Ford F-150
Hedin Mobility Group
The brief
Hedin US Motor is the exclusive distributor of the Ford F-150 in Europe, tasked with making this iconic American pickup available across the European market. Their primary mission is to distribute the Ford F-150 to a wide network of dealerships across various European countries.
Currently, I am involved in maintaining their website, and we are in the midst of an exciting process to revamp their current site. This involves a fresh approach to design, functionality, and user experience to ensure the website not only reflects Hedin US Motor's professionalism and market-leading position but also effectively supports their sales and communication with dealers and customers.
If you want to see my content design, please click here
My role
I started designing the website using the already excisting components due to financial savings and this is the start of it.
The team
Isabelle Axelsson - UX/UI Design
Maria Ågerup – Head of Communications Hedin US Motor
Daniel Roos – Marketing Manager Distribution Hedin
How might we balance the needs of both Ford enthusiasts and dealers to ensure the website serves as a valuable resource for both groups?
Research
Research Methodology
The research is conducted through two sets of user interviews, the first interviews conducted before even starting with the prototype to see what kind of frustrations, pain points, goals, and motivators my audience had. The users that I interviewed were people from European countries in different age categories and genders.
Based on the provided information, the research methodology for understanding customer needs and preferences for Ford F-150 in Europe involves a comprehensive approach:
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Data Analysis from Hotjar and Google Analytics: Utilizing these tools to analyze website behavior, such as user interactions, navigation patterns, and possibly user feedback through surveys or polls.
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Interviews and Insights from Sales Organization: Gathering qualitative data from interviews with sales representatives in Sweden and Germany. This includes understanding direct feedback from the front lines of customer interaction, identifying common questions, concerns, and interests.
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Customer Engagement at Exhibitions: Meeting customers face-to-face at exhibitions to gain firsthand insights into their preferences, expectations, and decision criteria related to pickup trucks like the Ford F-150.
Identified Customer Insights:
Main Pain Points:
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Price Point in Recession: Sensitivity to pricing due to economic conditions.
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Rising Fuel Costs: Concerns about ongoing operational expenses.
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Hesitance to Buy a New Car: Consumer reluctance towards committing to a new purchase.
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Climate Changes: Awareness of environmental impacts and potential future regulations.
Biggest User Needs:
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Utility for Work-related Tasks: Ability to tow and transport tools, equipment, and machinery.
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Financial Affordability: Ensuring affordability without incurring excessive debt.
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Versatility as Everyday Vehicle: Desire for usability beyond work purposes, making it suitable for everyday use.
Top Three Motivators:
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Driving a Nice and Fancy Car: Aspiration towards owning a vehicle that is perceived as stylish and high-quality.
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Smart Features: Interest in technological advancements and modern features that enhance the driving experience.
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American Brand Appeal: Preference for vehicles associated with American brands, potentially driven by perceptions of quality, style, or cultural appeal.
Conclusion:
This research methodology integrates quantitative data from web analytics with qualitative insights gathered through interviews and direct customer interactions. By understanding customer pain points, needs, and motivators, Hedin US Motor can tailor their marketing strategies and product offerings to effectively address customer concerns and preferences in the European market for pickup trucks like the Ford F-150.
User Personas
Our target audience is men aged 40-60 who either engage heavily in towing and loading tasks or seek adventurous experiences. For this demographic, the most critical aspect of designing our website is to comprehensively explain all the features that the Ford F-150 trucks offer. This includes detailed descriptions, high-quality visuals, and practical demonstrations of towing capacity, engine capabilities, interior comforts, technological innovations, and safety enhancements. Our goal is to provide clear navigation, user-centric content, and interactive tools that empower potential customers to understand how the Ford F-150 meets their specific needs and enhances their daily activities or adventures.
Wireframing
Before we began prototyping, we conducted thorough research to gather insights into our audience and their needs. Armed with this understanding, we proceeded to the drawing board. After discovering that our users typically spend an average of 5 minutes on the site, we understood the importance of providing comprehensive information. To accommodate this, we decided to sketch out numerous components, resulting in longer pages. This approach was endorsed by feedback from the company, emphasizing, "We need to provide them with as much information as they want – you're talking about nerds here!"We had two notable challenges we encountered during this project:
- The necessity to utilize components already present in our library
- The customer (and company) wanted a lot of information to fill their customers' need to know everything about the truck.
To streamline our process and ensure efficiency, we adopted a strategy of creating wireframes in desktop mode. This allowed us to visualize the layout and structure of the website effectively. Additionally, we meticulously designed all the necessary components beforehand. By doing so, we ensured that we had a clear inventory of components to work with, facilitating a smoother development and implementation phase.
Creating a user journey
For the most part, we wanted to create an informative website for people wanting to know more about the Ford F-150. We decided to define some customer journeys with the data from Hotjar.
- Book a test drive
- Find your nearest reseller
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Synthesis
I conducted a MoSCoW-prioritization with my users (based on what I've learned in school)
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Must have
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Should have
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Could have
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Will not have
Must have
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Book a test drive option
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Informative text and videos of the features
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Contact information to Hedin US Motor
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Find a dealer
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Model pages
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Information about recalls and warranty
Should have
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Newsletter or a media hub with news
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Prices
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Information about financing options
Could have
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Campaign pages from local dealers
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Information about Hedin US Motor
Won't have
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Buying option
Pure Learnings
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The users are using the website more in the upper funnel of their decision (Awareness, interest)
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The user tends to spend a lot of time on the website
Change consideration
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Let's see once it's live
Feature requests
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A language selector
Final results:
I regret to tell you that the final results aren't ready yet... But stay tuned, it will be up and running in the middle of August. For now, you can see the web site live but before the changes: https://f150europe.com