UX study for Australia’s first peer-to-peer car sharing network

1. 1.0 FACES & LOGOTYPE
CAR NEXT DOOR
C
Logotype - One line Only use supplied logoty
Logos & logotypeLogotype - Stacked
UXD STUDY / SIMON METCALFE
BORROW CARS FROM REAL PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

2. CLIENT INTERVIEW
RESEARCH
STAKEHOLDERS
Meetings were held with key team members and stakeholders on several occasions to get a clear understanding of
the business problem from the clients perspective.
Operations and business development manager
Chief financial officer
Chief technology officer
Sales team
KEY INSIGHTS
Low conversion rate for new owners.
The business problem described in one sentence - potential new owners were not completing the sign-up process
without intervention from the sales team.
3 discrete back end systems cause inconsistencies between each stage of the sign-up process
The need for 3 systems currently limits the ability to standardise form design and layout completely, although Car
Next Door are working to remedy this within 1 year with full back-end API integration of the primary web site.
The earnings calculator asks for details up front - a business decision following an A/B test
A test (removing the need to enter contact details before using the owner earnings calculator) provided no
improvement in conversion, and the sales team could not longer follow-up the leads. The request for to provide
contact details upfront was reinstated for all visitors.
Common customer confusion and misconceptions: Insurance, steps to signing up, and
income expectations.
The sales and customer service team were all too familiar with the key questions and misconceptions that customers
had after visiting the site, and were looking to reduce these queries as much as possible.
Design without limitation
With redevelopment of the main web site on the horizon, Car Next Door requested that the design phase of the UX
study be carried out without being limited by their back-end systems. They hope that most of the recommendations
can be implemented once the back-end limitations are removed.

3. PROBLEM STATEMENT
BUSINESS
We need to determine the cause of the high bounce rate on the online sign-up process, so
that we can increase the conversion rate of customers and reduce the need for follow-up
calls.
BUSINESS GOALS
Ensure potential customer contact details are recorded early as a safeguard
Motivate owners to convert without intervention from the sales team
Be able to auto-approve owners based on the data they provide at sign-up
Maintain golden ratio of 1 owner : 18 borrowers
Notify non-eligible users when they become eligible to use the service
RESEARCH

