Summary

HUK Autoservice already had an established digital platform for booking workshop services. My role was to lead the UX/UI work around continuously improving that experience — from identifying usability issues and understanding user needs to prioritising opportunities, designing solutions and supporting measurable product improvements.

The project focused on making workshop bookings easier, clearer and more relevant for customers while also improving customer acquisition and long-term engagement.

Key data

My role: Lead UX/UI Designer

Client: HUK Autoservice

Context: Existing digital workshop-service booking platform

Focus: UX research, personas, heuristic evaluation, usability testing, continuous optimisation, checkout redesign and customer engagement

The challenge

The existing platform contained several booking flows, but it was not always clear who the core users were, what they needed or where they experienced friction.

There were also significant internal differences in how the target groups were understood. Without a shared view of the users, it was difficult to prioritise improvements confidently or evaluate whether a proposed solution addressed a real problem.

At the same time, the booking experience contained structural issues that could make the journey feel more complicated than necessary. Users were required to provide vehicle information before selecting a workshop and service. This did not reflect how many people naturally approach the task: first deciding what service they need, then choosing where and when to have it, and only afterwards providing the vehicle details required to complete the booking.

The central questions were:

• Who are the key HUK Autoservice users?

• What motivates them to book a workshop service?

• What makes them hesitate or abandon the booking?

• Which information do they need at each point in the journey?

• How can the booking process better match their expectations?

• Which improvements are most valuable for users and the business?

• How can the experience encourage customers to return?

Establishing a shared understanding of users

The project began with a research initiative to create a reliable foundation for design decisions. Together with an external agency, we developed personas for HUK Autoservice.

The research was designed to combine depth with scale:

1. 40 qualitative interviews were conducted to understand customer behaviours, motivations, expectations, concerns and pain points.

2. The interview results were analysed and translated into recurring themes and user needs.

3. A quantitative survey was created based on the qualitative findings.

4. The survey helped validate and quantify the patterns identified during the interviews.

5. The results were used to build personas that created a shared reference point for the organisation.

This process helped move conversations away from assumptions and towards a more evidence-based understanding of the people using the service.

My contribution

As the lead UX/UI designer, I contributed across the complete optimisation cycle:

• Analysing existing pages, journeys and booking flows

• Identifying usability issues and optimisation opportunities

• Planning and prioritising improvements with product and business stakeholders

• Collaborating with an external agency on the persona development

• Translating research findings into user needs and design opportunities

• Conducting and evaluating heuristic reviews

• Planning and supporting usability tests

• Using continuous user feedback to refine solutions

• Designing improved interaction concepts and interfaces

• Redesigning the complete checkout process

• Supporting the development of customer-retention features

• Aligning UX, UI, business and technical requirements

• Accompanying solutions from initial concept through implementation

Auditing the existing experience

After establishing a stronger understanding of the target groups, I analysed the existing platform and its main flows.

The evaluation combined several perspectives:

Heuristic evaluation

Heuristic evaluations helped identify usability issues across the platform, including unclear structures, unnecessary complexity, potential interaction problems and moments where the interface did not provide enough guidance or feedback.

Usability testing

User tests helped reveal how customers actually navigated the experience, where they hesitated and which parts of the process did not match their expectations.

Continuous user feedback

The optimisation work did not stop after a single research phase. Ongoing user feedback was used to uncover additional improvement opportunities and to assess whether changes made the experience clearer and more effective.

Prioritisation

Not every issue could be addressed at once. I helped prioritise opportunities based on user impact, business relevance, implementation considerations and their potential effect on the booking journey.

Redesigning the checkout process

One of the most significant improvements was a complete redesign of the checkout process.

The original flow

The previous journey required users to enter their vehicle information before selecting a workshop and choosing a service. This created friction early in the process and asked for detailed information before users had fully committed to the booking.

The structure did not reflect the natural order in which many customers think about a workshop appointment.

The improved flow

The redesigned checkout followed a more intuitive sequence:

1. Select a service

2. Choose a workshop and available appointment slot

3. Enter vehicle details

4. Complete the booking

This sequence aligned the experience more closely with the users’ mental model. It allowed customers to understand the service, assess availability and choose a suitable appointment before providing additional vehicle information.

Removing unnecessary registration friction

Users were also given the option to book a service without registering in advance. This guest-booking option reduced the barrier to entry for customers who wanted to complete a single booking quickly or were not yet ready to create a permanent account.

The goal was not to remove the value of accounts, but to avoid making registration a prerequisite for accessing the core service.

Designing for clarity and confidence

The redesigned experience focused on helping users answer the most important questions at every stage:

• What service do I need?

• What will happen during the appointment?

• Which workshop is convenient for me?

• When is the next suitable appointment available?

• What information is required from me?

• Is my booking complete?

The interface was structured to reduce uncertainty, make progress visible and ensure that each step had a clear purpose.

Rather than presenting all required information at once, the redesigned flow introduced content progressively. This helped reduce cognitive load and made the booking task feel more manageable.

Supporting customer acquisition and retention

In addition to improving the core booking flow, I contributed to the development of features designed to increase customer loyalty and encourage repeat bookings.

Refer-a-friend programme

A refer-a-friend programme was introduced to create a simple way for existing customers to recommend HUK Autoservice to people in their network.

The feature supported customer acquisition by turning positive experiences into personal recommendations and giving existing customers an additional reason to engage with the service.

Bonus programme

The bonus programme rewarded customers for booking services. Customers could collect points and redeem them for discounts on future services.

This created a stronger connection between individual bookings and the longer-term customer relationship. Instead of treating each appointment as an isolated transaction, the experience encouraged customers to return to the platform over time.

Outcome

The continuous optimisation work delivered a measurable improvement in both customer acquisition and booking performance.

• The annual target of 100,000 new customers was achieved.

• The booking conversion rate increased from 1.2% to 2.6%.

• The checkout journey was redesigned around a more intuitive user sequence.

• Customers could book without registering in advance.

• User groups and their needs became clearer across the organisation.

• Research and continuous feedback created a stronger basis for prioritising product improvements.

• Loyalty features supported a broader strategy for repeat engagement.

The increase from 1.2% to 2.6% represents more than a doubling of the booking conversion rate, while the overall work helped connect user-centred design with clear business outcomes.