Project
Carvana state inspection process
Background
Transferring vehicle ownership from Carvana to a customer may require state-specific inspections in certain states. These tests and drive cycles are conducted by Market Operations, resulting in inefficient resource allocation, increased labor usage, and limited time for handling exceptions compared to expected delivery timelines.
Role
User Research
End to end visual design
Interaction design
Prototyping & testing
Device
Tablet
Zebra
Background
Transferring vehicle ownership from Carvana to a customer may require state-specific inspections in certain states. These tests and drive cycles are conducted by Market Operations, resulting in inefficient resource allocation, increased labor usage, and limited time for handling exceptions compared to expected delivery timelines.
Role
User Research
End to end visual design
interaction design
Prototyping & testing
Device
Tablet
Zebra
Adapt the inspection process to each state's regulations for easier user navigation, while helping engineers develop a unified solution that addresses these diverse requirements.
Challenge
User Research
I visited the Inspection Center in Rocklin, CA, where I conducted interviews with a small group of staff involved in the vehicle inspection process. My goal was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current workflow, identify obstacles they encounter, and uncover any specific needs that differ from other sites. By engaging with the team, I aimed to gather insights that could inform design improvements and enhance the overall inspection experience.
Key takeaway
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Last scanned location - No indication of the vehicle's last scanned location
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Required tasks - No indication of the tasks required for the vehicles
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Arrival status - No indication of whether the vehicle has arrived
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Handling priority - No indication of the vehicle's handling priority.
Contextual inquiry
I not only rode along and observed our users throughout the entire process, but I also completed several inspections under their guidance to fully experience it myself. Additionally, I interviewed users from other states to understand their workflows and the pain points they encounter.
User shadowing
Cross-regional user research
Empathy building
Define key parts after deconstructing the complex process
OBDII scanner check
Use the OBDII scanner to determine if the vehicle passes the Check Engine Light test and to identify any permanent Diagnostic Trouble Codes.
Emission monitor verification
Make sure all emission monitors display green checkmarks on the vehicle. If they do not, take the vehicle on a drive cycle until the green checkmarks appear.
Window tint compliance
I engage various user roles for comprehensive testing throughout design iterations, leading to better understanding of user needs and validating the workflow for improved effectiveness.
Map opportunities for enhancement
After observing how users manage the inspection process, I created this journey map to identify the steps where they encounter difficulties and uncover potential improvement opportunities. This map highlighted the essential steps and helped streamline the overall process.
Key takeaway
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On-site status - Unable to determine if the vehicle is on-site.
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Emission monitor requirement - Have trouble determining the requirement for passing the emission monitor on to all vehicles.
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Window tint compliance - Users are struggling to determine window tint compliance.
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Inspection completion status - Without a clear indicator, users may confuse inspected vehicles with uninspected ones.
Streamline modular inspection workflow for state-specific compliance
The inspection process consists of 4 flows
A. Inspection 1
B. Inspection 1 + Inspection 2 (Emission)
C. Inspection 1 + Inspection 2 (Window tint)
D. Inspection 1 + Inspection 2 (Emission + Window tint)
The modularized Inspection 2 approach offers a streamlined experience that aligns with local regulations. It incorporates users' locations for easier navigation through the inspection workflow. By showing the last scan location, vehicle arrival time, and required tasks, it helps users manage their time better and optimize their workflow.
Modulation reduces engineer workload
Engineers can avoid constructing each flow separately by developing this module's workflow, streamlining architecture planning, spirit counts, and quality assurance testing to enhance efficiency. Their iterations can build on the established and tested inspection flow, with each new iteration piggybacking on the previous one.
20%
Time spent
Architecture planning
32%
Time spent
Sprints
24%
Time spent
Activity tracker
Key feature explorations
Window tint compliance
Different vehicle types have their own window tint regulations. Provide essential information to help users quickly determine compliance, improving efficiency.
Use visuals in the question to help users quickly determine if the window tint meets the regulations.
Task navigation modal
The linear workflow limits users with time constraints by enforcing a fixed sequence of tasks. To enhance the experience, I adopt a flexible task selection and dynamic workflow, allowing users to prioritize tasks based on availability. This will empower them to make choices that better fit their schedules, improving overall satisfaction and productivity.
Zebra
Drive cycle
Users need to drive the vehicle until all emission monitors pass. However, if the monitors don’t show green after extended driving, it may indicate another issue. To prevent unnecessary time and excessive mileage, we must manage the drive cycle duration to protect the car's value.
Progress tracker
Set a maximum mileage in the tracker, allowing users to log miles driven, and inform them the limit is for controlling vehicle usage.
Tablet
Design screen by screen
Select inspection center location
To ensure accurate execution, users must first select their inspection center (IC). This step is crucial for displaying the relevant list of vehicles awaiting inspection and the specific tasks required, tailored to that location's regulations.
Inspection process
After users select their inspection center (IC) location, they will see a list of vehicles awaiting inspection at that site. All sites follow the standard Inspection 1 process, while Inspection 2 will vary by site. The subsequent workflow will depend on the results of Inspection 1 and Inspection 2.
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Select a vehicle for inspection
Filter
Use the filter to quickly identify available vehicles under tight inspection deadlines.
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Task 1: Find vehicle
Pass: scan/type to verify
Once the vehicle is located, scan or enter the VIN/stock number to verify that it is the correct vehicle.
Fail: select failure reason
Provide the reason for failure if the vehicle cannot be found, and allow users to enter any additional notes/reason
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Task 2: Inspection 1
Follow the instructions to test the vehicle and determine if it passes the engine light test and permanent diagnostic trouble codes.
Pass
Fail
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Task 3: inspection 2 ( required by state )
Emission Monitor Verification
Window Tint Compliance
Pass
Provide clear instructions and use banners to highlight state-specific regulations
Fail: drive cycle and extended drive cycle
Set a maximum mileage in the tracker, allowing users to log miles driven, and inform them the limit is for controlling vehicle usage.
Fail: window tint removal
Record any window tint that doesn't meet the standard to track required work and inform others which tint needs to be removed.
And
/Or
Use visuals to help users quickly determine if the window tint meets the regulations
Pass
Future development
This MVP already includes the core functionalities, but there are a couple of additional features that could significantly enhance the user experience:
History of last scanned locations
If the vehicle is not at the last scan location, providing the scan history can help direct people to trace its whereabouts instead of searching mindlessly.
Repair completion notification
The team that marks the vehicle as damaged is separate from the repair team. Progress may be delayed without notification of repair completion, leading to additional expenses.