Rivian Configurator Redesign

Project Overview

As part of my Master's in Human-Computer Interaction and Design program, we conducted a comprehensive UX evaluation of Rivian's vehicle configurator. This involved expert analysis, competitive benchmarking, and user testing to identify opportunities for improvement.

Role

UX Researcher, UX designer, Project Manager

Tools

Usertesting.com, Maze.co, Figma, OptimalWorkshop

Team

Eduardo Perez, Elizabeth Schaus

Duration

10 Weeks

Who is Rivian?

Rivian is an American electric vehicle manfacturer and automotive technology company founded in 2009. Their target market is affluent mid-to-late career professionals with a love for the outdoors and technology.

Mission: To redefine adventure and sustainability through electric vehicles

Unique features: Emphasis on outdoor adventure capabilities, advanced technology, and sustainable practices

Expert Evaluation Methods

  • Heuristic Evaluation

  • Competitive Analysis

Heuristic Evaluation

Why? To ensure Rivian meets industry standards for usability and user experience.

We conducted a thorough review of Rivian’s Vehicle Configurator, utilizing Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics to pinpoint issues and suggest actionable improvements.

Heuristic Evaluation Findings

After reviewing Rivian’s configurator, we found various issues within the platform.

Flexibility and Efficiency of Use

Users are unable to reserve or order the vehicle that they “built” in the configurator.

User Control and Freedom

No option for the user to return to the previous page, the only option is to click “continue” to proceed to checkout.

Match between System and Real World

There is a disconnect between the configurator and “shop available” section, in the vehicle summary, you are prompted to select vehicles from the existing inventory.

Competitive Analysis

Why? To develop actionable recommendations for Rivian’s vehicle configurator and understand the competitive landscape between direct and indirect competitors.

Direct Competitors:

Indirect Competitors:

Competitive Analysis Findings

Recommendations for improvement on Rivian’s configurator:

Bridge the electric vehicle information gap through comprehensive details on specs, range, charging, and unique features readily available on the website would eliminate the need for overwhelming independent research, ultimately smoothing the buying journey.

Integrate multimedia by incorporating videos and interactive product photos showcasing 360° views, fostering a deeper connection with the user's customized vehicle.

Build trust in reputation by enhancing transparency in the configurator; clarifying that it secures your place in the build queue, not guaranteeing the exact vehicle that was curated in the configurator.

Create immersive experiences by allowing users to explore the car virtually, ask questions, and feel truly immersed in their future EV

Elevate the buying journey by offering a seamless journey from learning about the car to reserving it on the web platform.

Providing virtual guidance by tailoring vehicle options to individual needs and lifestyles, fostering confidence in selecting the perfect Rivian for each buyer's unique journey.

User Evaluation

  • Card Sort

  • Qualitatitive User Testing

Card Sort

We utilized a hybrid card sort method to identify the optimal arrangement and categorization of features and options within Rivian website’s configurator to improve user experience.

Results:

Users grouped Manual Tonneau Cover and Front Paint Protection with adventure gear accessories, diverging from Rivian's Build Options category. This highlights a need for clearer navigation in the configurator.

Qualitatitive User Testing

A qualitative user testing session was conducted to uncover usability issues within the current Rivian vehicle configurator. Utilizing usertesting.com, 3 participants participated in think-aloud sessions, where they were tasked with navigating the existing configurator and verbalizing their thoughts and impressions throughout the process.

Positive Takeaways

“Overall easy to configure the vehicle and complete the purchase process.”

Tester spun through the gear and options very quickly – points to it being super easy to navigate with the pictures of the accessories on the buttons.

Negative Takeaways

 “It wouldn’t let me reserve the kind of car that I wanted.[...] I don’t think I love that, personally…why walk through making my car if I can’t even reserve the one I want?”

“It’s not letting me buy it, it’s just the reserve your spot in line…and even when I went to reserve my spot in line, it said specifically that my choices in the configurator would not be saved” 

Redesign & Quantitative User Testing

To quantify the effectiveness of our redesign, we utilized Maze.co to conduct a quantitative user test to track the interactions of 44 participants as they completed tasks in our prototypes. We included follow-up surveys to give us a more robust understanding of the data.

Task #1. Save Button

We created a prototype that offered users an option to “save” their progress upon exiting

Task #1. Save Button - Results

86% of users were able to naviagte to the save button and successfully save their configured vehicle.

Task #2. Reserve Button

We streamlined the reserve button to clearly indicate the vehicle they were reserving.

Task #2. Reserve Button - Results

95% of users were able to complete the reservation process with the expected path.

Task #3. Purchase Flow

Our team redesigned the purchase flow to determine if users found it to be more intuitive.

Task #3. Purchase Flow - Results

Based on the heatmap, we found that 98% of the users were able to navigate the purchase flow seamlessly.

Design Recommendations

#1: Implement information architect (IA) changes in the configurator

#2: Incorporate the “save” function

#3: Streamline the buying experience

#4: Add 360º vehicle imagery & capability

*this feature is not currently available on Rivian’s configurator platform. Based on our research findings, Incorporating this function could enhance the user experience

Based on our expert evaluation and user testing, we propose a redesign of the Rivian configurator to enhance intuitiveness, streamline the process, and ultimately elevate the overall user experience.

Current Design

Redesign

Reflection

Overall, this course project was more than just a redesign of the configurator- it was also a learning experience of utilizing usertesting.com, maze.co, and optimalworkshop for my very first time. Through this experience, I gained confidence in my UX design skills, design intention, question asking, and product ownership.

Thank you to my classmates who shaped my experience on this project!