ROLE
Product Designer
WHAT I DID
Competitor research
Proposition development
User flows
Interface design
Challenge
Individual mobile car-wash bookings can be expensive for drivers and leave detailers travelling between scattered jobs. Competitor research also showed little differentiation in the original marketplace concept.
Self-initiated concept based on competitor research and public industry evidence. The proposition has not yet been validated with drivers or detailers.
Making mobile detailing easier to find and book
Wash+ originally helped car enthusiasts find, compare and book trusted mobile detailers at a convenient location and time, but offered little differentiation from existing services.
Image: The original marketplace journey focused on finding, comparing and booking individual detailers.
The original proposition had become the category standard
I reviewed leading mobile car-care services to understand what users already expected and where Wash+ could create more meaningful value.
I reviewed publicly available product information, service policies and customer-facing features across six mobile car-care services.
KEY FINDING
Booking features had become standard, but no competitor centred its consumer experience on coordinating multiple nearby drivers into one local service round.
Neighbourhood Wash Days needed to work for drivers, detailers and locations
I combined patterns from competitor reviews, service policies and public detailer discussions with the operational risks introduced by clustered bookings.
KEY FINDING
Wash+ needed to turn reduced travel into a better price for drivers without making them coordinate neighbours or asking detailers to accept an unviable route.
Clustering nearby bookings could lower costs and improve route value
Drivers paid a premium for mobile convenience, while travel reduced productive time for detailers. Clustering nearby bookings could support a lower group rate while making each local route more worthwhile.
HOW MIGHT WE
How might Wash+ make mobile car care more affordable for drivers while making each trip more worthwhile for detailers?
The proposed group rate depends on reduced travel and setup time making the overall route commercially worthwhile for the detailer.
Neighbourhood car care, organised around where drivers already park
Drivers start or join a nearby Wash Day and reserve a discounted maintenance service at their home location. Once the booking minimum is reached, a detailer reviews the local route before accepting.
Three assumptions shaped the MVP
Before designing the new experience, I identified what needed to be true for neighbourhood Wash Days to work.
KEY FINDING
These assumptions focused the MVP on coordinating a viable neighbourhood Wash Day, not rebuilding the detailing marketplace.
Turning the hypothesis into a focused MVP
I prioritised the minimum experience needed to communicate the value exchange, assess each booking and coordinate a viable neighbourhood Wash Day.
Included in the MVP
Start or Join a Wash Day
Compare individual and Wash Day pricing
Add parking and access details
Reserve a place
Track Wash Day progress
Receive confirmation and a service window
Manage the booking
Considered later
On-demand bookings
Loyalty and referrals
Specialist services
Detailer tools
Recurring plans
Mapping the core journey: how drivers start or join a neighbourhood Wash Day
I designed two routes into the same local service, with confirmation dependent on sufficient demand and detailer acceptance.
Making a conditional booking feel simple
The experience needed to help drivers reserve with confidence while Wash+ coordinated nearby demand, access and detailer acceptance behind the scenes.
Refining the moments that shaped trust and viability
Reviewing the end-to-end journey revealed three areas requiring greater clarity: the value of the Wash Day rate, the path to confirmation and the information detailers needed to assess each stop.
Pricing clarity
I introduced comparable individual and Wash Day rates so drivers could understand the saving before reserving.
Confirmation clarity
I separated the booking conditions into sequential milestones so drivers could see what was complete and what remained pending.
Access clarity
I replaced broad text fields with structured inputs so detailers could assess the feasibility of each stop more consistently.
The final Wash Day experience
The final interface helps drivers join a nearby Wash Day, provide the information needed to assess their booking and understand what happens before the service is confirmed.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Wash+
I brought the interface into a shared set of typography styles, colour variables and reusable components. Defined states for actions, inputs and selection controls help keep feedback predictable as the booking flow develops.
What I learned
For detailers, several lower-priced jobs could still be worthwhile when demand is slow, though some may prefer fewer jobs at a higher price.
While designing, I realised the discount asks customers to accept a less flexible time and wait for confirmation. That trade-off may not work for those who need certainty.
I added parking and access questions so detailers could anticipate obstacles before arriving. Those constraints might also add time or cost to a job.
What I would validate next
01 DRIVER VALUE
What saving makes a flexible service window worthwhile?
02 ROUTE VIABILITY
What booking density and travel distance make a route viable?
03 BOOKING CONFIDENCE
How long will drivers wait for confirmation?