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CASE 07 — Ownership · Research
What does it cost to own one?
Case sheetCase No. 07
- Project
- What does it cost to own one?
- Client
- Global automotive OEM
- Category
- Ownership · Research
- Year
- 2024
- Role
- Lead UX
- Team
- Configurator POD
LeadAmit Chotia2024
Ownership · ResearchThe short version
Owners wanted the price of a service; buyers wanted the cost of owning. One calculator with pre-paid maintenance nudges — researched across five markets and tested with both.
Outcome
4.28
Prospects rated it 4.28 / 5, owners 4.0
The brief
Owners came to a service recommendations tool to find out what their next service would cost. But many visitors weren't due a service at all — they were trying to understand the total cost of owning the car, and the tool didn't make either easy.
As lead UX, I took it from discovery to user testing: reframing it around ownership cost and pre-paid maintenance, for owners and prospects alike.
What will it cost me to own this car?
A service recommendations tool was meant to tell owners the price of a regular service and what's included, then signpost them to book. But it wasn't only owners due a service using it — people were trying to understand the total cost of ownership. In its current form, it didn't make either easy.
We proposed connecting the service price with pre-paid maintenance contracts, for both owners and prospects.
Five segments, not one ‘user’
We designed against the brand's customer segments — the Brand Conservative (33%), the Status Chaser (11%), the Seamless Seeker (11%), the Contentment Settler (23%) and the Moral Compass (22%) — and tested our hypothesis in Mexico, Brazil, KSA, India and Thailand.
Must have, should have, won't have
Against competitors, we sorted requirements with MoSCoW. Service offerings, booking and transparent pricing were must-haves. Packages and facilities were should-haves. Warranty and technician details could wait. Loyalty programmes and extra content didn't make the cut — they wouldn't drive service sales.
Sara owns one. Evan is about to buy.
Sara, a Seamless Seeker, already owns the car: she wants to know what's due, what it costs and what's included, ideally online. Evan, a Moral Compass, is researching a new car and wants to understand ownership over three years before he commits. Each got a proposed journey, step by step.
A calculator that nudges, not pushes
For owners: a service cost calculator that asks for the model, year and mileage, then shows the regular cost against a pre-paid contract (up to 22% savings) and what's included at each interval. For prospects: model comparison with the service cost over the ownership duration built in, so the cost of owning sits next to the price of buying.
Trust is the feature
With 14 respondents per group, owners scored the idea 4.0 and prospects 4.28 out of 5. The drawbacks were the useful part: owners prefer resolving information online and expect the dealer to make the next contact; prospects hesitate to pay in advance and want a fixed price, a clear comparison of what's included, and the option to choose the length of a plan.
Those findings went straight back into the next iteration.
The result
A calculator that turns ‘what will this cost me?’ into a decision — and a clear list of what to fix next: trust in pre-paid plans, a fixed price, a comparison of what's included, and a choice of plan length.
- Take 1
- 4.28
- Prospects' rating, out of 5
- Take 2
- 4.0
- Owners' rating, out of 5
- Take 3
- 5
- Markets researched
1Next · 08Open caseNext case · 08 / 13
A marketing OS, from a blank page
Global advertising group · Enterprise · Design system · 2020–21
First designer on the product, with no competitive landscape to borrow from. MVP approved by the group CEO.
CASE 07 — Ownership · Research
What does it cost to own one?
Case sheetCase No. 07
- Project
- What does it cost to own one?
- Client
- Global automotive OEM
- Category
- Ownership · Research
- Year
- 2024
- Role
- Lead UX
- Team
- Configurator POD
LeadAmit Chotia2024
Ownership · ResearchThe short version
Owners wanted the price of a service; buyers wanted the cost of owning. One calculator with pre-paid maintenance nudges — researched across five markets and tested with both.
Outcome
4.28
Prospects rated it 4.28 / 5, owners 4.0
The brief
Owners came to a service recommendations tool to find out what their next service would cost. But many visitors weren't due a service at all — they were trying to understand the total cost of owning the car, and the tool didn't make either easy.
As lead UX, I took it from discovery to user testing: reframing it around ownership cost and pre-paid maintenance, for owners and prospects alike.
What will it cost me to own this car?
A service recommendations tool was meant to tell owners the price of a regular service and what's included, then signpost them to book. But it wasn't only owners due a service using it — people were trying to understand the total cost of ownership. In its current form, it didn't make either easy.
We proposed connecting the service price with pre-paid maintenance contracts, for both owners and prospects.
Five segments, not one ‘user’
We designed against the brand's customer segments — the Brand Conservative (33%), the Status Chaser (11%), the Seamless Seeker (11%), the Contentment Settler (23%) and the Moral Compass (22%) — and tested our hypothesis in Mexico, Brazil, KSA, India and Thailand.
Must have, should have, won't have
Against competitors, we sorted requirements with MoSCoW. Service offerings, booking and transparent pricing were must-haves. Packages and facilities were should-haves. Warranty and technician details could wait. Loyalty programmes and extra content didn't make the cut — they wouldn't drive service sales.
Sara owns one. Evan is about to buy.
Sara, a Seamless Seeker, already owns the car: she wants to know what's due, what it costs and what's included, ideally online. Evan, a Moral Compass, is researching a new car and wants to understand ownership over three years before he commits. Each got a proposed journey, step by step.
