BMWUSA.COM

I served as the Product Lead for the redesign of BMWUSA.com from 2014-2015. While in that role, I worked closely with other project leads to create the initial project directions and manage client priorities. I helped create and guide technology strategies, user experience strategies, and visual design directions. I also established and socialized new practices within kbs/Spies -- including product visions, product roadmaps, and modular design principles.

As a direct result of my work, BMWUSA.com was ranked #1 Automotive Website by J.D. Power - jumping up from #16 - and has remained in the Top 10 ever since.

The Client Ask

The overall project is a broad-reaching complicated initiative, redoing the entire platform -- front-end and back-end -- in a phased manner. The main goals of the overall project were:

Enable cohesive web experience across multiple devices & screen sizes
Streamline user experience of website — the product line had grown significantly, and the website navigation was focused on business-facing terminology instead of user-facing terminology
Better showcase the product line -- provide better images, more cohesive narrative, and better product information.
Establish a forward-looking architecture to allow for more feature releases more often
Address accumulated debt — technical, strategic, and content
Decrease costs of website maintenance & hosting

The New

The new site design embraced changes in technology and user behavior since 2007 -- full-bleed images, long scrolling behavior, and touch-friendly controls.

The Old

Since the last major site update in 2007, the vehicle product line had grown from 25 vehicles to over 100 vehicles. Shifting the navigation from a business-centric model paradigm to a user-centered paradigm allowed us to radically simplify the overall site architecture.

The Approach

Chose high-traffic high-value pages to address first.

Create modules to increase efficiency across the entire site

Assessed the overall site and platform to choose various components to address next based on business priorities

Created roadmaps to communicate this to internal & external clients.

The Priorities

We had conflicting priorities for the overall project given the number of business units and partners. To solve this problem, we created a weighted decision matrix that would help us calculate and compare the value to users, the value to the business, and other factors that would help us explain the priorities and choices we were making to drive the business forward.

The Modules

Developed & defined a modular approach for design and development

Increased efficiency in design, development, and maintenance processes

Developed framework for business-centric page uses

The Clients

Managed a complicated client landscape with conflicting priorities across multiple different platforms and different business units.