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. Nine secondary navigation links looked nearly identical, yet some jumped down the page, some opened modals, and others led to entirely different sites. 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.

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 an electric pickup to reflect users in the research phase and an off-road SUV for existing customers. I organized these priorities into content categories, to help create the framework for the experience and content strategy.

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.

From there, I created a new user flow that supported both unauthenticated and authenticated users.

Key screens and decisions.

From insights to impact.

By leveraging research and insights, the design turned browsing into a personalized experience. Smart search helped users find exactly what they wanted, new users could explore freely, and returning users saw content tailored to their past activity. Favorites, custom lists, and refreshed content made it easy to compare vehicles, save what mattered, and make decisions faster. The experience exceeded the client's expectations and reinforced our role as a trusted partner.