Case Study

Transforming Self-Serve Car Management

Role

Senior Designer

Duration

12 Months

Launch

October 2021

700K

monthly app users

Vs 600K target, 6%
increase MOM

↑16%

app engagement MOM

achieving 4.7 in

Google Play store

achieving 4.7 in

Google Play store

↑34%

cross-sale CTR

on car insurance

1,968

app renewals

processed in app via new
functionality, Nov 21

Best Effect on Business Goals
UXUK Awards

Executive Summary

Redesigning the AA app, reducing call centre demand, introducing key self-service functionality,  and giving members more control over managing their vehicles. I led UX strategy and design execution in close collaboration with product, engineering, and research using data and insights to drive decisions at every stage.

Team

Lead Designer

John Wells

Lead Designer

John Wells

Lead Designer

John Wells

Senior Designer

Steph Brooks

Senior Designer

Steph Brooks

Senior Designer

Steph Brooks

Senior Designer

Chris Mears

Senior Designer

Chris Mears

Senior Designer

Chris Mears

Product Designer

Nick Chimonides

Product Designer

Nick Chimonides

Product Designer

Nick Chimonides

Senior Product Owner

Cameron Kennedy

Lead Engineer

Alessandro Mani

Lead UX Researcher

Anna Sarrou

Key Contributions

UX Strategy

Stakeholder Management

Team Mentoring

Homepage design ownership

Research & Discovery

Architecture & Navigation

Prototyping

Design system evolution

Project Timeline

The Problem

Members don’t know where to turn

The AA has built up a fragmented set of digital services over time. People don’t know which app to download or why there are multiple, and often can’t complete the tasks they need, leading to frustration and heavy reliance on the call centre.

As part of a wider digital transformation, we set out to redesign the core AA app, streamlining services, reducing pressure on support, and making car management simpler for everyone.

Insights

01
I can’t find what I need
Users struggle to find key features because less important options are given priority.
Essential functions, like breakdown assistance, are hard to locate.
Customers are overwhelmed by multiple apps and often download the wrong one.
02
I should be kept up to date
Users miss important updates they expect to receive.
Customers rely on calendars and third-party apps to track key policy dates.
Notifications are often turned off due to low-urgency messages, leaving us to rely on users seeking out information themselves.
03
Low urgency = low value
Unused features, like maps, are prioritised over core tasks, lowering the app’s perceived value.
Some apps are outdated, unreliable, or no longer relevant.
Low-value notifications add noise, giving people fewer reasons to re-engage.
04
I'll just call instead
Many members turn to the call centre because they can’t find key information or essential features in the app.
Over 14 million members rely on the helpline, causing wait times over 45 minutes.
01
I can’t find what I need
Users struggle to find key features because less important options are given priority.
Essential functions, like breakdown assistance, are hard to locate.
Customers are overwhelmed by multiple apps and often download the wrong one.
02
I should be kept up to date
Users miss important updates they expect to receive.
Customers rely on calendars and third-party apps to track key policy dates.
Notifications are often turned off due to low-urgency messages, leaving us to rely on users seeking out information themselves.
03
Low urgency = low value
Unused features, like maps, are prioritised over core tasks, lowering the app’s perceived value.
Some apps are outdated, unreliable, or no longer relevant.
Low-value notifications add noise, giving people fewer reasons to re-engage.
04
I'll just call instead
Many members turn to the call centre because they can’t find key information or essential features in the app.
Over 14 million members rely on the helpline, causing wait times over 45 minutes.
01
I can’t find what I need
Users struggle to find key features because less important options are given priority.
Essential functions, like breakdown assistance, are hard to locate.
Customers are overwhelmed by multiple apps and often download the wrong one.
02
I should be kept up to date
Users miss important updates they expect to receive.
Customers rely on calendars and third-party apps to track key policy dates.
Notifications are often turned off due to low-urgency messages, leaving us to rely on users seeking out information themselves.
03
Low urgency = low value
Unused features, like maps, are prioritised over core tasks, lowering the app’s perceived value.
Some apps are outdated, unreliable, or no longer relevant.
Low-value notifications add noise, giving people fewer reasons to re-engage.
04
I'll just call instead
Many members turn to the call centre because they can’t find key information or essential features in the app.
Over 14 million members rely on the helpline, causing wait times over 45 minutes.
01
I can’t find what I need
Users struggle to find key features because less important options are given priority.
Essential functions, like breakdown assistance, are hard to locate.
Customers are overwhelmed by multiple apps and often download the wrong one.
02
I should be kept up to date
Users miss important updates they expect to receive.
Customers rely on calendars and third-party apps to track key policy dates.
Notifications are often turned off due to low-urgency messages, leaving us to rely on users seeking out information themselves.
03
Low urgency = low value
Unused features, like maps, are prioritised over core tasks, lowering the app’s perceived value.
Some apps are outdated, unreliable, or no longer relevant.
Low-value notifications add noise, giving people fewer reasons to re-engage.
04
I'll just call instead
Many members turn to the call centre because they can’t find key information or essential features in the app.
Over 14 million members rely on the helpline, causing wait times over 45 minutes.

