend to show off his mechanical smarts.”
-Austin Body Works Customer
Research Insights
Miscommunication Leads To Exits
Our team found the lack of communication after the initial estimate and at critical points in the service delivery creates unintended friction and customer angst. This angst comes in part because customer begin the service experience with skepticism of the auto body repair industry.
Design Principles
Our Design Must…
We designed each concept to improve interactions based on four design principles that we came to through synthesis and insight formation.
Include The Customer Along The Journey
Our system must equip customers with the information they need to feel empowered and in control of their lives.
Conservative Mentality
Our solution must be low-risk, flexible, and implemented in a phased approach to test and build confidence.
Small Office Footprint
Our solution should be compact and recognize physical space as a limitation.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Our solution should inspire and inform positive customer storytelling in order to leverage word-of-mouth marketing.
Coming Up With Solutions
Designing at Key Touchpoints
Our team performed three ideation sessions which resulted in two concepts: A additional handout sheet to allow greater customer understanding of the service estimate sheet; and send-off postcards with quality assurance sign offs from two members of staff.
Estimate Navigator Sketch Vignette
Paper Prototype of Quality Assurance Postcards
User Testing
Measuring The Success/Failure Of Concepts
Our team performed three ideation sessions which resulted in two concepts: A additional handout sheet to allow greater customer understanding of the service estimate sheet; and send-off postcards with quality assurance sign offs from two members of staff.
“This [Postcard] is nice to have in case I need to call them next time, and I have their number right there.”
-Austin Body Works Customer
Shipping the Solution
Estimate Navigator
When a customer receives an estimate, they receive an easy-to-read communication to help navigate the estimate and compare it to others.
Quality Assurance Postcard
When a customer picks up their vehicle, they receive a postcard that reinforces the warranty and positive service experience.
