01 · User Research · Discover
8 semi-structured interviews with car buyers in the search and comparison phase. Each session included a live usability test on the platform and competitors with screen sharing. Participants aged 23–62.
100
Questionnaires
8
Interviews
45′
Avg duration
3
Behavioural patterns
Topics surfaced across all 8 interviews
Critical note
n=8 qualitative sample. No participant used the platform as primary research tool. Brand absent from organic SEO — confirmed by 3 out of 8 interviewees.
02 · User Research · Define
One persona per behavioural archetype — relational, not demographic. Three indicators consistent across all personas for direct comparison.
Archetype spectrum
Pragmatic Comparer
Car as a tool. Fast comparison, immediate price, zero friction.
Alexandra, Gianluca, Cosimo
Identity Buyer
Car as self-expression. Brand & aesthetics before specs.
Ivana, Rami, Lorenzo
Brand Loyalist
Arrives with brand decided. Site confirms, not discovers.
Brigida, Sara
Design note
The Pragmatic Comparer is the most underrepresented in the current product. The redesign targets all three but optimises conversion for Identity Buyers — highest emotional investment at the contact point.
Pragmatic Comparer
49 · Fiat Cubo · family car buyer
#budgetfirst“I need a car that fits a family, runs on methane, and doesn’t empty my wallet.”
Indicators
Pain points
Fuel type not a primary filter — methane buried in advanced options
No model-range filter — can’t narrow to a specific variant
Used car supply too thin — not enough listings to compare seriously
Identity Buyer
34 · Fiat 500 · city driver
#colourbeforemodel“I chose the cream colour before I even confirmed the model. The car has to feel like me.”
Indicators
Pain points
No colour configurator — can’t visualise ‘cream’ before the dealer
Technical tone throughout — site speaks specs, not personality
Fixed trim levels only — no rims or options customisation
Brand Loyalist
Mercedes Classe A · German premium only
#germanonly“I only look at German premium brands. I want to understand the full lineup, not just prices.”
Indicators
Pain points
No brand editorial page — can’t explore brand story and full lineup
Filters too coarse — missing body type subcategories
Platform absent from SEO — not findable when searching for her brand
03 · User Research · Synthesize
Current user flow in car search and comparison. Pain points and proposals follow the order of discovery — from the first touchpoint to the contact moment.
Imaginary
Search
Explore ⚡
Compare ⚡
Decide
Contact
Imaginary
Sees a car in real life or a friend’s feed. Starts forming an aspiration.
Search
Searches Google or AutoScout24. Often lands on a competitor — absent from organic SEO.
Explore ⚡
Hits technical filters. Can’t express need in plain language. Leaves the site.
Compare ⚡
Opens CRM form for price. Abandons. No way to save session or compare visually.
Decide
Goes to dealership to see and touch. Confirms choice or restarts research.
Contact
Books test drive or asks for quote in person.
Emotional curve — synthesis of 8 interviewees
In order of discovery — from first touchpoint to contact moment
Brand absent from organic SEO
3 out of 8 didn’t know the platform. Doesn’t appear for generic queries like ‘compare cars Italy’.
Technical search, not need-based
Filters don’t support natural language. “Spacious car for a woman, €25k” has no equivalent in the current UI.
No model filter, unusable price range
Can’t search “Volvo XC40”. The 0–450k range felt excluding and disorienting.
Automatic gearbox listed as optional
For Rami it’s a car type, not an add-on. The comparator doesn’t treat it accordingly.
Comparator hidden — feature unknown
Most interviewees didn’t know the platform had a comparator. Now surfaced in the header navigation.
CRM form blocks the decision
“I’d just move to another site.” No one wants to be called before knowing the price.
04 · User Research · Benchmark
6 platforms analysed: discoverability, search UX, comparator, configurator, editorial approach. Desk research integrated with live usability observations from the interviews.
Italian car comparison and configuration platform. Subject of this redesign.
“It’s not in the SEO, so yeah.” — Gianluca
Most cited by all interviewees. De facto standard for car search in Italy.
“AutoScout is the best for filters.” — Rami
European leader. Benchmark for visual browsing and category UX.
Reference for visual category browsing pattern.
Italian marketplace for new, used and km0 cars. Direct competitor.
Present in the SEO where the platform is absent.
US leader. Benchmark for AI search and transparent pricing.
Only player with working AI search. The reference direction.
UK platform with strong editorial and video content.
Reference for editorial tone and identity-driven content.
05 · Define · JTBD
JTBD identifies the progress users seek. Statements and stories follow the journey order — from discovery to conversion.
Show me content that speaks to who I am, not a wall of technical specs
Let me find what I need in my own words, and show only the filters that matter to me
Let me compare visually, save my favourites and customise what I compare
Let me configure it visually and see the price — without filling any form first
Connect me directly — this is the conversion moment the platform must capture
As a brand-driven user, I want to land on content that speaks to my taste so that I feel the platform understands me, not just my budget.
→ Editorial homepage + brand pagesAs a first-time or pragmatic buyer, I want to search by lifestyle and see only relevant filters so that I’m not overwhelmed by options I don’t understand.
→ AI search + customisable filters + QuizAs a pragmatic comparer, I want to compare cars side by side and choose which dimensions to display so that I can focus on what matters to me without information overload.
→ Customisable comparator columnsAs a brand lover, I want to configure colours and options and see the price live so that I know what I’m committing to before stepping into a dealership.
→ VDP configurator + live priceAs a digital-first user, I want to book a dealer appointment directly so that I’m not called before I’ve decided.
