Making renting a car as easy as driving one
TIMELINE
Sep 2021
to
Present
PLATFORM
Desktop
and
Mobile Site
ROLES
Product Designer
Brand Designer
Interactive Website Designer
I run a small car rental business where we rent out our Tesla vehicles through a peer-to-peer service called Turo. Despite having unique and premium vehicles like the Tesla Model X, we found it challenging to stand out amongst hundreds of competitors, including both individual renters and larger commercial companies in Southern California.
Increase revenue for our car rental business.
We struggled to differentiate our car rentals in a crowded Southern Californian market and lacked the social proof that we and our vehicles were trustworthy and reliable.
To stand out in the car rental market, I decided to create a unique themed experience for our renters, drawing inspiration from the movie "Back to the Future". To achieve trustworthiness and reliability, I will prioritize receiving 5 Star Reviews from each renter and market the cars under a new car rental brand called MFNTI, aiming to inspire trust and professionalism.
Product Designer:
UI Designer: I created a visually appealing and intuitive user interface. This involved crafting the look and feel of the website to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience.
UX Designer: As a UX designer, my focus extended beyond aesthetics. I conducted in-depth research, user interviews, created various wireframes, and conducted user testing of prototypes to optimize the overall user journey and interaction flow.
Brand Designer:
Brand Strategy: I developed the brand’s personality, tone, market positioning, and beliefs. Pulling from the movie back to the future, we had a playful and light hearted tone that encouraged exploration and adventure. I developed the brand’s core beliefs that drove our “MFNTI Guarantees” that came with each rental. By the start of 2024, I wanted MFNTI to be ranked in the top 3 when searching for EVs in Southern California, attain “All Star Host” Status, and maintain a 5 Star perfect rating on the Turo platform.
Brand Identity: I created the visual identity of MFNTI, starting with the logo, then moving to the brand’s colors, typefaces, grid layouts, and supporting imagery.
Interactive Web Designer:
Design in Figma: I ensured the website was responsive across various devices, offering a consistent and optimized experience to users on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Development on Framer: Leveraging my front-end web design and development skills, I brought the brand to life using the Framer platform.
Achieve “All Star Host” Status:
Achieving the "All-Star Host" level on the Turo platform is crucial for success as it directly influences your reputation, user trust, and ultimately, your booking rates. It enhances visibility of our vehicles on the platform search results, builds trust with the end users, it gives us a competitive advantage among our peers, and it shows our commitment to customer satisfaction.
Increase the Number of Rentals:
A key goal was to enhance MFNTI's online presence to reach a broader audience. By optimizing the website for search engines and ensuring a strong online marketing strategy, the aim was to attract more potential customers and convert website visitors into rental bookings. Promotional Campaigns and Incentives: Implementing targeted promotional campaigns and incentives, such as discounts for early bookings or loyalty programs, was part of the strategy to encourage repeat business and attract new customers, thereby increasing the overall number of rentals.
Increase the Rental Rate Per Day:
To increase the average rental rate per day, MFNTI focused on providing value-added services. This included offering premium vehicle options, add-ons and extras that was in line with typical Electric SUV renters, and other extras that would justify a higher rental price.Targeting Premium Market Segments: Identifying and targeting premium market segments allowed MFNTI to position itself as a provider of high-quality, premium rental experiences. This, in turn, justified a higher rental rate per day compared to competitors.
Create a Brand People Can Trust:
Differentiated Brand Identity: The primary goal was to establish a unique and memorable brand identity that would set MFNTI apart from competitors. This involved creating a distinctive logo, a cohesive visual language, and a brand persona that conveyed reliability, professionalism, and a customer-centric approach. By creating a brand for the car rental fleet, MFNTI aimed to build customer trust and reliability. A well-branded fleet conveys a sense of professionalism and reassures customers that they are renting from a reputable and established business.
Provide an Exceptional Customer Experience:
To stand out in a crowded market, MFNTI prioritized providing an exceptional user experience. This involved a thorough UX design process, ensuring the website's navigation was intuitive, and the booking process was seamless. Emphasis was placed on user-friendly features that would make the rental process efficient and enjoyable for customers.
Create a Thematic Rental Experience:
Combining Tesla and Back to the Future, we wanted to create a thematic rental experience that tapped into the user’s emotions, hoping to add layers of excitement and novelty to an otherwise boring straightforward process of renting a car. To convince the user that they’re not just renting a car, they’re going on an adventure in a “Time Machine”.
Jumping into the car rental industry without prior experience was both daunting and exciting. The first step in building a compelling brand and story was understanding users, their motivations, and the competitive landscape. Without firsthand data, I turned to YouTube, searching for insights from experienced Turo hosts, using terms like “Things I wish I knew before…” and “10 must-dos for starting a Turo business.”
