Connect – Jordan Detota

A vehicle management platform
for the everyday driver.

Project Overview

With Connect, Ikon Technologies aimed to transform their basic vehicle theft protection service into a deeper offering that provided additional value to both dealerships and their customers. We expanded the product to include features like service scheduling, trip tracking, vehicle alerts, and dealer communications. The goal was to help consumers manage their vehicles more effectively while enhancing the relationship between dealerships and their customers.

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Mobile App

Design Systems

Prototyping

Mentorship

My Role

I started this project when I joined the company as the sole designer. I conducted the necessary initial research and established the product and design strategy. I designed initial concepts to communicate the direction to stakeholders before hiring a junior designer and transitioning to mentorship and design direction.

The Process

Discovery

We identified opportunities by understanding what drivers go through and what they care about.

Workflows

Mapped out what a core experience could look like and how each component was connected through information architecure and user flows.

Design

With a solid understanding and plan in place, we set out to design the product.

Testing

We connected with internal and external parties to get hands on feedback at every milestone we hit.

Discovery

Research

The team and I used various methods of research to gather initial research on the project. These included stakeholder interviews, whiteboarding, user interviews, competitive analysis and more.

Mapping

I mapped out both the lifecycle of a vehicle and the typical journey of daily vehicle ownership.

Vehicle Lifecycle

I mapped the vehicle lifecycle from purchase to salvage, comparing steps by frequency and monetary impact. We aimed to target areas with the highest use and impact, but many were already saturated by competitors like Google and Apple, so we needed to narrow our focus.

Driver Journey

Through our discussions with drivers, we mapped out a robust journey, identifying potential opportunities we could target.

User Research and Personas

Almost everyone drives a vehicle in the United States, so there was no shortage of insights. We felt that the vast majority of people fit into one or both of our primary personas.

Key Problem Areas

From our research we narrowed it down to a few primary problem areas.

1. Service and Maintenance

Many drivers felt stressed or overwhelmed needing to maintain their vehicle. Additionally, most drivers felt distrust towards service centers and mechanics.

2. Driving Habits and History

Drivers wanted to be aware of the location and driving behavior of the vehicles they're responsible for to protect against theft and unsafe driving behavior.

3. Multi-Vehicle Management

Owners of multiple vehicles felt frustrated that they had to deal with multiple OEM applications to manage their vehicles.

Planning

High Level Information Architecture

Connect’s simple architecture divides the app into 3 main sections and a profile page. My Vehicle is the primary tab for all vehicle info and actions, with an option to switch vehicles. Live Location shows real-time locations of all tracked vehicles and keys, while My Dealer provides dealership-specific features like service and inventory.

Ideation and Sketching

A lot of white boarding with the occasional cat drawing.

Selected Features

My Vehicle

The main tab offers quick access to vehicle info and actions. Upon opening, a clean animation shows your vehicle arriving. Users can view the status, set alerts, see recent trips, activate stolen vehicle mode, or contact roadside assistance.