4. SURVEY OBJECTIVES
The client provided contact details of 12 recently on-boarded owners. An interview script was set-up to gather a background of
each the owners, their reasons for signing-up and their pain points before, during and after. Key questions:
KEY INSIGHTS
Forms were not the biggest pain point.
In fact, very few user mentioned the forms were an issue at all, and if mentioned, the issue related to technical issues loosing
their form data. Once owners had confidence in the service, they had the intrinsic motivation to sign-up and would persevere
through an inconsistent form flow.
Finding answers to queries was difficult, and often contradictory.
Many users found the web site frustrating to navigate, and either would not find the answers, or would find duplicated and
contradictory information. Circular links, and being redirected to the members handbook in for simple queries were two
particular pain points.
Confusion with insurance, costs and potential earnings.
Owners were unsure if they needed to cancel their own insurance, or if they could benefit financially from the service.
They got lost on-boarding process, and did not know what do to next.
The on-boarding process gave no indication of how many steps there were, how long each step would take, and what needed to
happen to progress to the next step. One owner described the on-boarding email notifications as “like a bit of spam”. Many
emails were repeated, did not clearly describe what the owner had to do next, and thus they stopped progressing with the
sign-up.
Speaking to the sales team was an important part in building confidence.
The website alone was not sufficient in building enough confidence in owners to get them to sign-up. Thankfully, the early
collection of personal details and diligent sales team made it possible to convert customers.
carnextdoor.com.au Existing Owners
Persona
TRAVELLER, ENVIRONMENT
CREATIVE, EXPERIMENTAL
FAMILY, PRACTICAL, SCEPTICAL
COMMUNITY, SHARING, RESEARCH, ETHICAL
BURDEN, RECOUP
Number
3
4
5
6
7
8
Name
Hannah
Amanda
Mark
Wyatt Rob
Mark II
Emilie
Tell me about yourself?
Sex
F
F
M
M
M
F
Age (Year of birth)
33
35
46
35
32
43
27
Location (Post code)
Fitzroy, Melbourne
Surrey Hills
Balmain
Toorak, Melbourne
Brunswick, Melbourne
Marrickville, NSW
Type of accommodation
Shared
Shared rented
Flat
2 bedroom house, Rented
House, owned
Unit with partner
Unit, by self
Relationship and children?
No, No
Yes, No
No, No
Married, baby
Yes, No
Yes, No
Yes, No
Profession
Government
Actor, Retail, Teaching
Musician, freelance
Doctor
Dept of Health, COO
Secondary School Teacher
Scientific
Status
About to go travelling
Hobbies – what do you like doing?
Do you use your car much?
Weekends, 3-4 times during the
week
Doesn't use it much on the weekend,
1-2 times during the week for work
Varies
2 cars, Wife uses main car 3 days week, I use spare
car during these 3 days
2 time/week, personal
25% personal, 75% work, 3 days/week
work and rarely at the weekends
3 times per
Personal use?
Personal, visit mum in Oakley, go out
in the city, go to a wedding in
November, family holiday house
Personal, mostly, Kite boarding
Family car used for personal tasks
Shopping, visit family, but now only just visiting
family
Shops, gym, markets, home
improvements
Not spec
Work use
Personal
Work, auditions, retail shifts, drive to
Caroline Springs to work
Mainly work
Workshops after high school
Outside of using your car, do you use
any other kinds of transport?
Yes
Tram, walk, bike
Motorbike, hardly use it, a little
public transport
Bicycle, buses occasionally to the city
Yes, good at using public transport, family all
lives close, bicycle, run, use train
Tram, a lot
Train
What for?
What made you to decide to sign-up
for a car sharing service? About to go travelling, happy to
share it
Boyfriend told her about it, he used to
be with FlexiCar, "it's seemed like a
really good idea to keep the amount
of cars on the road down", "make a
little bit of extra cash out of my car"
Surrey Hills festival, "I hardly
ever use my car, and I don't
really care about it, and just
leave it on the street even
though it's brand new"
"it was inconvenient to have 1 car, so we got a
second car", "How good AirBNB was, and they had
services similar to that for cars", "If it's going to sit
on the drive for 4 days a week I might as well try
and squeeze a little cash out of it", "it can pay for
its own servicing and rego"
"We have less and less need for the car", "used
car services before so are used to the idea of
community sharing", "big on AirBNB,
SuperHosts on AirBNB", brought a car new,
doesn't make sense to sell it, "we are just
realising a loss", "fixed cost adsorption
method"
Friend of partner heard, had used other
services before, "my car is sitting there
most of the time"
What did you need to know before
enrolling?
Costs, how much time required,
how it operated
"Because I use the car so sporadically I
needed to know how hard it was to
book it", "as an owner of a car, I can
also borrow other people's cars, can't
I?", "I can hire someone else's car if I
needed one at short notice", "how
easy it was to cancel my insurance
and change over my registration"
"Do you need a certain time
available?", insurance, how it
works, "know it's all legit"
"Want to make sure the car was compressively
insured", "end up loosing money", "Make sure the
company is reputable", "an estimate of how much
cash it would generate to see if it was worth doing
or not"
"We didn't realise we were applying for a
service", "no clear delineation between for he
customer between hooking into the CND
network to find out more, and actually
progressing with an application", "you are not
sure where you are up to in the process
because you don't know what the end process
looks like", "you are not sure what you are
doing until somebody lifts the phone and
speaks back to you", "cost implications"
Pricing structure, "what I had
owner", security, "if my car
damage"
Did you find the information okay?
Not really that easy, web site
difficult to navigate, emailed
"Yes, I called and they were really
helpful", "When I read stuff online I
sometimes misinterpret", "does the
$75 cover my registration, or will I
need to pay that as well"
Yes
Yes, "but you have to work a bit for it", "I got
similar checklist on several different occasions,
some by post and some by email and some that I
found online; they didn’t all necessarily agree
with each other"
"That's great as stock standard option but
what does that mean for me", "you don't know
about costs until you are already well through
the process", "have the fees more prominently
displayed", "hypersensitive awareness", "I'm
not even sure what this is costing me so I
weren't looking for it, it's bloody hard to find",
"links are circular, point you back to the
members handbook", "kind of felt like a bit of
spam", "discrete processes hitting me in a
disjointed way"
Found some of it
them up I had th
detail"
Where did you find it (friend / review /
e)?
Website, emails
On the website or talking to
CarNextDoor people
"I had to phone them up because I don't
understand what the situation is with point, A, B,
C"
Website and
Yes
No, it's a complicated process and if you
oversimplify it does not do it justice, "
commercial realities of community sharing
were missing for me"
For the m
much I
owner
earn
"When phoning the insurance company they asked
what is the name and date of birth of the youngest
driver", "they weren't prepared for it even though
it was a very major insurer I was talking to", "lie
and pretend that we've got a young driver and
tend and make up the date of birth and the
sounds a bit unethical", "raise your
r they are organised with
anies are going
"Unanswerable questions that you are trying to
answer in your head", "Will it end up being an
overhead on my time that doesn't actually
give me a return", "am I getting into somethi
that I am going to have to get quickly out of
there are missing pieces for me"
OWNER INTERVIEWS
RESEARCH
What did you need to know before enrolling?
What made you to decide to sign-up for a car sharing service?
Did you find the information okay?
How was the on-boarding
experience with Car Next Door?
What computers and devices do you have?
Demographics and car use

5. PERSONAS
Devices
Transport Methods
“If it’s going to sit on the drive
for 4 days a week I might as well
try and squeeze a little cash out
of it.
”“An estimate of how much cash it would generate was
important to see if it was worth doing or not.
”
Story
With the birth of their second child and an increase in his working hours, Nick
was finding his increased use of the family car for work had begun to impact on
the family’s travel requirements. Nick Purchased a second car for work, so that
the family car was always available to cater for the needs of his wife and children.
Behaviours
Being a doctor, Nick is very health conscious and likes to engage the family in
sports and encourage exercise. Since the arrival of their second child, the car
has been the preferred transport for his wife to run their eldest to her school
and sports activities.
Nick and his wife are familiar other sharing services such as airbnb, but has yet
to participate in sharing their own resource. While Nick does consider the value
of collaborative consumption schemes to the community, the safety of his
family and security of his possessions is of utmost importance.
At the weekends when Nick is not working, he spends most weekends with a
family and uses a single car to visit friends, nearby attractions, nature reserves
and shopping when required. The most convenient time for Nick to browse the
internet is when he’s at home looking after the baby. He uses the family iPad or
MacBook.
Needs
• To know that all of his decisions are financially viable.
• To be aware of all possible problems and outcomes of a situation.
• To ensure that putting time and effort into something new is going to be
worthwhile.
Pain points
• Discovering there are
caveats with an investment that were not known beforehand.
• Making a poor financial decision.
• Doing something that is not best practice or by the book.
“I was interested to see if there were people in
my area that actually wanted cars.
”
“It was inconvenient to have one car, so
we got a second car.
”
ex+30+40+70$ Environment
Community
Financial
500+500=
0+1000=
400+600=
200+800=
300+700=
Bio
Male
34
Doctor
Married, 2 children
Situation
2 bedroom house, Rented
Balmain, Sydney
Nick

