Volkswagen

Redesign, reimagine and replatform the VW Showroom app for retailers.

The brief

Volkswagen retailers currently use an outdated app when liaising with customers to help identify models that might be right for them, with the ultimate aim of sending the customer away with a personalised brochure of a vehicle they have identified or shown interest in.

VW asked us to completely reimagine and replatform the app from a native iOS app to a Progressive Web App (PWA), in order to empower retailers to provide the best showroom experience possible for customers.

Redesign, reimagine and replatform the VW Showroom app for retailers to empower retailers to provide the best showroom experience possible for customers.
Creation of a new app framework, strategy and direction.
We first undertook Sprint 0 to set a vision for the app and to create a cost proposal and budget for the next six months.
Following the sprint 0 we create a strawman framework and aligned these with the costs of the project, to then move into a sprint process for individual features.
TBC (Launch date Q4 2025).

Phase 1 - Sprint 0

The project began with Sprint 0, a crucial phase designed to align the entire team and stakeholders before any detailed design or development work began. Its purpose was to create a shared understanding of the existing showroom app, uncover key challenges, and set a clear direction for the work ahead.

During this sprint, we:

Mapped the current app from a UI, UX, and technical perspective, documenting how it worked end-to-end.
Conducted retailer and stakeholder interviews to capture on-the-ground frustrations, complexities, and opportunities for improvement.
Created epics to structure retailer and customer needs into actionable areas of focus. These helped link high-level goals to specific component requirements and user stories (see example).
Defined the information architecture (IA) for the app, ensuring content could be structured in a way that was simple to navigate during fast-paced conversations with customers.
Completed a deep dive into current data to understand what was available, where gaps existed, and how information could be surfaced more effectively within the app.
Created detailed project estimates across UX, UI, and Technical workstreams. Each feature and area of the app was sized to identify what was realistically in scope, what might need to be deprioritised, and which stretch goals could be considered if additional budget or time became available.
Developed a strawman app prototype, mapping features against customer epics. This provided a tangible framework for discussion and helped estimate costs for future phases.

The value of Sprint 0 went beyond deliverables — it provided a structured way to:

Align the full team on goals, challenges, and priorities.
Bring stakeholders on the journey, showing their needs were heard and embedded from the start.
De-risk the project, by surfacing potential roadblocks early and providing a realistic foundation for planning.

By the end of Sprint 0, everyone — from stakeholders to designers to technical teams — was aligned on a single vision of the current state and the path forward. This ensured the following sprints could focus on designing and delivering a showroom app that truly met retailer and customer needs.

Phase 2 - Defining the experience

With Sprint 0 complete and the foundations in place, the next stage of the project focused on defining the look, feel, and strategic positioning of the new showroom app. This phase was about bridging the gap between requirements and design direction, ensuring we had a strong framework before moving into detailed design.

Our approach included:

UI/UX Audit and Gap Analysis – We audited the existing app against Volkswagen’s design system, identifying which components could be reused and where new patterns were needed. This gap analysis allowed us to plan for efficiency while ensuring consistency with the broader ecosystem.
Inspiration Research – We explored design and motion inspiration both inside and outside of the automotive sector, to bring in fresh ideas and ensure the app felt modern, premium, and intuitive.
Concept Routes – We developed three clear creative routes for client approval, each expressing a different direction for the app’s design language and interaction style. This gave stakeholders tangible options to respond to before committing further resources.
Branding, Positioning & Strategy – Beyond the UI, we considered the identity of the app itself, exploring naming, logos, taglines, and how the app’s positioning would resonate with both retailers and customers.
Language Layering & Structural Framework – We defined how the app would handle complexity in a simple, scalable way: establishing rules for modals, secondary layers, flyouts, and the separation of retailer and customer spaces. This framework set the tone for how content and interactions would feel across the entire experience.

This phase ensured the app had not only a clear strategic identity but also a robust design foundation — aligning stakeholders on both brand and functionality before progressing into detailed design and build.

Phase 3 - Design & build of core features

With the strategic direction and design framework agreed, we moved into the feature development phase — the heart of the project. This stage focused on tackling each core feature of the showroom app, including the configurator, stock search, settings, dashboard design, and more.

We ran this phase in a rolling sprint process over five months, working as a tight team of three (myself as UX lead, a UI designer, and a developer). Each feature followed a structured approach:

Understanding requirements – We drew directly from the epics and strawman created in Sprint 0 to ensure every feature was grounded in real retailer and customer needs.
Collaborative wireframing & flows – Together, we mapped the end-to-end flow of each feature, creating wireframes to validate the journey and resolve complexity before moving into detailed design.
Design exploration & inspiration – For every feature, we carried out deep design exploration: looking at inspiration both in and out of the automotive sector, engaging with retailers to understand current usage, and iterating through multiple approaches.
Iteration & testing – Designs were tested and refined to identify which solutions performed best in practice, balancing usability with the premium brand experience.
Compliance & detail – Given the sensitivity of automotive retail, we ensured every feature adhered to compliance regulations while still being intuitive and user-friendly.
Evolving component library – As designs matured, we created and refined a flexible component library. This library evolved sprint by sprint, ensuring consistency while allowing us to scale quickly across new features.

