Steel Buddy

Car Maintenance Tracking App

The mistreatment of cars and a lack of attention to maintenance can lead to serious air pollution, accidents, traffic jams, as well as impact mental health.

Role

Product Designer
UX Researcher
UI Designer

Tools

Figma
Miro
Optimal Workshop
Adobe Creative Suite

Skills

User research
Sketching
Wireframing
Branding
Prototyping
Usability Testing

Timeline

Oct - Nov 2023
UI Design updated on Feb.2024

The Solution

A swift evaluation connects users with the ability to efficiently manage their car maintenance regularly, organizing its history by uploading relevant documents. This proactive approach helps them avoid significant car issues and save money in the long run.

View Prototype

Usability testing

Task 01

Setting a reminder for the next car maintenance appointment.

100%

Direct success

Task 02

Uploading a document to a maintenance history folder and exporting the entire record.

98%

Direct success

Task 03

Discovering the basic car maintenance costs and removing a service from the list.

92%

Direct success

Background

Where can we find the needs and target users?
Why does the product need to be produced?

In 2023, there are projected to be 243.4 million licensed drivers in the US, which includes 89% of US adults. Additionally, as of late 2020, only about 27% of new vehicles were being leased instead of purchased.*

*Hedges Company Article
*Google search

Initial Problem Statement

The mistreatment of cars and a lack of attention to maintenance can lead to serious air pollution, accidents, traffic jams, as well as impact mental health.

I assumed that there are needs to maintain their car health effectively, and drivers agree that they can prevent major auto issues or save money on car maintenance services by doing so.

Competitor Analysis

👍

👎

The platform offers strong auto company and DMV connectivity for recall checks, registration fee deadlines, and features like fuel tracking and the value of the user’s car with recommended services based on mileage.

Issues reported include a malfunctioning service locator, user concerns about potential data sale, and complaints of history loss due to verification errors.

👍

👎

The platform offers easy log sharing via various formats, a user-friendly display for multiple vehicles with customization options, and a straightforward interface.

The platform lacks options for image and video uploads, detailed car information, and faces difficulties with adding a third vehicle while also having an excess of advertisements.

Competitor Key findings

Competitor Focus:

Displaying maintenance service logs and history
Providing reminders
Offering customization options
Detailed maintenance and care information

Competitor’s User Satisfaction:

Satisfied with the concept
Ability to manage maintenance service history
Locating local auto repair shops via the mobile application

User Interview

I chose to engage with users have driver license directly, listening to their experiences and insights.

Quotations from the user interview.

"I've got mechanic experience, handle basic maintenance, never kept records but considering it now. Haven't faced major issues yet, but understand maintenance importance. Bought a used car online, confident I can fix it if needed, didn't check its history."

"I rely on my cousin's recommended mechanic for regular check-ups, maintaining physical records of invoices. While my car knowledge is limited, I'm open to learning more and considering electronic maintenance tracking."

"I prefer official Subaru dealerships for maintenance, prioritizing trust over price. Confident in our car's upkeep, we maintain electronic records and choose expertise for complex repairs."

User Interview & Survey Summary

They are aware of the importance of preventive maintenance
for their cars and want to find a reasonable price when they perform car maintenance.

According to a survey, people have been struggling to find reliable mechanics. Sometimes, they rely on their family members or friends due to trust issues.

Overall, they actively seek out solutions whenever they encounter auto issues if they have difficulty identifying the problem with mechanics.

Detailed Research Findings

HMW & POV

I'd like to explore ways to assist drivers with busy schedules by providing reminders, as they may not be aware of when and what type of maintenance needs to be performed at specific mileage intervals.

I'd like to explore ways to assist drivers with low budgets who find it challenging to perform basic maintenance themselves. This is because they have difficulty trusting mechanics who may overcharge them without providing any evidence.

Ideation

Brainstorming ideas straight from my noggin, inspired by the awesome insights I gathered from user interviews and research.

solution

Despite the many needs expressed by drivers, I attempted to create an MVP version of the product. This led to the idea of guiding drivers through reminders, documenting the history of their car maintenance, and providing a feature for estimating quotations for maintenance services.

Post Launch

If I have more time...

One of the user's pain points was a lack of knowledge about car maintenance services. During the research, I developed the idea of an AI chatbot feature. This idea involves providing possible problems based on the symptoms that the user types into the AI chatbot.

If I had more time, I would like to develop the AI chatbot feature for the product. I believe that this feature would be helpful for users to identify their car problems and easily access the answers they may have regarding their cars.

What I learned

While working on this project, the most challenging aspect was understanding the service/product. There were numerous complex terms and logics related to car maintenance, making it difficult to design without a full understanding. However, my thorough research and insights always guided me to solve the problem.

Even though the product contains a lot of content, I was able to prioritize them as MVP through usability testing.

Furthermore, whenever I faced with UX design problems, I reached out to my other designers, mentors and friends who are developers and they gladly helped me to get closer to the solutions.