6. PERSONAS Story
Jane is a well educated traveller, living in a shared house while she saves for a
deposit for her own unit. While Jane does use her car regularly, she finds it is
still unused for a substantial amount of time, and this time will increase due
to an upcoming travel trip.
Behaviours
Jane is an incredibly social and busy person. Outside of work she visits local
markets, coffee shops, and the gym using a variety of transport methods
depending on distance. She also makes quarterly trips in the car to see her
family in Newcastle or to the family holiday house in Forster. Many of Jane’s
personal trips are non-essential and with good public transport in her area she
could choose to leave the car at home more often.
Jane likes to get out of the house as much as possible, and will prefer to
browse the internet on her phone at her coffee shops while waiting for
friends.
Jane finds it difficult to put time aside for practical tasks such as managing
finances. When it comes to changing service provider or signing up for
something new, it will often take a change in circumstances or an external
motivator for her to finally take the plunge. If her flow gets interrupted she
me be put off and may rethink her options.
Needs
• To have new experiences
to talk about with her friends.
• To find new and innovative ways to benefit the community and the
environment, without having to dedicate too much time.
• To know how a new product or service will work and if it will fit into her life.
• To have basic but concise information on how much something will cost.
Pain points
• Dealing with uncertainties that pop-up and interrupt her plans.
• Having to put time aside for practical tasks.
• Reading small print or lengthy documents to get answers.
“I was concerned how much of a burden would
it be to do something like this.
”
“I need to understand how something works
and how it will fit into my life.
”
“I was going away for 2 months, and was
happy to share it.
”
400+600=
0+1000=
500+500=
250+750=
350+650=
Bio
Female
33
High School Teacher
Partnered
Situation
Shared house, Rented
Marrickville, Sydney
Jane
Transport Methods
Devices “It seemed like a really good
idea to keep the amount of cars
on the road down, and make a
little bit of extra cash.
”
ex+65+75+35$ Environment
Community
Financial

7. PERSONAS
Mark
“The concept is phenomenal.
5 years ago when I didn’t have a
car I could have done with this
service.
”
Bio
Male
47
Civil Servant
Partnered
Situation
House, Owned
Hawthorn East, Melbourne
Devices
ex+90+60+50$ Environment
Community
Financial
Transport Methods
150+850=
0+1000=
650+350=
600+400=
750+250=
Story
Mark was born in Victoria and has lived there for most of his life. He has
recently moved into a new house. Mark is very close to his immediate family
and thus made the decision to purchase a house nearby to them.
Mark purchased his first brand new car a few years ago as an investment, but
since the move he finds he is using it less than once a week. Realising the
potential loss in value from selling the car, Mark is determined to make the
investment viable.
Behaviours
Mark and his partner are very familiar with collaborative consumption and are
frequent contributors to such services. They have achieved a good status on
airbnb, as well as having utilised car share services for hiring cars in the past.
Although open to new experiences, Mark is a careful researcher and doesn’t
leave anything unknown. He performs most research on his home computer,
but also will refer to his mobile phone when out of the house and requiring an
immediate answer.
Needs
• To be up to speed with the latest news, events and issues concerning the
local area and population.
• To be actively participating in new and existing community programmes
and initiatives with his partner and family.
• To know he is helping to make a positive change to the lives of friends,
family and the local community in whichever way possible.
• To be very well informed about a product or service before proceeding,
including what the potential alternatives and competitors are.
Pain points
• Being wasteful or unresourceful with purchases, services or finances.
• Failing to get answers to questions or queries though his own research.
• Failing to follow government or council regulations or laws.
“We brought the car new and it does not make
sense to sell it. We are just realising a loss.
”
“We are SuperHosts on airbnb.
”
“We have less and less need for the car.
”

8. PERSONAS Story
Louise lives by herself in a single apartment and has been working in a
marketing position since she graduated from university.
Having recently passed her driving test and due to the location of her
office, she purchased a car on finance with primary goal of commuting.
However, she’s since found the commuting traffic to be too much and
overall does not enjoy driving at busy periods. Due to the car being on
finance, she is unable to sell it at present.
Behaviours
Louise heavily relies on public transport to visit friends and go on weekend
shopping trips. She still uses the car at less busy times, mostly for trips to
see her parents.
With the increased living costs from moving from a shared house to a 1
bedroom unit, Louise has to be organised and budget carefully. She takes
an active interest in her finances and the products and services that she
engages with.
Needs
• To be kept up-to-date by her service providers.
• To be in control of her finances.
• To be able to find information quickly and effortlessly.
• To be able to complete budget calculations regularly.
Pain points
• Processes that are excessively complicated.
• Having to spend time reading detail that is not relevant to her situation.
• Being inconvenienced at a short notice.
Transport Methods
Devices “I can’t sell the car. It’s
sitting there all the time and I
don’t enjoy driving.
”
“I need to be able to access account information to
see how much I have earned.
”
ex+30+40+80$ Environment
Community
Financial
150+850=
0+1000=
700+300=
000+1000=
300+700=
Bio
Female
27
Marketing
Single
Situation
1 bedroom unit, Rented
Earlwood, Sydney
Louise
“Is everything I need to know clearly available to me?
I shouldn’t have to read fine print and things that get
confusing.
”

