Mar 2, 2018
Lexus IS iPad and Web App (Shipped)
Enable retail customers and Lexus salespeople to efficiently learn about the new IS.
Problems
Lexus was launching an updated IS and needed an app that salespeople could use to quickly understand the new features that were in line with the company’s branding.
The requirements were for an iPad app, however the initial targeted users weren’t iPad users. This problem was surfaced during discovery after the project started.
Solutions
We built a team to photograph and take video of the new (secret) vehicle and its new features, as well as a team to build the iPad app with AR functionality and an Adobe Flash app to run on the old computers in the sales offices.
The Augmented Reality System used the iPad’s camera to allow a user to point the device at a feature in the car, such as the radio, which would then play video on the screen showing the user how to operate the feature. It was some “Iron Man” level technology at the time, and helped us to win a Gold Addy in 2014.
Logistics
Team
- 1 Product Designer (myself)
- 2 Project Managers
- 1 Content Strategist
- 1 Photographer
- 1 Videographer
- 2 Engineers
Time frame
- 8 weeks
My role
- UX research and interaction design
- Staffing
- Prototypes
- UI design
- QA
Conclusion
We spent time interviewing stakeholders and users before designing and building the mobile and web apps which gave us insights beyond the original requirements documentation. We also built out an augmented reality system to enable users to learn about new features in a few seconds instead of minutes. The client was so happy with the project that they changed its scope to be customer facing and released it in the public app store. The work we did won us and Lexus a Gold Addy in 2014.
