Reimagining the In-Store Car Buying Experience

Buying a car in person is often stressful, confusing, and time-consuming. With many customers shifting to online platforms, we saw an opportunity to enhance the in-person dealership experience. I collaborated with researchers and designers to create a digital solution that builds trust, reduces friction, and improves efficiency for both car buyers and dealers.

The Problem

Our research showed pain points for both car buyers and dealers including:

• Buyers distrust dealers, lack financial clarity, long wait times at the dealership, and end up with cars they can’t afford.

• Dealers struggle with excessive paperwork, outdated inventory, and difficulty building customer trust.

Our Goal

Improve the walk-in experience by:

• Provide buyers with realistic, affordable car payment options.

• Provide real-time inventory and pricing to build customer trust.

• Equip dealers with smarter tools to reduce pen-and-paper data entry, and shorten customer wait times at the dealership.

User Interviews

Sales Associate Empathy Map

Synthesis

Through interviews and empathy mapping, we found:

• Manual paperwork causes delays

• Many buyers lack financial literacy

• Transparency and guidance are critical to building trust

• 50%+ of buyers purchase cars they didn’t plan on due to affordability

We proposed a QR-based digital experience for in-dealership use, that could result in the following positive outcomes for both customers and the business:

• Boost Buyer Confidence & Trust:

  Transparent pricing, detailed vehicle info, and dealer ratings help build trust and improve conversion by giving buyers confidence in their choices.

• Real-time Accurate Inventory:

  Provides dealers and shoppers with accurate, up-to-date inventory, making it easier to identify available vehicles on the lot.

• Transparent Pricing:

  Offers realistic, budget-based recommendations so buyers can focus only on vehicles they can afford—saving time for both customers and dealers.

• Data and Analytics:

  Delivers insights on buyer behavior, preferences, and dealership performance—empowering dealers to optimize inventory, marketing, and sales strategies. buyers.

We wanted to digitalize the car buying experience and help buyers find their preferred vehicle within their budget quickly and easily. Our goal was to create a QR experience that could help alleviate a lot of confusion, paperwork, and mistrust at the dealerships.

User Flow & Sketches

As a team we created a user flow to flesh out the user journey. Afterwards, we rapidly developed hand-drawn sketches of what the screens could possibly look like.

These are the wireframes that were presented to my stakeholders along with the feedback they provided me. I learned a lot through these early iterations such as how to design the Home Screen by minimizing distractions and drawing users' focus on the CTA.

The project was well-received by leadership and partners but placed on hold due to shifting priorities.

Although not funded, our research showed that a QR code experience could significantly improve the car buying process by reducing friction, increasing transparency, and building trust.

I learned that improving the dealer tools has a direct, positive impact on buyers and sellers. If the project moves forward, I’d be excited to support future research and usability testing.