9. CAR NEXT
DOOR
DRIVE MY
CAR RENTALS
GOGET
EASYCAR
CLUB
GETAROUND BUZZCAR RELAYRIDES
Country Australia Australia Australia England U.S. France U.S.
Peer-to-peer Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Short term
rental
Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Unattended
key handover
Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No
Social media
sign-up
No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
Earnings
calculator
Web form
Web form /
SMS
No
Yes
Interactive
No
Yes
Interactive
No
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
RESEARCH
KEY INSIGHTS
Car Next Door is the only short term peer-to-peer rental service in Australia.
Not all peer-to-peer services facilitate the borrowing of cars without
the owner having to meet the borrower in person.
The highlighted features are currently not provided by
the Car Next Doors website, and implementing them
may help improve user engagement with their product.

10. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Design patterns from competing and
similar businesses were compared.
Particular attention was paid towards
sign-up processes and interactive
calculation of incentives.

11. USABILITY TEST
COMPETITOR (BUZZCAR)
“I don’t really want to read through all that
text here”
The last phase of the owner sign-up has a bulk of text at the
top of the form. It might be important, but this user did not
want to have to take the time to read it.
“Is it hourly/daily or per km? How does
that work?”
Several users did not understand that the per km charge is
in addition to the hourly and daily rate.
“Does that mean it doesn’t cost anything?”
While on the earnings calculator page, this user didn’t
understand if there were any costs involved with sharing a car.
“I don’t know what the DCL is!”
Damage cover liability!
“Love isn’t the clearest; English is my first
language and I was sceptical to what that was”
“Love” is the label of the link for the reviews (testimonials) page,
but the page title itself is called Reviews.
“I should not need to give contact
details to get a quote”
Some users were reluctant to hand over personal details
in order to get an estimate of their earnings.
“I would prefer to see a breakdown of how
they came to the calculation”
This user found the earnings calculator did not show what
percentage of demand was used to calculate the predicted
owner earnings.
“Who are the underwriting company?”
This user wanted to know who the underwriters were for
the insurance and breakdown cover, and could not find
the answer on the site.
“Oh god, so many boxes!”
Many users found the current site’s earnings
calculator confusing.
“What are the tax implications?”
A question also asked by an owner during the existing owner
interviews. This user could not find the answer on the current site
event though it has been previously documented!
“75% of 33c is confusing. Just tell me.”
This user didn’t like to have to work out how much they received
of the fees charged when someone borrows a car.
“Peer to peer - is that people the same age?”
This user wasn’t familiar with Buzzcar’s use of the word “peer”.
“Sign up for free!”
The name of the sign up link clearly indicated that the sign-up
was free for the user.
CURRENT WEBSITE
RESEARCH

12. ANALYSIS
Taking into account the insights from the research performed
so far, the (business) problem statement was redefined from
the users point of view.

13. PROBLEM STATEMENT
USER
I am a car owner with limited time and computer skills, who does not drive my car
very often. I would like to enrol my car on carnextdoor.com.au so it can help pay
for its own running costs. I would like to sign-up online, but I am struggling to
understand the process and get the answers to my queries. This is frustrating me
and is affecting my confidence in the service.
ANALYSIS

14. Owners need to find out how much they could
earn from their car, and also the most the
service could cost them if their car does not
make any money.
Methods
• Interactive slider to calculate earnings.
• FAQ page: costs.
• FAQ page: earnings.
• Search query: returns FAQ entries.
During sign-up process, owners need to clearly
know their progress, what need to happen to
move to the next step.
Methods
• Sign-up forms: current progress and total
steps visible throughout the process.
• Email notifications: current progress, total
steps and next action required.
• My Account: displays current sign-up
progress after logging-in.
Owners need to easily understand all the steps
in with the sign-up process, and how long the
process is expected to take.
Methods
• FAQ page: steps involved.
• Sign-up forms: total steps clearly visible on
first page.
• Search query: returns FAQ page.
Owners need to be able to pause the sign-up
process at any time and return to it.
Methods
• Sign-up forms: save and exit option.
• Email notification: complete sign-up.
• My Account: shows option to complete
sign-up after logging in.
Owners need to understand how insurance
cover works, and be prepared for the common
queries that insurance companies may raise.
Methods
• FAQ page: typical insurance scenarios.
• Search query: returns FAQ page.
USER GOALS
AND FEATURES
ANALYSIS
Simplify earnings calculator
Display sign-up progress
Pause sign-up process
Answer insurance queries
Explain sign-up steps

15. Owners need to feel confident when using the
website. Technical problems that disrupt the flow and
smoothness will reduce confidence, particularly when
personal details are being requested.
Methods
• Website : consistency and uniformity between all
sections.
Owners need to understand how they are paid when
someone borrows their car, and how they can keep
track of their earnings.
Methods
• FAQ pages: how do I get paid?
• Search query: returns relevant FAQ page.
Users need to quickly find answers to common queries
regarding rego, tolls, permits, breakdown cover and the
damage resolution process, without reading fine print.
Methods
• FAQ pages: multiple.
• Search query: returns relevant FAQ page.
Owners need to know their car can be made available
to them, when required, with the minimum of effort.
Methods
• FAQ page: how managing availability works.
• Search query: returns FAQ page.
Owners need to find out how income tax works in
relation to earnings they receive from their car.
Methods
• FAQ page: tax.
• Search query: returns FAQ page.
Owners need to know the benefits that they can bring
to the community by sharing their car with others.
Methods
• Testimonials
• FAQ page: “Why join Car Next Door”.
Owners need to understand what their travel options
are if their car is unavailable.
Methods
• FAQ page: what happens if my car is unavailable.
• Search query: returns FAQ page.
Explain car availability
Explain travel options when car unavailable
Show community benefits
Quick access to other common queries
Explain payment and tracking of earnings
Smooth web site experience
Income tax help
ANALYSIS
USER GOALS
AND FEATURES