!!!

Testing revealed a strong connection between app retention and timely access to urgent or critical information

Support tickets, App Store reviews, feedback surveys

!!!

Testing revealed a strong connection between app retention and timely access to urgent or critical information

Support tickets, App Store reviews, feedback surveys

“The majority of calls we receive are for policy management, a high number are asking for policy number”

Customer Support Staff interviews

“The majority of calls we receive are for policy management, a high number are asking for policy number”

Customer Support Staff interviews

Solution

Streamlining for seamless, scalable, purpose-driven experiences

By cutting unsupported and redundant products, we can streamline our digital offerings, focusing on delivering exactly what users need through the right platforms. By aligned tools with specific user types we can ensure each platform has a clear purpose, and users need less separate tools meaning more cohesive experiences.

By designing modular, intuitive components we can deliver scaleable solutions that clearly meet user expectations now and for the future.

Users expect comprehensive, up-to-date, data-driven policy management provided by the AA within a single platform

Project Discovery Phase

Users expect comprehensive, up-to-date, data-driven policy management provided by the AA within a single platform

Project Discovery Phase

Mapping the digital landscape of the various AA products

Challenging old assumptions

The legacy app suffers from high churn rates. It is designed based on legacy business products and assumptions focussed on maps and way finding, with policy and breakdown features hidden.

!!!

Discovery revealed major misalignments between what was expected and the current app experience.

Project Discovery Phase

!!!

Discovery revealed major misalignments between what was expected and the current app experience.

Project Discovery Phase

Redefining the digital landscape

Why are people coming to the AA?

We worked with the wider design team to refine to vision for the various digital products and aligning them to the various demographics and stages of car of car ownership.

'Freedom Seekers' are our key demographic, making up a quater of the market

User research, analytics, interviews and surveys

'Freedom Seekers' are our key demographic, making up a quater of the market

User research, analytics, interviews and surveys

The apps most targetted user demographic

App usability testing and severity rating results

Top 5 tasks

Identifying key tasks for key demographics

We identified the top 5 tasks for our key demographics:

Buy and check my policies (breakdown, insurance)

Find and book a garage (service, MOT)
Route planner (traffic, fuel, parking, EV charging)
Member benefits
Report an accident/breakdown

I redefined a modular interface that could cater and grow for different accounts, and was scaleable for our long term strategy.

Showing the app hierarchy of top 5 tasks

LEt us do the hard work

Reducing cognitive load

The modular design consolidates and condenses information focusing on the top 5 tasks hierarchically. This approach allows us to surface the most relevant content, such as MOT cards, only when they are due, reducing unnecessary distractions.

Prioritising core AA services like Breakdown and Insurance not only aligns with business goals but also enhances user engagement by ensuring the app remains relevant to their immediate needs.

Breakdown is emergency functionality so is placed centrally in the nav bar for access throughout the app.

App design principles

Breakdown is emergency functionality so is placed centrally in the nav bar for access throughout the app.

App design principles

Native and intuitive for AA accessibility

The app was built to native design standards to ensure a seamless user experience across all devices. By sticking to platform-specific design guidelines we enhanced usability for our key segments, ensured consistency and reliability across the app and reducing the learning curve for new users.

