Strategy | UX Design | Team Management | Prototyping
Smart (Pitch)
Year: 2019
Client: Audi
Role: UX Strategist, UX Designer, Team Management
Challenge: The challenge was to create a forward-thinking digital experience for Smart (a subsidiary of Daimler), emphasizing the brand's innovative, eco-friendly vision and appealing to urban, tech-savvy customers. The solution needed to position Smart as a leader in urban mobility while delivering a user-centered design that showcased the brand's focus on convenience, sustainability, and modern technology. The project was part of a competitive pitch with tight deadlines and high expectations.
Situation:
Smart, known for its compact and sustainable vehicles, sought a bold concept for a digital platform to reinforce its position as an urban mobility leader. The platform aimed to provide a seamless and personalized experience, helping users explore, customize, and purchase Smart vehicles while also integrating features like car-sharing options and eco-friendly driving insights. Our team was tasked with crafting a visionary, innovative solution within a limited timeframe to secure the client.
Task:
As the Lead UX Designer, I was responsible for:
Strategy: Defining the app's core concept and ensuring it aligned with Smart’s brand values of innovation, sustainability, and urban mobility.
UX Design: Designing intuitive user flows and interfaces that simplified complex tasks, like vehicle customization and integration with Smart's mobility services.
Team Management: Leading a team of designers, ensuring cohesive execution, and aligning efforts with the overall vision.
Prototyping: Developing high-fidelity prototypes to demonstrate the concept’s functionality and user experience during the pitch.
Action:
Strategy:
Conducted market research and competitor analysis to identify key opportunities and trends in urban mobility and electric vehicles.
Collaborated with stakeholders to define the platform’s purpose, focusing on Smart's unique selling points: compact, eco-friendly design and urban convenience.
Crafted a narrative that highlighted how the platform could elevate Smart’s brand and meet the needs of modern, eco-conscious city dwellers.
UX Design:
Designed user flows that streamlined the process of exploring, customizing, and purchasing Smart vehicles.
Integrated features like a 3D vehicle configurator, car-sharing options, and personalized driving insights to enhance user engagement.
Created wireframes and prototypes emphasizing simplicity, clarity, and visual appeal to reflect Smart's brand identity.
Team Management:
Led a multidisciplinary team of designers and developers, conducting daily stand-ups and design critiques to ensure alignment and maintain high-quality output.
Fostered collaboration with the branding and marketing teams to ensure consistency between the app concept and Smart’s broader brand strategy.
Managed timelines and deliverables, ensuring all components were completed within the tight pitch deadline.
Prototyping:
Developed high-fidelity interactive prototypes featuring key app functionalities, such as vehicle customization, eco-driving metrics, and car-sharing integration.
Tested the prototypes internally to refine the user experience and ensure all elements functioned seamlessly.
Result:
The pitch successfully secured Smart as a client, with the concept praised for its innovation, user-centric design, and alignment with Smart’s values.
The app concept became a foundation for future digital initiatives, showcasing Smart’s commitment to urban mobility and sustainability.
The project demonstrated our team’s ability to deliver high-quality, forward-thinking solutions under pressure, further solidifying the agency’s reputation for excellence in UX design.