16. HIGH PRIORITY
EASY
HARD
LOW PRIORITY
FEATURE PRIORITISATION
Explain sign-up steps
Pause sign-up process
Answer insurance queries
Explain car availability
Explain payment and tracking of earnings
Income tax help
Smooth web site experience
Show community benefits
Explain travel options when car unavailable
Quick access to other common queries
MVP Simplify earnings calculator
Display sign-up progress
ANALYSIS
The MVP represents what can be implemented with
relative ease on the current web infrastructure.
Features such as the display of the sign-up process,
and the ability to pause and save the sign-up process
may not be possible without back-end changes.
Many of the features are simple content updates,
which have been ordered by priority based on the
frequency that the goal was raised in interviews and
usability tests.

17. WHY
Car Next Door want to build-up their peer-to-peer network by signing-
up new customers, increasing geographical coverage.
WHAT
Voice: Casual, positive
Tone: Friendly
Message: We are a friendly, reputable and well established car sharing
community which you will very much enjoy being a part of.
WHO
The audience are qualified drivers who:
(a) need a low cost, safe and convenient method of hiring cars for short
and long trips, which range from social events, utility and vacation. The
cars need to be easy to book, pick-up and access.
(b) own a car, and would like to make use of its idle time to make
money to cover costs, reduce cars on the road, or to help someone in
the community who needs a car. The service must guarantee adequate
protection of their car, and participating in the service must not be time
consuming or inconvenient.
WHERE
The content may be accessed on computers, tablets or mobile phones,
but owner sign-up is probably more likely to occur at home where the car
is nearby and supporting documentation is accessible.
HOW
The majority of the sites key content is text, with some supporting
infographics, photographs and videos. Text is in the formats:
• General information pages (key content)
• FAQ questions and answers (key content)
• Tables (key content)
• News, media and blog updates (supporting content)
• PDF documentation and policies available for download (supporting
content)
WHEN
Content updating and archival should be performed:
• with a change to company policies, procedures or pricing
• at least every 6 months to ensure accuracy and completeness
• at least once per week for time-sensitive content (news, media and
blog updates) to maintain credibility
STYLE GUIDE
Terminology standardisation
• “Borrow” in place of “rent”, “hire”, and in place of “book” if possible.
• “Share” in place of... rent?
• “Car brand” in place of “Car make”
• “Car” or “Vehicle”
• “Earnings” in place of “Income”?
• “km” should always be lowercase
Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Layout trends
• “$1,000” - comma separator for 3 decimals and above
• Refer to existing style guide document as provided by Car Next Door
CONTENT STRATEGY
ANALYSIS

