Buying a car is one of the most complex customer journeys on earth. From deciphering needs and wants to determining a budget to the actual purchase itself, consumers have a myriad of choices and little reliable information to guide them. Bradley Miller, Sr. UX Researcher at Autotrader, will describe how he used UserTesting’s Live Conversation to understand the complex and exhausting process of purchasing a car, and how he used those findings to help his company improve its customer journey. In this webinar, you’ll learn: How to use ethnographic interviews to get customers to open up about their thinking and the purchasing process How to use that information to bust customer myths within your organization Tips and tricks on how to get the most from live interviews

1. J u l y 2 0 1 8
Creating great customer journeys
through customer interviews
Real-world advice and techniques
Bradley Miller, Autotrader, Sr. UX Researcher

2. Bradley Miller
Sr. UX Researcher
Autotrader
Michael Mace
VP Product Marketing
UserTesting

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A car is the second-largest
purchase most Americans make
behind buying a house

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When you buy a car, you have to
do ALL of the work yourself

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How could we better understand
this complex process?
Ethnographic Interviews
(aka Behavioral Interviews)

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Institutional Myths

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Institutional Myths: General Motors

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What is Autotrader?

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Autotrader is a 20 year old
company that has been very
successful
Therefore: many myths

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Live Conversations
Enables live customer interviews
80% faster
than conventional in-person
interviews

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How do you attack myths?
Stories from your actual customers

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Ethnography simplified:
Talking to your customers

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• Defining your customer’s journey: the interview
– Building an interview
• Tasks
• Using what you may already know about your customer, what are the
likely tasks that have to be completed during the journey?
• Think broadly: these should be things nearly every customer has to do.
• Don’t forget to think about how the customer begins the journey, and at
what point it ends. There may be many answers!
• Flow
• What is the most likely order you perform these tasks?
• If there is no definite sequencing, that’s ok: instead group tasks based
on logical association.
• Goal: The interview should flow effortlessly for your
customer – as if you were along the journey with them.
Getting Started How-To

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• Defining your customer’s journey: the interview
• Introduction
• This is the most important part of an ethnographic interview: breaking
the ice & building rapport is critical to getting the real story.
– This begins from the moment you meet the customer.
• Use an intro to tell the customer who you are and what you’re doing.
– Be professional, but disarming: they will be uncomfortable.
– Emphasize that there are no wrong answers; you’re interested in
their experience.
• Then begin with a few easy, broad topical questions.
– This allows the customer to get comfortable with the format, and
eases them into talking about themselves and their experiences.
Getting Started How-To

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• Questions should focus on three basic things:
• Tasks
• Broad: Did you obtain financing to purchase a car?
• Flow/Order: Did you obtain financing before you visited a dealership?
• Focused: How did you chose a lender?
• Behaviors
• Broad: Did you do any research? How did you research?
• Focused: Did you negotiate the price of the car? How did you do it?
• Thought processes
• Why did you decide to buy a car?
• How did you know when you found the right car?
Getting Started How-To

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• Rules:
• Focus on present or recent past behaviors
• People are great at describing what they’re currently doing, or what
they’ve recently done (particularly important things or habits/routines).
• People are NOT good at predicting what they will do; do not ask about
the future!
• Don’t ask about preference: Do you like ice cream?
• Be objective
• Use typical question words: who, what, when, where, why, how?
• Do NOT ask leading questions! Leading questions suggest an answer.
– Leading: Do you prefer A? Does B make you frustrated? Do you
feel delighted when using C?
– Leading questions create misleading research.
• Follow up
• The true value of live interviews is only unlocked when you go off script!
Getting Started How-To

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Harvard Business Review:
The Surprising Power of
Questions

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Interviews produce
Stories

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Selling your car: From magazines to bodyguards

21. Q&A
If you have any questions or you want any additional information please
contact us at: webinars@usertesting.com

22. Autotrader
User Experience Research
bradley.miller@coxautoinc.com
THANK YOU!