Inventory App
Centralizes vehicle quality tracking and repair process across all of Carvana's 135+ market hubs.
My Role
Product Designer
Company
Carvana
Timeline
3 Months (Q3+Q4 2022)
My Contribution
This case study presents the features I was fortunate to be responsible for designing from scratch. My day-to-day included user research, interface design, interaction design, design workshops, and documentation. I did a lot, but my team of product manager, stakeholders, and engineers did even more to help build out all these things.
Problem Space
The current vehicle quality tracking experience is fragmented, intake process is often done differently at different hub locations. This causes mixed levels of effectiveness, guesswork with repairs, and wasted costs in the process.
Outcome
By removing market operations judgment calls on cosmetic damages to customer vehicles, and performing vehicle check-in as soon as possible, the cost per unit (CPU) of repairs, and number of hub reschedules due to missed drivecycles, lot repair, or other preventable means will drastically be reduced.
Current Experience
The intake process is currently performed via Internal Tools, an app Carvana advocates utilize to keep track of vehicle pick up and delivery. From a combination of conversations and hub visits, we found out that markets are falling into one of three scenarios for vehicle.
1
Intake is performed immediately upon arrival, but slowed down by the current 45-question survey.
2
Intake is performed the day prior to the activity, which leads to inventory accuracy issues.
3
Intake is skipped altogether when markets become constrained, and adds overall processing time which these hubs don’t find value in.
Pre-delivery Walkthrough
45-Question Survey
Market Research
Based on research findings from Dallas Harry Hines and Dallas vending machine pilot program, total repair costs for this vehicle quality initiative dropped from $109 CPU to $32 CPU during the pilot. Additionally, the percentage of hub reschedules had decreased from 3.26% on average to 1.83% on average.
70%
dropped cost per unit
in total repair
44%
reduction in hub
reschedules
Goals
HELP USERS
Bring standardization to the process at the market hub level to improve efficiency.
HELP CARVANA
Reduce cost per unit (CPU) of repairs, and number of hub reschedules due to missed drivecycles, lot repair, or other preventable means.
Early Version
We had group brainstorms and jam sessions with the product team and engineers to collaborate on design ideas and discuss potential constraints. After several discussions, we mock up two versions of the initial design to prepare for our first round of market feedback from the users.
Version A: Two Column Hybrid with Status Ribbon
Version B: Single Column with Progress Bar
Market Feedback
My PMs travelled to the hubs to talk to some advocates in Atlanta and Texas and showed them our initial designs. We prepared a testing plan on some on the new features we wanted to get feedbacks on. We documented the overall findings for iterations.
Redefined Workflow
To ensure vehicle quality checking during the intake process, we allowed after sales repair (ASR) or lot repair to be reported by the market operations leaders or lot attendants when issues with the vehicles are found.
Iterative Design
For the remaining of the project, I partnered with a market operations product specialist. He provided tons of great insights that helped me discover deeper on the current problems. In order to further understand user behavior, I prepared some questions, travelled down to the Montebello hub to chat with the lot attendants and observed how they check in and keep track of the vehicles. I also showed them the MVP and documented the insights and findings.
Pipeline
Pipeline shows all the vehicles that have been checked in and are in progress. We relocated the tab as default landing screen as most interaction occurs within this tab and it allows users to easily glance the vehicles that are in progress. As we learnt that check-in is not always a linear process, we replaced the progress bar with status chips to indicate completion of tasks. We partnered with the vehicle quality team from Phoenix headquarter to narrow down the 45-question survey to 9 questions, along with new features to report ASR (after sales repair) or lot repair.
A-Tag Scan
We added Scan to bottom navigation to allow convenient access for advocates to scan vehicle throughout any point of the app, so the interaction is not restricted to the Inbound tab only. Each Carvana vehicle has a unique A-Tag number that is associated with the vehicles. By adding the scan navigation feature to associate the A-Tag number will allow more accurate check in and vehicle location.
Offsite
Based on the UX research findings, we added Offsite tab to keep track of all vehicle that are 'off the lot' for reasons included being in drive cycle, in repair, offsite, and on hold, as well as allowing status update. By clicking Update vehicle location also allows auto scanning to keep track of vehicle location.
Inbound
Inbound allows check-in of vehicle, which then follows the same scan process as scan navigation.
Vehicle Hold
Currently there isn't a way to keep track of hold vehicles, which leads to outbound inaccuracy. Often times vehicles need to be put on hold after they're scheduled for outbound due to unforeseen circumstances. We added a request hold feature on the main Outbound screen as well as for the individual vehicle with pre-filled stock number. Hold vehicles then would be shown on the Outbound details screen to keep track.
Retrospective
Seek Further Context
When in doubt, if time and resources allow, talk to or observe the users for clarifications.
Comfortable with Ambiguity
We don't always have answers before we start. Responding to research and insights, accepting that there are still unknown, unknowns.
Breakdown Deliverables
Be more granular about deliverables to avoid confusion on what was expected on a certain date.