18. Page Section Importance Title Text
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 1
What happens if I
damage the car?
When you borrow a car through Car Next Door, you’re protected by our comprehensive in
Like with a rental car, you can choose to reduce the amount that you would be responsible
the event of damage to the car, from the standard $2,000 down to $500.
Zendesk Damage Cover 3
Do I need my own
insurance to borrow
a Car Next Door
vehicle?
Nope! How good is that? As a member, Car Next Door provides you with first class compre
coverage underwritten by a major international insurer approved by Australian Prudential
Authority (APRA).
Zendesk Damage Cover
How does damage
cover work?
During your reservation, Car Next Door protects you with our comprehensive damage cove
means you don’t need your own insurance – cha-ching savings! Should you be involved in a
you are not in breach of your agreement, you’ll only be liable for your chosen excess. You'l
this damage to us straight away.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 1
How do I get the
keys?
The keys to the car are stored in an electronic keysafe on the outside of the car. We love th
much, we call it Fred. You’ll get a code to open Fred and get the key. When you’re finished
it back as you found it.
Zendesk
Booking a
Reservation 1
How do I reserve a
car?
There are three simple ways to make an instant reservation:
Right here on our website. Just login using the blue button on the top right corner and go f
With your iPhone, Android or other smartphone using our mobile site - https://m.carnextd
Call us and we'll find you a car ($2 Call Centre charge applies): 02 8035 8000
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 1 How do tolls work?
All of the cars are fitted with eTags. If you drive on any toll roads during your booking, the
toll will be charged to your credit card at the end of the month. There are no nasty surchar
Zendesk
The Most Frequently
Asked Borrower
Questions
Do the cars have
tolling devices (e.g. e-
TAGs) and can I use
them?
Yes, all cars have tolling devices installed and you are free to drive through any tolls. You w
any tolls at cost price at the end of the month with no nasty surcharges from us!
Zendesk
The Most Frequently
Asked Borrower
Questions
Tolls - Can I get a
refund via the M5
Cashback Scheme?
Unfortunately, we are not able to participate in this scheme. From the RMS Website:
Eligibility
To participate in Cashback you need to open an electronic tolling account, register for Cash
your M5 tolls using an electronic tag.
You can only claim Cashback if:
You are a NSW resident.
Your vehicle is registered in NSW for private, pensioner or charitable use. Trips made using
business registered vehicles (including vehicles provided as part of a salary package), lease
rented vehicles, smash repair courtesy vehicles, car dealership loan vehicles, interstate reg
or any other vehicle where business usage is shown on the registration papers, for exampl
general' or 'primary producer' are ineligible.
You have registered for M5 Cashback with your tolling provider.
You have paid M5 tolls using a NSW issued electronic tag.
You have submitted your claim within twelve months of the close of the Cashback quarter.
more than 12 months after the close of each quarter will not be accepted.
Your eligibility for a Cashback rebate starts from the first day of the month in which you re
Cashback. M5 tolls paid before the date you register will not be refunded.
We are ineligible on two counts.
Our eTags are issued by a Victorian organisation.
A requirement for participating in Car Next Door is that all NSW vehicles are registered as B
This is to ensure the car has adequate CTP cover. Cars registered as Business Use are not e
scheme.
For Borrowers THE NITTY GRITTY 2
Can I share the
driving with a partner
or a friend during the
booking?
Only if they are a Car Next Door member. If you want to share the driving, then your
can join Car Next Door for free.
In the event of damage or an at-fault accident, the person who booked is responsible
Damage Cover Liability (DCL) cost, regardless of who was driving when the accient
DCL amount will also be based on the Rate Plan of the person that booked.Only APPROVED Car Next Door members are insured to drive any of the Car Next D
you have a friend or partner that you'd like to share the driving with, then simply get t
Free through our website. Then they can drive the car, even though the trip is booke
name.
CONTENT AUDIT
ANALYSIS
Text is the primary media type on Car Next Door’s web site, and plays an
essential role in communicating core business values, and informing and
converting new customers.
A systematic review of the existing site content was performed to create
a content audit. Simple tools such as Find and Replace facilitated the
quick reviewing and clean-up of content. The spreadsheet will be passed
back to the client for final review and to allow live content to be updated.
Content tasks:
Axure’s Repeater data structures were utilised to house the bulk of the
content in the prototype. The repeaters allowed for immediate updating
of data in the prototype from the audit between test sessions.
Multiple spelling corrections rectified.
Content categorised and rated by importance.
Gap analysis based on research and feedback.
Duplicate content identified and marked for deletion.
Lengthy, outdated or poorly worded
content marked for client review.
Correction of content issues detected during usability tests.
Terminology and punctuation standardised en
masse in line with content strategy.

19. BORROWER STORY
1 Dave finds his ideal
wardrobe at a local
garage sale. Desperate
not to loose a bargain he
purchases it on the spot.
2 Realising the
wardrobe is quite heavy,
Dave looks for a way to
transport the wardrobe
home. He decides a van
would be the easiest
method. 3 Dave searches on the internet and discovers
the carnextdoor.com.au website. He discovers
a nearby van, signs up and books the van.
4 Dave uses the Car Next Door
application to help him locate the
van. The key is stored in a secure
box on the side of the vehicle.
5 Dave drives the van
to the garage sale and
the garage sale owner
helps him load the
wardrobe to the van.
6 Dave drives
the van home.
7 When arriving
at home, Dave’s
housemate helps
him unload the
wardrobe from
the van. The app
reminds him to
return the van.
8 Dave returns
the van to where
it lives. The app
reminds him to
replace the key
back into the
secure box. Dave
walks back to his
house.

20. OWNER STORY
1 Wendy and James purchased
a second car but found that it is
seldom used. The running costs
for both the cars are stacking up.
2 After being told about carnextdoor.com.au,
Wendy signs up online to earn money from
her vehicle while it is not being used.
3 Wendy completes the sign-up
process, has the lock box fitted,
and markets the car using
posters in the nearby streets.
4 Meanwhile... Borris
is in need of the car
for a day out at Palm
Beach with his friends.
He sees Wendy and
James’ car is nearby
and books it.
5 Wendy is alerted that the car
has been rented by Borris. Borris
and his friends collect the car.
6 Borris begins his beach
extravaganza with his
friends.
7 After a successful day at
the beach, Borris ensures
the car is full of petrol
and free of sand before
returning it to Wendy and
James. 8 Back at Wendy and James’ house,
Borris drops off the car and replaces the
key in the lock box. Wendy and James
review their new earnings.

21. USER FLOW
ANALYSIS
The user flow is divided by the two main types of customers:
borrowers and owners.
While the owner flow is most relevant for the problem statement, the
borrowers flow has been mapped for analysis, because the borrower
and owner sign-up processes share many features.
The happy paths are based on first
time users wanting to immediately
borrow or share a car. However,
it is expected that in practice
most customers will spend several
minutes reading other pages
to answer their queries before
signing-up.
The owner sign-up process requests contact
details up-front - so if it’s aborted, the customer
can be contacted by the sales team.