A calculator that nudges, not pushes
For owners: a service cost calculator that asks for the model, year and mileage, then shows the regular cost against a pre-paid contract (up to 22% savings) and what's included at each interval. For prospects: model comparison with the service cost over the ownership duration built in, so the cost of owning sits next to the price of buying.
Trust is the feature
With 14 respondents per group, owners scored the idea 4.0 and prospects 4.28 out of 5. The drawbacks were the useful part: owners prefer resolving information online and expect the dealer to make the next contact; prospects hesitate to pay in advance and want a fixed price, a clear comparison of what's included, and the option to choose the length of a plan.
Those findings went straight back into the next iteration.
The result
A calculator that turns ‘what will this cost me?’ into a decision — and a clear list of what to fix next: trust in pre-paid plans, a fixed price, a comparison of what's included, and a choice of plan length.
- Take 1
- 4.28
- Prospects' rating, out of 5
- Take 2
- 4.0
- Owners' rating, out of 5
- Take 3
- 5
- Markets researched
1Next · 08Open caseNext case · 08 / 13
A marketing OS, from a blank page
Global advertising group · Enterprise · Design system · 2020–21
First designer on the product, with no competitive landscape to borrow from. MVP approved by the group CEO.
CASE 07 — Ownership · Research
What does it cost to own one?
Case sheetCase No. 07
- Project
- What does it cost to own one?
- Client
- Global automotive OEM
- Category
- Ownership · Research
- Year
- 2024
- Role
- Lead UX
- Team
- Configurator POD
LeadAmit Chotia2024
Ownership · ResearchThe short version
Owners wanted the price of a service; buyers wanted the cost of owning. One calculator with pre-paid maintenance nudges — researched across five markets and tested with both.
Outcome
4.28
Prospects rated it 4.28 / 5, owners 4.0
The brief
Owners came to a service recommendations tool to find out what their next service would cost. But many visitors weren't due a service at all — they were trying to understand the total cost of owning the car, and the tool didn't make either easy.
As lead UX, I took it from discovery to user testing: reframing it around ownership cost and pre-paid maintenance, for owners and prospects alike.
What will it cost me to own this car?
A service recommendations tool was meant to tell owners the price of a regular service and what's included, then signpost them to book. But it wasn't only owners due a service using it — people were trying to understand the total cost of ownership. In its current form, it didn't make either easy.
We proposed connecting the service price with pre-paid maintenance contracts, for both owners and prospects.
Five segments, not one ‘user’
We designed against the brand's customer segments — the Brand Conservative (33%), the Status Chaser (11%), the Seamless Seeker (11%), the Contentment Settler (23%) and the Moral Compass (22%) — and tested our hypothesis in Mexico, Brazil, KSA, India and Thailand.
Must have, should have, won't have
Against competitors, we sorted requirements with MoSCoW. Service offerings, booking and transparent pricing were must-haves. Packages and facilities were should-haves. Warranty and technician details could wait. Loyalty programmes and extra content didn't make the cut — they wouldn't drive service sales.
Sara owns one. Evan is about to buy.
Sara, a Seamless Seeker, already owns the car: she wants to know what's due, what it costs and what's included, ideally online. Evan, a Moral Compass, is researching a new car and wants to understand ownership over three years before he commits. Each got a proposed journey, step by step.
A calculator that nudges, not pushes
For owners: a service cost calculator that asks for the model, year and mileage, then shows the regular cost against a pre-paid contract (up to 22% savings) and what's included at each interval. For prospects: model comparison with the service cost over the ownership duration built in, so the cost of owning sits next to the price of buying.
Trust is the feature
With 14 respondents per group, owners scored the idea 4.0 and prospects 4.28 out of 5. The drawbacks were the useful part: owners prefer resolving information online and expect the dealer to make the next contact; prospects hesitate to pay in advance and want a fixed price, a clear comparison of what's included, and the option to choose the length of a plan.
Those findings went straight back into the next iteration.
The result
A calculator that turns ‘what will this cost me?’ into a decision — and a clear list of what to fix next: trust in pre-paid plans, a fixed price, a comparison of what's included, and a choice of plan length.
- Take 1
- 4.28
- Prospects' rating, out of 5
- Take 2
- 4.0
- Owners' rating, out of 5
- Take 3
- 5
- Markets researched
1Next · 08Open caseNext case · 08 / 13
A marketing OS, from a blank page
Global advertising group · Enterprise · Design system · 2020–21
First designer on the product, with no competitive landscape to borrow from. MVP approved by the group CEO.
Contact…
Let's build the next best experience.
Gurgaon · IST
Hiring for design leadership, or a journey that needs someone to look at it from the other side? Write to me — I reply within a day.
Open toDesign leadership roles
Working from
Contact…
Let's build the next best experience.
Gurgaon · IST
Hiring for design leadership, or a journey that needs someone to look at it from the other side? Write to me — I reply within a day.
Open toDesign leadership roles
Working from
Contact…
Let's build the next best experience.
Gurgaon · IST
Hiring for design leadership, or a journey that needs someone to look at it from the other side? Write to me — I reply within a day.
Open toDesign leadership roles
Working from
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Write to meamitchotia9@gmail.com