The Problem

When the company approached us they knew they needed to do iterative testing. They’re famous for copious amounts of consumer research, market testing, and constantly obtaining customer feedback surrounding quality assurance. They realized, however, that the competition is no longer automotive but technology-driven, and the tech industry’s fast-paced innovation and superior user experience set the bar. We partnered with them to support independent testing void of confirmation bias and support with design and user experience alternatives that would enhance the vehicle experience both within and outside the vehicle.

Together with three divisions inside the company, and Aperio Insights, we developed and executed the first-ever usability tests for this client’s in-car systems. After witnessing the results, the team went on to test additional products such as power wheelchairs, mobile apps, in-car, at-speed voice UI, and more.

Our Approach

• Over 500 unique moderated, in-person usability tests
• Over 3,500 hours of live-streamed, recorded, logged, and reported quantitative and qualitative research
• Managed rotating teams of 3 to 5 UX Researchers, testing 10-12 hours daily, up to 3 days per week
• 17 separate studies, including power wheelchairs, voice UI, mobile apps, head units, and dashboards
• Moderated and unmoderated surveys including live-intercepts
• Assisted teams in internal client competitions
• Over 300 issues were discovered and recommendations were offered across multiple platforms
• New thinking in automotive design required new tools and expertise and leveraging our expertise allowed them to fully integrate a closed-loop design and testing process

The Results

• Customer satisfaction is a buzzword that is easy to target but hard to achieve. This project demonstrated that a high System Usability Score (SuS) can be consistently achieved even in complex systems
• The various design teams in and out of the auto manufacturing company had quick and ready access to test results allowing for rapid validation of what was performing well and iteration of what wasn’t
• Stakeholders at every level no longer had to guess the customer’s mental model and hope that what they were building would be usable and well-received at launch
• Our testing and the design teams’ rapid iteration went so well while visiting, the CEO himself stopped by to observe a session
• The process was so well received, and the new design work was so good, other global teams sought to understand and adopt our practices, and output