22. CARD SORT
Participants were also asked what they would expect to find on the home page.
Their layouts affirmed the key actions for the site, what features should be available on the home page, and where
users expected to find certain features (such as log-in and sign-up).
A further set of participants were asked to group the
FAQ questions separately. The groups were used to
confirm category names used in the support section of
the current site, and to introduce them to the main site.
ANALYSIS
HOME PAGE FAQ CATEGORIES
Cardname
Cardno
AboutUs
Borrowers
FAQ
Help
Introduction
KeyActions
LocationsofService
About us 1 80% 20%
Blog 2 40%
Borrow a car 3 50% 33%
Borrow a van 4 50% 33%
Change my password 5
Contact us 6 80% 20%
Environmental information 7 20% 60% 20%
Extend my booking 8 50%
Fees and charges 9 33% 50% 17%
Find out how insurance works 10 20% 60% 20%
Find out if cars are available in my area 12 50% 33%
How can I make sure my car is available when I want it 13 17% 50%
How does fuel work? 14 33% 50%
How much money could my car earn? 15 50% 17%
I cannot get into the car 16 43% 29%
I have broken down 17 43% 29%
I have damaged a vehicle 18 43% 29%
I have had an accident 19 43% 29%
Invite friends 20 40%
Journey history 21 29%
Log-in 22 20%
Lost property claim 23 38% 13%
Manage my account 24
Newsletter sign-up 25 60%
Press coverage 26 60%
Read FAQ 27 40% 40%
Request to extend the service to my area 28 14% 14% 14% 14%
See when (how often) my car been used 29
Share my car for others to drive 30 14% 14% 14%
Sign-up for news and alerts 31 60%
Sign-up 32 20% 20%
Social media pages (Facebook/Twitter) 33 60%
Testamonials 34 40% 20%
The car has a problem 35 20% 40%
There is damage to my vehicle 36 29%
There is lost property in my car 37 29%
Update my address 38
When someone borrows my car, how do I get the key? 39 50% 17%
Where is my car? 40
Who has borrowed my car 41
Map (user created) 42 100%
The initial card sort helped develop a user friendly information architecture and top level navigation.
Some minor changes were made to the card names between participants. In particular, removing phrases such as “Find out...”
Prevented participants from grouping similarly named cards without proper analysis. Some participants had trouble grouping
some cards, such as “Share my car for others to drive” and “Request to extend service to my area”.
A similarity matrix was performed on the results to confirm the patterns spotted during the sorting exercises.

23. carnextdoor.com.au
Borrow a car
Borrowing
How it works
Search by area
Browse map
Refine by
vehicle type
Refine by
transmission
Refine by
vehicle price
Refine by date
View car
details
Borrow
car
Sign-up as
borrower
Extend the
service
to my area
Testimonials
Share my car
Sharing
How it works
Earnings
calculator
Sign-up as
owner
Testimonials
Subtopic 4
Plans and pricing
Borrower
Plans
Damage
liability
Owner
Earnings
info
Earnings
calculator
FAQ
Borrower
Search FAQ
Getting started
Insurance
Pricing and
payments
Parking
On the road
Encountering
the unexpected
Documentation
Get help
(If logged-in)
Owner
Search FAQ
Getting started
Insurance
Pricing and
income
On the road
Encountering
the unexpected
Documentation
Get help
(If logged-in)
Sign-up
Sign-up as
borrower
Sign-up as
owner
Help
Borrower
Extend my
booking
Where is
the car?
I cannot
get into
the car
The car
has a
problem
I have
damaged
the car
I've had
an accident
I've left
something
in a car
Owner
Extend my
booking
My car
has been
damaged
Where is
my car?
There is lost
property
in my car
My account
Log-in
Forgot
password
Extend my
booking
My journeys
View current
journey
View past
journeys
My cars
Add new car
Manage car
availability
Edit car profile
View car history
My details
My
password
My
address
Invite friends
Log-out
About us
About us
Jobs
Contact us
Email
Phone
Extend
service
to my area
Sign-up for the
newsletter
Invite friends
Media
Blog
Press coverage
Social media
Environmental
information
Key
Search field Map Date entry Video Options checklist Text field Form Interactive slider
IA/NAVIGATION
ANALYSIS
This IA represents the structure of content, plus suggested top and sub level navigation.
The FAQ questions are not shown for simplicity, only the hierarchy of categories.
Sections aimed towards existing customers, such as My account and Help, are not likely to be
implemented in the prototype as the project is concerned with converting new owners.

24. DESIGN
The paper designs were first
reproduced in Balsamiq and basic
A/B testing was performed.
The project quickly outgrew the
capabilities of Balsamiq, and high
fidelity prototypes were produced
in Axure. These could quickly
and easily demonstrate validation,
pop-ups and interactive elements.

25. EVOLUTION
Home
Sign-up
Calculator
WIREFRAME Paper HI-FI AxureLOW-FI Balsamiq

26. DESIGN RATIONALE
DESIGN
HOME PAGE
FORMS
With the intent on keeping the home page uncluttered, a simple home page prototype was built with just the key
actions identified during card sorts. The key actions for borrowers and owners are arranged in a tabbed interface,
which was well received as a low fidelity prototype. All other information previously on the home page was moved to
new page, called How it works.
Testing was performed early and users appeared to understand the purpose of the website, and were able to perform
basic navigation without any issues, so no alternative design has been tested yet. The blue and pink colour scheme
has been used throughout to represent borrowers and owners.
A basic earnings calculator was provided on the Share your car tab. Although this did not meet goal of recording
details early, it provides functionality that users expect without having to part with personal information.
The owner sign-up process was originally split into two discrete parts, to reduce the initial input down to precisely
what Car Next Door needed to assess owner eligibility. This process was tested as a low fidelity prototype and was
found to be confusing - participants did not understand there was a second part to the sign-up.
The owner sign-up process was rebuilt as a single 5-step process. To protect against leakage, data is collected in
order of importance to the approval process. If customers decide leave the sign-up process, the sales team should
have sufficient data to assess the customer and decide if a follow-up is required.
In addition to providing friendly mistake handling and a clear progress indicator, customers can find out what they
need to complete the sign-up, save their progress at any time. Customers whose age is identified as below 21 will be
presented with a notification that they are too young, and the site will offer to remind them when they are eligible.
Display sign-up progressPause sign-up process
Explain sign-up steps
Record potential customer details early
Record potential customer details early
Simplify earnings calculator
Notify non-eligible users when they become eligible to use the service

