Today’s design brief is to redesign Renault’s South African car dealership website. This was an actual real project that I worked on at my digital agency but for Toyota Global. For this brief I have changed names and some details. This is the 7th design brief or practice project for UI and UX designers looking to build a portfolio of credible work. Each detailed client brief is time-boxed, detailed, and crafted realistically enough to give you a hands-on experience of doing a real project. The design brief is meant to help you create realistic work you can add to your portfolio and test if design really is for you.

As is usually the case, I have included the following sections with each design brief:

• Timeline (For this to be realistic each brief has a timeline that is as close to real-world work as possible)
• Objectives (What is REQUIRED by the client. This part usually trips designers up as they go off designing what is not required)
• Platform(Where your designs will live. Understanding these platforms will give a well-considered solution)
• Target audience (Users always come first and the design must accommodate the target audience’s pain points)
• References (If you are not sure where to start, clients normally give a set of examples or references they like. The closer the design solution is to the references, the fewer revisions a designer will have to do)
• Deliverables (Most importantly how the solution should be delivered. These represent what a well-detailed portfolio case study looks like so hit it out of the park)
• Recruiter advice (Portfolio advice from creative directors, CEOs and leading design creatives from the biggest companies)

This will help you build your case study much faster as the project objectives and such are provided.

Let’s begin

Client/Brand

Renault SA https://www.renault.co.za

Timeline

1–2 weeks. The project is expected to be completed within two weeks.

Objectives

We are looking to redesign the official Renault website in South Africa. The site should provide a seamless experience for potential customers to browse our catalogue, book a test drive and purchase vehicles from our dealership. The website will be the primary sales tool for our business, and we want it to be easy to use, informative and visually appealing.

Success Metrics to Consider:
Conversion rate: The percentage of website visitors who purchase a vehicle or schedule a test drive.
User engagement: The amount of time visitors spend on the website and the number of pages they visit.
Search performance: The number of visitors who use the search function and the accuracy of the search results.
Customer satisfaction: Feedback from customers who use the website to purchase a vehicle or schedule a test drive.

This is the current site:

Platform

Please design website screens for desktop (1440px wide and mobile view 365px wide).

Target Audience

John, 35 | Busy Executive
NEEDS
A quick and easy way to search for cars that fit his budget and preferences. He is also interested in finance and insurance options that can be bundled with his purchase. Schedule is very tight and he doesn’t want to be haggled by salespeople at a dealership.

Sarah, 28 | First-time Car Buyer
NEEDS
Needs guidance and information about the car buying process. She also wants to compare different models and prices to make an informed decision. She is not familiar with the technical terms used in the car industry, which can make her feel overwhelmed. She is also on a tight budget and needs to find a car that is affordable but still reliable.

Robert, 50 | Experienced Car Enthusiast
NEEDS
Looking for a dealership that specializes in luxury cars and can provide him with personalized service. He is interested in the latest models and technology features. Robert has high expectations and wants to be treated like a VIP. He is not interested in mass-produced cars and wants a dealership that can provide him with unique and exclusive options.

Specifications/ Limitations

Site must load quickly hence any large interactions must be kept to a minimum.

Reference

Volvo https://www.volvocars.com/za/

Deliverables

• Research and testing conducted
• Wireframes/UI designs of
⁃ Homepage: Welcome message, featured vehicles, search function
⁃ Search results page: List of vehicles that match search criteria
⁃ Vehicle detail page: Vehicle photos, specifications, pricing, reviews, similar vehicles
⁃ Schedule test drive page: Form to schedule a test drive, available dates and times
⁃ Request quote page: Form to request a price quote, additional information
⁃ Contact us page: Contact information, form to send a message
⁃ Checkout page: Vehicle details, pricing, financing options, payment information

Testing and Results section

Show your wireframes to 5 people and ask them using your designs what they think about them, what they would improve, and an overall rating.

Take their feedback, iterate the designs, and have a final round of testing with 5 users. See that you improve your overall rating. If not go back to the drawing board and change your designs and retest

What to do next

Download portfolio project PDFs of all the other existing design projects to do in your own time.

Portfolio Advice from recruiters

I love to see how designers tackle complex problems in their portfolio case studies. It’s important to not only show the final product, but the process that got you there.
– Satish Kanwar, VP of Design at Shopify

I want to see a clear articulation of the problem, the design process, and the impact of the solution. Numbers and metrics are important, but so is the story behind them.
– Khoi Vinh, Principal Designer at Adobe