I conducted 12 interviews with target users and created Empathy Maps to deepen my understanding. Another crucial takeaway was the power of reviews. High ratings, large review volumes, and earning Turo’s “All Star Host” badge were essential for competing with top hosts.
I also analyzed top rental hosts on Turo in both our category (EV SUVs) and the broader Los Angeles market. This included examining car listings, highlighted features, and user reviews. A surprising insight emerged: most positive reviews focused more on hosts than the vehicles, praising communication, flexibility, and seamless rental experiences. This underscored the importance of customer experience over just the car itself.
Reviews revealed that hosts who framed rentals as experiences or adventures tended to score higher and attract more bookings. Key factors for success included professional vehicle photography, clear feature descriptions, and perks like multi-day discounts, free supercharging, or unlimited miles. Customers also valued deals and no hidden fees.
Playing with Initials: Initial explorations involved creatively integrating the initials of myself and my wife, "M" and "T," reflecting the core identity of the brand, incorporating influences of myself and my wife, and embodying the spirit of adventure and possibility.
Evolution to "M Finds T": Iterative brainstorming led to the conceptualization of "M Finds T," a minimalist representation of "infinity." This choice effectively communicated the core brand values of limitless exploration and boundless potential.
Minimalist Line Art Influence: Drawing inspiration from contemporary minimalist line art logos, the MFNTI logo was designed with clean lines and simplicity, aligning with the minimalistic aspect of the brand strategy.
Negative Space Utilization: The logo design explored creative uses of negative space, specifically incorporating it into the letter "I." This technique added depth and visual interest while subtly referencing the infinity symbol.
Sharp-Edged Infinity Symbol: The stylized, sharp-edged infinity symbol was chosen to convey a sense of precision, modernity, and a forward-thinking approach. It visually represented the limitless nature of adventure and possibilities offered by MFNTI.
All photography had to have the same distinct color grade. High contrast, dark shadows, bright highlights, clearly showing the car, while being highlighted by a unique environment. We took hundreds of photos in Downtown LA, in snowy Mammoth Lakes, on our trip the Grand Canyon and White Sands National Park, as well as at a more local park in Joshua Tree. All Back to the Future props and accessories were also photographed and graded to match the overall photography aesthetic.
The decision to opt for a darker color palette was deliberate. Darker tones exude sophistication, evoke a sense of reliability, and align with the idea of exploring adventures during both day and night. It also provided a visually appealing contrast with the white lettering, enhancing readability. To pay homage to the Back To The Future movie, we used bold orange as our primary accent color.
#080808
Primary Logo Color
Logo, Headers, Copy
#EBEAE9
Alt Invert Logo Color
Logo, Headers, Copy
#333333
Tertiary Brand Color
Surfaces, Sub Heads
#FF7300
Primary Accent Color
Buttons / Links / CTAs
Typography Choices prioritized simplicity and readability. The typography choices were driven by the brand's minimalistic ethos. Sans-serif font Family MANROPE was preferred for their clean and modern aesthetic, ensuring readability and conveying a straightforward brand message.
Consistency with Line Art Design: Visual elements, including icons, maintained consistency with the minimalist line art design prevalent in contemporary logos. This ensured a cohesive and modern visual language across all brand touchpoints.
The MFNTI brand identity was meticulously crafted to align with the foundational concepts of Endless Adventure, Infinite Possibilities, and Minimalistic. From the conceptualization of the brand strategy to the development of the logo, visual elements, color palette, and typography, each element was carefully chosen to resonate with the brand's core values and communicate a unified and compelling narrative.
Developing the MFNTI website involved thorough research, wireframing, and prototyping stages to ensure a user-centric approach. User testing was critical component, helping to identify areas for improvement and refining the website's design and functionality. Continuous iteration and refinement throughout the design and development process contributed to the creation of a website that aligns with user needs and provides a positive user experience.
#080808
Primary Surface Color
Background
#EBEAE9
Primary Contrast Color
Logo, Headers, Copy
#333333
Secondary Surface Color
Card Backgrounds, Forms
#FF7300
Primary Accent Color
Buttons / Links / CTAs
#FF7300
Secondary Accent Color
Hover Buttons, Highlights
User testing through your network of friends, family, and fellow UI and UX designers provided valuable insights into the effectiveness of the MFNTI website. Here's how the user testing process unfolded:
Recruitment of Participants: Participants were recruited from both our networks to represent a diverse range of user types and perspectives.
Testing Scenarios: Participants were given specific tasks to perform on the website, such as finding rental information, exploring themed experiences, and booking a rental.
Observation and Note-Taking: We observed participants as they interacted with the website, noting areas of confusion, hesitation, or satisfaction by recording their sessions.