27. DESIGN RATIONALE
DESIGN
CALCULATOR
FAQ / CONTENT STRATEGY
A detailed version of the home page earnings calculator was provided for customers wanting detailed
calculations on their earnings. This calculator also does not support the business goal of recording
customer details first, but again is in line with usability feedback.
To simplify the calculator some input fields have been removed (such as car brand), and interactive sliders
have been used for numerical input such as availability. These UI elements make interaction more fun
and help promote exploration of the tool and potentially other pages on the site too.
The content audit revealed that many of the queries that users could not find the answer to, had in fact
been answered in the FAQ section, and just could not be located. This is because the FAQ questions are
split between the main site and the support site, carnextdoor.zendesk.com. Users often gave up before
discovering the support site or were put off buy its difference in appearance from the main web site.
The new FAQ section contains an updated database of relevant questions in a single, searchable,
categorised location. Users can search across all categories at once, or browse the questions.
The prototype FAQ page is basic, but has performed well in usability tests because the organisation of the
content has been much improved.
Record potential customer details earlySimplify earnings calculator
Answer insurance queries
Explain car availability
Explain payment and tracking of earnings
Income tax help
Explain travel options when car unavailable
Quick access to other common queries

28. DEMONSTRATION
Axure
http://mur2rl.axshare.com
Password: cnd101

29. TEST AND ITERATE
Usability testing was performed
on both the low-fi and hi-fi
prototypes throughout their
development.
Tests were performed in the
users home where possible,
with a mix of directed and
exploratory tasks.
Test metrics were kept simple:
determine if the users is
correctly understanding the
product, and if they can answer
the questions in a relaxed and
timely fashion.
“Tell me about this website.”
“What would you need to know before
sharing your car on the service? Please
now find the answer to your questions.”
“You are 23 years old and are looking to
borrow a car. Find out how much the
excess would be if you damaged the car.”
“You would like to join Car Next Door.
Please sign-up.”
“You have a car that is not being used regularly
and you would like share it on Car Next Door.
Your car is a 2012 Toyota Yarris. Find out how
much you could earn.”

30. ITERATION
ITERATION
ITERATION
ITERATION
“Do I not need to put where my
drivers license is from?”
“Should there be another box for
setting the to and from date?”
“Why do they need to know this?”
“How are they storing this
information?”
Keep those users on
that happy path!FORMS
TEST AND ITERATE Discrete hints placed in close proximity to
an IA element helped answer participants
queries so they could stay on track.

31. ITERATION
“Because there is nothing in
there does it mean that you
can’t reduce the damage?”
“I thought this was all one
big table.”
“I get the daily rate plus the
charge per km; is that what it is?”
“Why don’t they put membership
there, that would be useful.”
TABLES
TEST AND ITERATE
ITERATION
ITERATION
The damage cover liability table was moved in line with the borrower plans in an attempt
to keep things simple. The new layout confused some participants, so the table was
changed back to a pop-up window. Further testing of these components is essential.
Even small changes made a big difference to the in the understanding of how participants
interpreted tables and data. Several users did not recognise the table was listing
membership plans, and that the per km charge was in addition to daily rates.

32. “It says I am better
off; is that how much
money I will make?”
“Earnings calculator
makes me just think
of earnings.”
“Is my membership
fee included in
that?”
“Perhaps it should say
there that we cover your
insurance?”
“It does not break it
down into days, weeks,
months etc.”
CALCULATOR
TEST
ITERATION 1 ITERATION 2 ITERATION 3
Multiple versions if the earnings calculator were
produced. Most participants preferred Iteration 3,
however some welcomed the comparison between
their existing insurance and the Car Next Door
membership fee. Almost all users did not realise they
could cancel their insurance at some stage, or did not
take it into account when calculating earnings.
This feature of the web site will need to undergo
further testing.

33. SUMMARY
USER AND BUSINESS GOALS
The user and business goals have been considered throughout all phases of the study, and usability testing is showing a positive move towards
meeting some of the goals. However, even the recent usability tests are showing some issues remain, so further testing is required.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Test, test and test again
Every usability session provided new and interesting insights that, with testing, could further improve the experience offered by the product.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Some elements (in particular tables) designed differently to the original in an attempt to improve their experience. They had not previously
been identified as a pain point in previous research. Usability testing revealed issues with some of these new designs, and consequently they
were modified to match original and had more success.
WHAT NEXT?
More testing!
Components such as the calculator need additional work to ensure they are understood enjoyable to use by all user types. In addition, there
are several pending content updates that need through testing, such as the terminology wording for “damage cover” that may be ambiguous.
Accessibility testing should also be covered.
Mobile site
The importance of designing for mobile cannot be underestimated. Existing customer research showed that most customers use their mobile
phone or tablet device to browse the internet at least some of the time. Car Next Door’s site is responsive, but its effectiveness was not
measured. While the new form designs could be converted to mobile with relative ease, tables and calculators will need to be re-designed for
each platform or the experience of these components will suffer or fail.
Review the post-approval on-boarding process
One pain point for many users was the post-approval on-boarding process (the steps you take to ready your car for sharing). Owners found
this confusing and convoluted. Although new owners will not discover the on-boarding process until after successfully converting, making
improvements in all areas will help provide positive experience that owners and borrowers are more likely to share with others.

34. THANK YOU