Accident & Damage Section

As mentioned, CARFAX is known for its detailed vehicle history reports. Despite our ongoing redesign, set to finish this year, we continue to prioritize our data's visibility.

Lead Designer Design Enhancement User Research

Overview

The Vehicle History Report only offered two methods for accessing information on accidents and damages. My task was to enhance the visibility of accidents and damages within the report. This update helps both consumers and dealers to swiftly assess vehicle damage, significantly streamlining their decision-making process.

Screenshot of a CARFAX Vehicle History Report for a 2019 Toyota Highlander Limited Platinum with VIN 5TDDZRFH2KS975608, showing details like vehicle value, owner history, damage report, and nearby dealership information.

Accident/Damage in Vehicle History Report Header

Car damage report with a cartoon fox character pointing. The report shows minor damage to the front left side of a vehicle, with damage severity ~moderate and damage location at the front. The fox is wearing a shirt with "CAR FOX" written on it.

Accident/Damage in Vehicle History Report Detailed History

Design

Following discussions with stakeholders to understand their needs, I promptly transitioned into the design phase. Aware of our tight deadline to launch for price increases, I crafted several options. These included some that enhanced the visibility of accidents and damages.

Screenshot of a CARFAX vehicle history report for a 2017 Ford Explorer Limited with details like VIN 1FM5K8F88HGA55709, showing accident history, oil changes, owner history, and vehicle details. Includes CARFAX logos, dealership info, and a cartoon dog mascot with a shield indicating regular oil changes.

Option 1: Adding Damage Severity Scale to Vehicle Detail History Header

Carfax vehicle history report for a 2017 Ford Explorer Limited showing minor rear-end collision damage, rear damage, and no airbags deployed, from a dealer named King Kia.

Option 2: Creating Accident/Damage Section With the Report

Screenshot of a CARFAX vehicle history report for a 2017 Ford Explorer Limited, showing details such as accident history, maintenance, ownership, and vehicle information.

Option 3: Creating Accident/Damage Section With the Report

Screenshot of a CARFAX Vehicle History Report showing accident and damage history, with a report of minor damage from a rear-end collision on March 4, 2023, involving damage to the rear of the vehicle.

Qualitative Testing

We narrowed down our choices to the top two designs and proceeded with testing. The aim was to directly compare these designs to determine which option more effectively captured the attention and interest of our audience.

Option 1

Carfax vehicle history report showing two rear-end collision accidents with minor damage severity, reported on 3/04/2023, for a personal vehicle owned by King Kia, with 87,099 miles reported.

Option 2

We conducted tests with 20 consumers to evaluate both design options, for mobile and web and both received positive feedback. However, option 2 was the preferred choice for 11 out of 20 consumers. Key reasons for its favorability included its logical layout and ease of readability.

Additionally, consumers noted that option 2 presented accident information more effectively, particularly in scenarios involving a single incident, making it visually superior to the first option.

Quantitative Testing

Following the selection of the winning design, we aimed to evaluate its performance against our existing report, specifically to assess the impact of the updated accident history section. To accomplish this, we engaged 250 respondents in our study, evenly divided into two groups: one group of 125 viewed the current report, while the other 125 were presented with the report featuring the revised accident/damage section.

RESULTS

Regarding the updated accident/damage section, 93% of respondents indicated the information was helpful, with 86% viewing it as trustworthy. Conversely, for the existing version, 77% found it helpful, while 83% considered the information reliable.

Screenshot of a CARFAX vehicle history report for a 2017 Ford Explorer Limited with details on accident history, oil changes, owners, and odometer readings.

Web - With Accident/Damage Section

Car history report showing two accidents: one rear-end collision in 2017 with minor damage and one front-end collision in 2020 with moderate damage, vehicle involved in both incidents.

Mobile - With Accident/Damage Section

Conclusion

Not all designs undergo a formal design sprint process. There are instances where I need to expedite the workflow to meet our objectives. Fortunately, this time we managed to conduct both qualitative and quantitative testing prior to launch.