The process was highly collaborative and agile:

Daily stand-ups kept the team aligned.
Jira tickets structured our delivery and ensured visibility of progress.
Weekly client check-ins allowed us to present completed work, gather feedback, and keep stakeholders engaged throughout.

This rolling sprint process ensured we could continuously deliver, test, and refine, while maintaining momentum across a complex programme of work. The result was a suite of features that were not only well-designed and compliant but also validated with retailers to ensure they worked in real-world showroom contexts.

Phase 4 - Refining, testing & implementation

Once the core features were designed and developed, we entered a phase of continuous review and validation to ensure the app was ready for real-world use. This stage combined design refinement, retailer testing, and technical implementation.

Key activities included:

Ongoing build reviews – We regularly tested the live build, reporting and tracking bugs to maintain quality.
Retailer testing sessions – Retailers were asked to complete specific journeys within the app (e.g., comparing models, searching stock) to validate usability. Insights from these sessions led directly to design amends and improvements.
Iterative design adjustments – Feedback was quickly translated into design updates, ensuring the app evolved based on how retailers would actually use it with customers.
Technical implementation – Alongside design testing, this phase also focused on critical technical setup:
- Configuring and connecting APIs.
- Setting up data tracking to capture key usage insights.
- Stress testing performance to ensure the app could handle the load required in a live showroom environment.

This test-and-refine loop was imperative in perfecting the experience prior to a soft launch. By blending continual user validation with robust technical implementation, we ensured the app was not only functionally reliable but also intuitive, fast, and retailer-ready from day one.

Phase 5 - Launch and adoption

The final phase of the project was the launch of the new showroom app. For this, we developed a full design direction and language to ensure every touchpoint — from in-app messaging to retailer communications — was cohesive and consistent.

A key challenge was encouraging retailer adoption. Moving retailers away from a tool they were familiar with required us to make the new app impactful from the outset and to clearly communicate its value. To achieve this, we worked closely with the client to design a comprehensive launch strategy:

Launch materials – We created impactful assets distributed to every retailer in the country, showcasing the benefits of the new app and how it would support their day-to-day work.
Communication planning – We developed a detailed communication plan covering both the soft and hard launch. This included writing and designing all copy and content for email campaigns, carefully structured to fit into retailers’ schedules without disruption.
Operational preparation – We estimated and scheduled the time required to create every output, ensuring we were fully prepared well ahead of launch.

The launch itself was delivered in two phases:

Soft launch (pilot group) – We invited a selected group of ~100 retailers to use the app first. This was positioned as an exclusive pilot, encouraging engagement and feedback. Their insights were invaluable, helping us identify irregularities and make informed design adjustments.
Full launch – One month later, the app was rolled out to the wider Volkswagen retailer network (~1,900 individuals). By this stage, refinements had been made based on real-world feedback, ensuring a smoother and more impactful adoption.

This phased approach meant that by the time of the full rollout, the app was not only technically robust but also trusted and validated by early adopters. The result was a successful launch that balanced design excellence with practical change management, ensuring widespread retailer uptake and confidence.

Phase 6 - Summary & Impact

This project with Volkswagen marked a complete reimagining of the showroom app — from strategy through to launch. Across each phase we built alignment, rigor, and creativity into the process:

Sprint 0 established the foundation by mapping the current state, defining epics, creating a strawman, and producing detailed estimates — ensuring stakeholders, retailers, and the team were fully aligned from the start.
UI/UX Audit & Concept Development set the creative and structural direction, combining a gap analysis of existing components with branding, naming, and strategic positioning work.
Feature Design & Development brought the app to life in a series of collaborative sprints, tackling core features such as the configurator, stock search, and dashboard while developing an evolving component library.
Refinement & Implementation ensured the app was validated in practice — through iterative testing with retailers, build reviews, bug reporting, and technical setup of APIs and data tracking.
Launch & Adoption created a cohesive design direction for launch and a two-phase rollout strategy, balancing communication, training, and feedback to ensure retailer adoption across the national network.

Over the course of the project, we created not only a premium, user-friendly tool but also a sustainable framework for how Volkswagen’s retailers can engage with customers in the showroom.

My role spanned across strategy, research, design, and delivery: from shaping the early epics and IA, to leading feature definition and wireframing, through to ensuring launch communications were clear, engaging, and impactful.

The result was an app that was not only technically robust and compliant, but also validated with real retailers, aligned with Volkswagen’s brand, and ready for nationwide adoption — laying the groundwork for a more consistent and connected retail experience.