Over 50% of app complaints are for navigation and layout

User research and analytics

Over 50% of app complaints are for navigation and layout

User research and analytics

Over 50% of app complaints are for navigation and layout

User research, analytics, interviews and surveys

Over 50% of app complaints are for navigation and layout

User research, analytics, interviews and surveys

Keep me informed

Informative, actionable notifications are critical

The AA relies on different notification models to keep people informed. Push notifications are particularly key for the most urgent information.

By streamlining notifications and focussing on key policy information we can enhance app value, reduce call centre traffic and promote an app-first approach.

The AA relies on different notification models to keep people informed. Push notifications are particularly key for the most urgent information.

By streamlining notifications and focussing on key policy information we can enhance app value, reduce call centre traffic and promote an app-first approach.

!!!

Too many low urgency notifications overwhelm users, leading to disabling them and ultimately deleting the app.

Card sorting and interviews

!!!

Too many low urgency notifications overwhelm users, leading to disabling them and ultimately deleting the app.

Card sorting and interviews

Informative, actionable notifications are critical

Research was conducted to refine customer mental models. We developed communication principles to guide future notification strategies and an effective notification system across the AA brand.

Collaboration with Marketing, DevOps, and Customer Support teams is ongoing to ensure consistent and user-friendly communication across all digital channels.

Mapping out notification principles through a notification model matrix

Launch

Keep on top of vehicle management effortlessly

We launched the new designs in October 2021.

Customers can now manage and upgrade multiple policies in-app, and are kept on top of their vehicle policies proactively. They can action renew or purchase new policies, as well as report an emergency stress free knowing they will be informed accordingly.

We launched the new designs in October 2021.

Measured Success

Everything works as it should now, very happy indeed

With greater visibility of policies and clear in-app purchase journeys, the business saw a 34% increase in cross sell. App engagement is building each month with churn swiftly reducing.

These changes in behaviours are seen in our customers attitudes and perceptions of the app through feedback channels and reviews. Testing continues to validate the success and measure the impact to customer perception.

*Numbers across IOS and Android,

Improvement, CSAT and social channels monitored moving forward

With greater visibility of policies and clear in-app purchase journeys, the business saw a 34% increase in cross sell. App engagement is building each month with churn swiftly reducing.

*Numbers across IOS and Android,

Improvement, CSAT and social channels monitored moving forward

Vs 600K target, 6% increase MOM

achieving 4.7 in Google Play store

on car insurance

processed in app via new functionality, Nov 21

Want to hear more?

Get in contact

Case Study

Transforming Self-Serve Car Management

Role

Senior Designer

Duration

12 Months

Launch

October 2021

700K

700K

monthly app users

monthly app users

Vs 600K target, 6%increase MOM

Vs 600K target, 6%increase MOM

↑16%

↑16%

app engagement MOM

app engagement MOM

achieving 4.7 in

Google Play store

achieving 4.7 in

Google Play store

↑34%

↑34%

cross-sale CTR

cross-sale CTR

on car insurance

on car insurance

1,968

1,968

app renewals

app renewals

processed in app via newfunctionality, Nov 21

processed in app via newfunctionality, Nov 21

Executive Summary

Team

Key Contributions

Project Timeline

Project Timeline

The Problem

The Problem

Members don’t know where to turn

Members don’t know where to turn

Insights

01

I can’t find what I need

02

I should be kept up to date

03

Low urgency = low value

04

I'll just call instead

Solution

Solution

Streamlining for seamless, scalable, purpose-driven experiences

Streamlining for seamless, scalable, purpose-driven experiences

Challenging old assumptions

Redefining the digital landscape

Why are people coming to the AA?

Top 5 tasks

Identifying key tasks for key demographics

LEt us do the hard work

Reducing cognitive load

Native and intuitive for AA accessibility

Keep me informed

Keep me informed

Informative, actionable notifications are critical

Informative, actionable notifications are critical

Informative, actionable notifications are critical

Launch

Launch

Keep on top of vehicle management effortlessly

Keep on top of vehicle management effortlessly

Measured Success

Measured Success

Everything works as it should now, very happy indeed

Everything works as it should now, very happy indeed

700K

monthly appusers

↑16%

Vs 600K target, 6%
increase MOM

Vs 600K target, 6%
increase MOM

processed in app via new
functionality, Nov 21

processed in app via new
functionality, Nov 21

monthly app
users

app engagement
MOM