Open Canvas

Overview

I led the concept, design and UX for Open Canvas, an experimental web experience that delivered personalized, lifestyle-focused content to both new and returning users. The project earned praise from the brand's CMO and positioned our agency as a strategic partner.

"If you could redesign our brand website, what would you do?"

This is the bold and open-ended question our client posed to us. Show us something we've never seen before. Something that makes vehicle shopping exciting and keeps current customers coming back for more.

Gathering insights

To design this experience, I investigated how users browse, compare, and shop for vehicles. Research revealed common frustrations that prevented users from finding what they needed quickly and confidently. These pain points became the foundation for the design approach:

After identifying key user pain points (and experiencing many of them myself as a vehicle owner) I started digging into the existing user flow. Even basic vehicle research proved time-consuming and frustrating.

Analytics showed most users rely on the main navigation to start their search. From there, multiple clicks were required just to reach a vehicle overview page. Once there, the research experience became even more challenging. Eight secondary navigation links looked nearly identical, yet some were anchor links while others opened entirely new pages. Labels were unclear (what's the difference between "Specs" and "Features"?). The "Models" section, despite being the first nav item, sat halfway down the page. And choosing between trims was difficult, with little explanation to justify significant price differences.

For users who chose to scroll instead, the sheer volume of content felt overwhelming. And if their needs changed mid-journey, such as switching from a truck to an SUV, they were forced to restart the process from the beginning.

Current user flow

Understanding user goals

These findings led to the next question: what are users actually trying to find? To answer this, I looked deeper into user goals based on their relationship with the brand, identifying two user groups: new or research-phase shoppers and existing or returning owners.

Then, I mapped priorities to representative vehicles using the F-150 Lightning to reflect users in the research phase and the Bronco for existing customers. I organized these priorities into content categories, to help create the framework for the experience and content strategy.

User goal mapping

Shaping the experience

With the pain points and goals defined, I began exploring how the new experience should function. My goal was to support discovery, research, and decision making without forcing users down a fixed path.

I looked at innovative digital experiences across both automotive and non automotive brands, and focused on interaction patterns that gave users more control over how they explored content and products. The most compelling examples allowed users to shape their own journey.

I then moved into ideation with paper sketches. Sketching is always my favorite way to start as I can quickly get ideas down. Once I felt I had a solid path defined, I created a new user flow that supported both unauthenticated and authenticated users.

Initial sketches

New user flow

Key screens and decisions

New flow wireframes

Final results

The final experience supported both authenticated and unauthenticated users, giving each a tailored path from the start. New or logged-out users could explore freely, while authenticated users were met with an experience that reflected their history, preferences, and interests.

We introduced features like favoriting content cards and creating custom lists, allowing users to save what caught their attention and come back to it later—all tied to their account. On every return visit, content refreshed based on prior browsing behavior, ensuring the experience stayed relevant instead of repetitive. Together, these enhancements turned the site into a living, personalized experience that evolved with the user over time.

First time visitor

Return or authenticated visitor