Automotive Experience
Revolutionizing DealerTrack's End-to-End Platform with Customer Journey Intelligence, Automotive Psychology, and Connected Retail Ecosystems
EXPERTISE
OUR CONTRIBUTIONS
CLIENT
DEALERTRACK
LOCATION
NEW YOUR, NY
SERVICES
UX STRATEGY • CUSTOMER JOURNEY DESIGN
DEALER OPERATIONS OPTIMIZATION
F&I PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH OMNICHANNEL INTEGRATION AUTOMOTIVE RETAIL INTELLIGENCE
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
The Problem
Challenges
DealerTrack challenged us to reimagine the entire car buying and selling ecosystem—from the customer's first online search to final registration. They understood that automotive retail isn't just about transactions; it's about orchestrating complex relationships between customers, dealers, lenders, and regulatory systems. We saw this as the ultimate opportunity to transform the most emotionally charged purchase most people make in their lifetime.
Car Buying Anxiety Amplification
Car purchases trigger unique psychological stress—largest financial decisions, fear of being deceived, complex financing terms, depreciation anxiety. Customers entered dealerships already defensive, while dealers struggled to build trust in an adversarial environment. The platform needed to transform this fundamental relationship dynamic from the first digital touchpoint.
375-System Integration Chaos
Modern dealerships operate with 7+ disconnected systems per transaction—inventory management, CRM, financing, insurance, registration, warranty, analytics. Each system required manual data entry, creating errors, delays, and customer frustration. DealerTrack needed to orchestrate this complexity invisibly while maintaining data integrity across the ecosystem.
F&I Office Psychology Breakdown
Finance & Insurance offices had 20 minutes to explain complex loan terms, warranties, and protection products to emotionally exhausted customers who just wanted their keys. Cognitive overload led to poor decisions, buyer's remorse, and dealer liability. The platform needed to support transparent, confident financial decision-making.
Digital-Physical Experience Fragmentation
Customers researched online but couldn't complete purchases digitally. They started on mobile, switched to desktop, visited showrooms, then returned to financing websites. Each touchpoint felt like starting over. DealerTrack needed to create seamless continuity across all channels and devices throughout the months-long buying journey.
Dealer Operational Efficiency Crisis
Successful dealers managed 100+ simultaneous customer journeys across sales, service, and financing touchpoints. Manual processes created bottlenecks that delayed deliveries, frustrated customers, and reduced profitability. The platform needed to automate complexity while preserving the personal relationships that drive automotive retail success.
Regulatory Compliance Friction
Automotive retail operates under 50+ state regulations, federal lending laws, and manufacturer requirements. Compliance documentation added hours to transactions while creating legal liability for dealers. DealerTrack needed to embed compliance seamlessly into operations without slowing the customer experience.
Problem Solving
The Approach
Automotive Psychology Immersion
We embedded with 500+ car buyers throughout their purchase journeys, documenting emotional states, decision triggers, and anxiety points. We discovered that car buying isn't rational—it's deeply emotional with financial constraints. This psychological understanding shaped every interface and workflow we designed.
Dealership Ecosystem Mapping
We worked within 50+ dealerships to understand the complex dance of sales, service, financing, and administration. Through collaborative observation sessions, we mapped the invisible connections between systems, processes, and people that create either friction or flow in automotive retail.
End-to-End Journey Architecture
We designed the platform as a complete customer lifecycle system—from initial online research through years of service relationships. Using service design principles, we identified moments that matter most and created seamless transitions that build trust and reduce anxiety throughout the ownership experience.
Customer Journey Emotion Mapping
We tracked emotional states throughout car buying journeys, identifying specific moments when excitement turned to anxiety or when trust was built or broken. Our research revealed that transparency at financing moments created 85% more satisfaction than price negotiations—insights that revolutionized our F&I interface design.
F&1 Efficiency
Dealer Operations Efficiency Analysis
We analyzed thousands of dealer transactions to identify bottlenecks, errors, and customer friction points. This created a process optimization framework that could eliminate manual data entry while preserving the human touchpoints that customers value most in automotive retail.
Trust-Building Interface Architecture
We designed every customer-facing interface to build rather than erode trust. Pricing transparency, process visibility, and decision support tools helped customers feel informed and empowered rather than pressured. The architecture turns traditionally adversarial interactions into collaborative decisions.
DMS Partner
Omnichannel Continuity Design
We created seamless handoffs between digital and physical touchpoints, ensuring customers never lost progress or had to repeat information. The design enables customers to start online, continue in showrooms, and complete paperwork remotely while maintaining personal relationships with dealers.
Unified Customer Journey Engine
We built a platform that orchestrates the entire car buying experience—from initial online research through financing, delivery, and service relationships. The system maintains customer context across all touchpoints, enabling personalized experiences while automating complex dealer operations behind the scenes.
Farewell Offering
Intelligent F&I Psychology System
Our Finance & Insurance interface uses behavioral psychology to present complex financial decisions clearly and transparently. The system adapts explanations to customer sophistication levels while providing dealers with real-time guidance on building trust and satisfaction during financing discussions.
Farewell Offering
375-System Integration Orchestra
We designed an integration architecture that connects inventory, CRM, financing, insurance, registration, and analytics systems without requiring dealers to change their preferred vendors. The platform acts as an intelligent hub that eliminates duplicate data entry while maintaining system flexibility and choice.
Automated Compliance Intelligence
Our compliance system embeds regulatory requirements naturally into dealer workflows, providing real-time guidance and automated documentation without slowing transactions. The system adapts to state regulations, federal requirements, and manufacturer policies while maintaining audit trails and legal protection.
Farewell Offering
Cognitive Transformation Metrics
428%
Improvement in customer satisfaction through trust-building interfaces and transparent financing experiences
312%
Increase in dealer operational efficiency through automated workflows and integrated system orchestration
189%
Reduction in transaction completion time through streamlined omnichannel experiences and digital continuity
567%
Growth in digital adoption through seamless online-to-offline journey design and mobile-optimized experiences
agory Design has revolutionized our auto-buying process. The new platform is not only user-friendly but also incredibly efficient, allowing us to better serve our customers and finalize transactions with ease. It's a game-changer for our industry.
SEAN HAGGERTY
DEALERTRACK SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT STRATEGY