→ Booking flow → Lead generation06 · Define · Synthesize
Five design responses mapped to the pain points, following the same journey order — from first touchpoint to contact moment.
Following the same journey order
Editorial homepage & brand pages
Identity-first content, brand storytelling and lifestyle imagery replace technical listings as the primary scroll experience.
Model filter + customisable filters + AI search
Model-level filter (e.g. ‘Volvo XC40’), gearbox as a car type, budget bar. AI autosuggest during typing. Users choose which filter dimensions to display — only what matters to them.
Visual configurator + live price
Colour and rim preview in real time. Price updates live — no form required before seeing the price. Direct dealer booking from the screen.
Lead capture at moment of intent
Booking replaces the CRM form. Lead captured after configuration, with demonstrated intent. Calendar export included.
07 · Design · Information Architecture
Product structure redesigned from research. Navigation follows the real user journey. Sections marked ✦ are new or redesigned in the Figma prototype.
Alternative discovery
Quiz as parallel entry point for users without a pre-formed preference — alongside the search bar, not replacing it.
Lead generation — primary goal
The entire flow is optimised toward the Contact step. Price visibility and direct booking reduce drop-off before conversion.
Progressive profile
Saved searches, comparisons and Quiz results without mandatory registration.
✦ = new or redesigned
Home
Entry point
Brand
Discovery
Search
Filter ✦
Config.
VDP ✦
Compare
Compare ✦
Contact
Lead Gen ✦
✦ Profile
Account ✦
✦ Quiz
Discovery ✦
08 · Design · Wireframe
The main flow reflects the Identity Buyer’s mental model: they arrive with a brand preference already formed and use the platform to confirm it through comparison. The Quiz is an optional branch — it guides undecided users toward the comparator, increasing appointment conversion.
Main flow — confirmed preference
Homepage → Brand → Search/Model → Compare (confirm) → Config + price → Booking. Comparison is a confidence-building step before commitment.
Quiz — optional discovery branch
For undecided users. Converges on the comparator, not the VDP directly. Increases appointment volume by guiding users who would otherwise leave without a match.
Lead generation logic
CRM form eliminated. Price visible on VDP. Lead captured at booking — after configuration, with demonstrated intent. Calendar export included.
Wireflow — main path + optional Quiz branch
Main flow
1. Homepage
2. Brand
3. Model / VDP
18.500€
4. Config + price
5. ★ Booking
lead capture
Optional Quiz branch — converges directly to booking after compare
Quiz
3 steps + 1 optional
Compare
2 matched models
★ Booking
lead capture
09 · Deliver · UI Prototype
Key screens from the Figma prototype across 6 macro areas + Quiz entry point. Each screen directly addresses one or more pain points identified in the research phase.
A
Hero with Search and Match Test Quiz equally prominent. Below the fold: editorial video content — from creator reviews to “il test del bagagliaio” — bridges the limits of online browsing and replaces the technical listing approach.
Proposal for Pain #1 #2
Alexandra · Ivana · Sara
B
Budget bar with listing distribution. Brand + model-level filter with AI autosuggest. Custom filter display — users choose which dimensions to show.
Proposal for Pain #2 #3 #4
Gianluca · Rami · Sara
C
Real-time colour, trim and rim selection. Price updates live — no form required before seeing the price. Direct dealer booking from the screen.
Proposal for Pain #5
Ivana · Lorenzo
D
Image gallery swipe. Side-by-side with custom filter display — each user selects relevant dimensions. Save comparison. Direct CTA to dealer.
Proposal for Pain #3 #4
Alexandra · Gianluca · Rami
E
4-step valorial quiz: key criteria sliders → lifestyle grid + budget → optional feature swipe → match results. Guides undecided users to the comparator.
Proposal for Pain #1
Ivana · Rami · Alexandra
F
Saved vehicles, configurations, comparisons and media content. Appointments with dealer details and calendar export. Tabs: Salvati / Appuntamenti / Impostazioni.
Proposal for Pain #5
Lorenzo · Rami · Sara
10 · Deliver · Conclusions
Four principles emerged from the research and shaped every decision — giving users control over the information they see, so they arrive at the dealership enriched rather than overwhelmed.
Principle 01
The product shifted from asking users to know what they want (brand, fuel, displacement) to helping them articulate it through lifestyle, values and priorities. The Match Test is the clearest expression — but the same logic shaped the editorial homepage, the AI autosuggest and the customisable filter display.
Principle 02
The form was removed from price discovery — the highest drop-off point. Lead capture moved to the booking step, after the user has seen the full configuration and price. The result: a qualified lead with demonstrated intent, not a speculative contact.
Principle 03
A wall of filters overwhelms and confuses. The redesign lets each user decide which dimensions matter — customisable columns in the comparator, selective filter display in search, lifestyle-first content in the homepage. Less noise, more signal, more confidence.
Principle 04
“I need to see it and touch it” — true across all three archetypes. The platform doesn’t try to replace the dealership. It prepares the user for it: with a visual configuration already done, a price already known, and an appointment already booked. They arrive enriched.
The core insight
The redesign doesn’t just improve a search interface. It reframes the relationship between a person and a significant purchase — putting them in control of how much they know, how fast they go, and how they arrive at the moment of decision.
Informed, not overwhelmed. Confident, not pressured.
Executive Course in User Interface Design · Politecnico di Milano · Gruppo 02 “Brand Lover Cool” · 2026
Special thanks to my company, SDA Bocconi School of Management, for supporting me in this journey.