Feedback Collection: After each session, participants provided verbal feedback on their experience, highlighting what they liked, what they found confusing, and any suggestions for improvement.
Video Attraction: During the testing, it was noted that participants were particularly attracted to videos showcasing the Back to the Future-themed props. This insight helped emphasize the importance of visual content in capturing user attention.
Design Iteration: Initially, the website design was very video-centric, which was slowing down the loading speed. Based on user feedback and performance data, the design was iterated to optimize loading times while still incorporating engaging video content.
Heatmap Analysis: AI heatmap apps were used to analyze user interactions with the website. This helped identify areas where users were most engaged and where they were encountering difficulties. The heatmap analysis guided the optimization of the website layout, ensuring that key elements such as Call to Actions (CTAs) were clear, prominent, and easy to find.
Iterative Improvement: Based on the insights gathered from user testing, video attraction observations, and heatmap analysis, iterative improvements were made to the website design to enhance user experience and drive engagement.
By leveraging user testing, video engagement observations, and heatmap analysis, We were able to fine-tune its website design to provide a more engaging and user-friendly experience, ultimately helping to attract more traffic to our Turo listing.
Version 2 of the website was also designed in Figma, but developed and launched onto the Framer platform on July 2023. It gave us more flexibility for more interactive elements, animations, and video without ever having to bring on a developer for custom code.
We first started renting our Tesla on October 2021, making $864 in our first month, then increasing to $1181 the following month. But, in the month of December we dropped drastically to only 1 renter for a total of $162. We thought we hit rock bottom, until the following month of January we had ZERO renters for a total of $0.
We launched the website and social media ad campaigns in February and had our best month (to date) and made $2232! We kept that momentum through the next 7 months, averaging about $1750 in earnings until September, when fears of a recession and a car market “crash” peaked. We adjusted our prices but didn’t have as much success as earlier in the year. From then until June of 2023, we averaged about $1500 in earnings.
The launch of our Version 2 website on the Framer platform on July 2023 led to a spike in earnings of $2061. We are looking to continue the momentum, and potentially start running social media ads again to increase traffic to the website and increase our rental frequency.
Average Monthly Earnings: $551.75 | $1059.09 | $1247.38
Average Monthly Renters: 1.25 renters | 4.25 renters | 4.75 renters
Average Earnings Per Rental: $208.41 | $374.28 | $401.03
Importance of a Strong Brand Identity:
Recognized early on that a strong and cohesive brand identity, encapsulated in the "M Finds T" concept, was fundamental in differentiating MFNTI in the competitive car rental space.
The Power of "All Star Host" Status:
Once we reached this goal, we saw an immediate uptick in rentals. Being placed higher on search lists and having that badge next to our listing had the most profound impact on our revenue.
Customer Satisfaction as a Key Driver:
Customer satisfaction emerged as a pivotal factor influencing rental rates. Positive reviews played a crucial role in attracting more renters, highlighting the impact of a positive user experience on business growth.
Connection between Reviews and Rentals:
A direct correlation was observed between the number of positive reviews received and an increase in rental bookings. Word-of-mouth and online reviews became significant drivers of brand reputation and customer trust.
Underestimating Promotional Impact:
Initially, the importance of promotions and deals in attracting and retaining customers was somewhat overlooked. As promotions gained attention post-launch, their influence on customer acquisition and loyalty became evident.
Pricing Dynamics and Competitor Monitoring:
It became apparent that staying competitive in pricing was critical. Overlooking regular monitoring of pricing, discounts, and promotions relative to competitors could impact MFNTI's ability to attract cost-conscious renters.
Refinement of Promotional Strategies: Post-launch, there was a strategic shift towards implementing targeted promotional strategies. This included discounts for early bookings, loyalty programs, and seasonal promotions to enhance customer engagement.
Enhanced Pricing Management: A more proactive approach to pricing management, including regular assessments of market trends and competitor pricing, was adopted. This ensured that MFNTI remained competitive and provided value to renters.
Iterative Customer Feedback Implementation: The realization that customer feedback was an invaluable resource led to the implementation of a continuous feedback loop. Regularly incorporating user suggestions and addressing pain points became a standard practice for ongoing improvement.
Adaptability to Market Dynamics: The importance of adaptability to market dynamics became evident. Flexibility in adjusting strategies based on customer feedback, market trends, and competitor movements was essential to maintaining relevance. The fears of a looming recession during 2023 made adapting to market dynamics crucial.
In conclusion, the reflections and takeaways from both the development and post-launch phases of the MFNTI brand and website emphasized the centrality of customer satisfaction, the importance of strategic pricing and promotions, and the need for adaptability in a dynamic market. These insights became instrumental in shaping ongoing strategies for business success.
