My Roles:

• UX researcher
• Creative director
• UX/ UI designer

The Process

Project Goals

Marketing Goals

Our marketing goals center on building a strong brand presence and educating users about our products. We aim to:

• Establish Credibility: Instill trust in our brand and product offerings.
• Educate Users: Provide comprehensive information to users, enhancing their understanding of our brand and product range.
• Search for Availability: Enable users to easily find our products available for purchase on Nextpart.
• Locate Nearby Dealers: Help users identify the nearest dealers with the required inventory.

Business Goals

Our business goals are geared towards transforming the current website into a platform that effectively persuades wholesale customers, specifically independent repair facilities. This platform should position bproauto as a reliable second-line option for a wide range of vehicle makes. To achieve this, we need to provide the necessary functionality and resources that assure B2B customers of our substantial investment, ensuring a long-term partnership:

• Evolve Website: Modernize and improve the website to cater specifically to B2B customers.
• Persuade Wholesale Customers: Convince independent repair facilities to consider bproauto parts as a trusted second-line option.
• Demonstrate Credibility: Showcase our commitment to being a dependable, long-term parts partner, both now and in the future.

User Goals

Our diverse user base has unique goals and requirements:

• Independent Repair Facility Shop Owner: Their primary goals are to explore the parts catalog, assess the credibility of our brand, and easily place orders via NextPart.
• Regular Consumer (Do It For Me): These users seek assurance that our parts are genuine and perform effectively. They compare prices with other brands to make informed purchase decisions.
• Automotive Enthusiasts (Do It Yourself): Their aim is to swiftly find the product they need and access information on where to purchase it.
• Media Representative: Their goals include exploring the parts catalog, validating the credibility of our products, and checking for product availability.
• Dealership Parts Manager: They are interested in searching for specific categories of parts, finding information on warranties, and obtaining details to better serve their customers.

Research

In-depth research was conducted, with a primary emphasis on competitive benchmarking within the automotive aftermarket. The investigation covered prominent industry leaders, including:

• Cardone
• Denso
• Motorcraft
• AutoZone
• Bosch
• Rockauto
• ACDelco

The key areas of focus during this research encompassed:

1. Navigation Structure: An analysis of the navigation systems employed by these industry giants to ensure ease of finding information relevant to the user.
2. Main Flows for Finding Parts: Examining the primary user journeys for locating auto parts efficiently.
3. Page Content Evaluation: Evaluation of various aspects, including results pages, result cards, homepage design, product pages, and the "where to buy" page.

Additionally, usability testing was carried out, with detailed notes being taken for subsequent card sorting exercises. This step aimed to refine and optimize the overall user experience.Furthermore, the research involved engaging in stakeholder interviews, which played a crucial role in the development of comprehensive user personas. These personas serve as valuable tools to better understand and cater to the needs and preferences of our target audience.

Analysis

To refine our understanding of the user experience, we integrated insights obtained from usability testing, competitive benchmarking, and stakeholder interviews into a card sorting process. This card sorting exercise led to the creation of an Affinity Diagram, which encapsulated user behaviors, pain points, and positive interactions within the primary user flow. Subsequently, the Affinity diagram served as the foundation for constructing a User Journey Map. This map elucidates user goals, behaviors, pain points, and emotional states throughout the entire user journey.In addition to this, a content comparison research initiative was undertaken, focusing on the main website pages, including the home page, results page, result cards, product page, and where to buy page. This analysis aimed to identify recurring patterns and user expectations. A parallel examination involved comparing user flows and product navigation against those of competitors. The findings were systematically organized into tables for a more structured and comprehensive overview of the research outcomes.

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The Problem

Facilitating the easy retrieval of detailed part information for users.

The Solution

Information Architecture

• Home Page
• Parts Landing Page
• Parts Category Page
• Part Product Page
• Part-Specific Product Page
• About Page
• Where to Buy Page

Subsequently, I developed user flows illustrating the pathways users can take through the navigation and search functionalities.

Personas and Flows

Wireframes

UI

The UI maintains the high-tech, innovative, and reputable design established in the previous iteration. In the initial website phase, we introduced a novel horizontal scrolling format with limited content. However, this second phase embraces a more conventional structure, prioritizing the user's seamless access to auto parts within the parts catalog via search and navigation.

Design System

The website was launched in October, 2023 for AAPEX (a trade-only event for the automotive aftermarket) in Las Vegas.