Protecting consumers from odometer tampering

Challenge

‍

In the past two years, the issue of odometer tampering has become a significant concern for consumers, particularly those in the market for used vehicles. During this period, there has been a substantial four-fold increase in such incidents, highlighting the severity of the problem. One notable case involved a seller who fraudulently reduced the recorded mileage on a vehicle by a staggering 400,000 km.

‍

Goal

‍

Provide the latest 3 odometer readings to consumers to identify any discrepancies

‍

‍

Results

‍

Successfully launched as a new feature via Check a vehicle registration with A32.3M revenue potential, addressing odometer scams with 588 reported cases (as of April 2024)

Design process

‍

I was able to jump straight into ideation when joining this project, given the initial research has already been completed and the project's objective is well-defined.

‍

Design exploration

‍

During the ideation process, we carefully considered three key factors:

‍

Desired level of prominence

Based on our research, the odometer reading is crucial for users. We aim to make it visible without overshadowing other essential information, striking a balance between visibility and prominence.

‍

Optimal position for the odometer reading

Our aim is to position the odometer reading in a section that aligns with user expectations and intuitively "makes sense" to them. By considering users' mental models and interaction patterns, we strive to create a seamless and user-friendly experience.

The appropriate placement for the disclaimer

Our challenge is to display the disclaimer optimally, balancing legal information provision with a clean design. We explore different design options, considering information hierarchy to effectively communicate the disclaimer's message while preserving visual appeal and UI usability.

‍

Diverge

‍

To foster a broader range of design ideas during the early stage, we adopted two distinct approaches — prominent and minimalist.

‍

Prominent design ensures that the desired information stands out prominently. In contrast, minimalist design focuses on simplicity and streamlined visual elements.

‍

Furthermore, we incorporated components from other transactional interfaces to maintain consistency across our design. This ensures a cohesive and familiar user experience, leveraging successful design elements from existing transactions while adapting them to this project.

‍

Converge

‍

Following an internal review of all the designs, we made the decision to proceed with the minimalistic approach. The prominent designs were deemed unsuitable as they occupied a significant portion of the screen, potentially hindering the overall user experience.

‍

As a result, we narrowed down our options to two remaining designs.

‍

To validate our assumptions, we conducted a survey to gather feedback on the designs. This feedback would help us solidify our understanding of user preferences and make informed decisions regarding the final design direction.

‍

Survey

‍

In the survey, we targeted a specific user group that met the following criteria:

• Users who had purchased a vehicle within the last 12 months

• The purchased vehicle had to be a used vehicle

• Users who had utilised the "Check a vehicle registration" feature

‍

This user group was selected because they were likely to benefit the most from the new odometer reading feature.

‍

Apart from getting feedback on the designs, we wanted to gather information that can validate our assumptions, we included key questions such as:

‍

• How important is odometer reading when using the "Check a vehicle registration"

• What type of information they would like to see from the odometer reading

• Where the odometer reading should be displayed within the interface

‍

Survey Results

‍

Following the completion of the survey, we have received valuable feedback from the customers. Here are the key findings and insights derived from their responses:

Final design

‍

Based on the insights gathered from the survey and continuous refinement, we have finalised with the design solution below.

‍

‍Future

‍

Gather post release feedback on the design and identify areas for further improvement through usability testing. This process will allow us to gain valuable insights and uncover potential enhancements for this feature.

‍

While we have made progress, we acknowledge that there is still ample room for improvement. For example, a significant challenge lies in distinguishing whether the odometer reading has been tampered with or if it is simply a human error. Addressing this issue would require innovative thinking and exploration of potential solutions to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the information presented.