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Mercedes-Benz / MBRDI · Experience strategy proposal

Making ownership
feel within reach.

Connecting aspiration with affordability, so a premium car buyer can move from interest to a confident next step.

Experience strategyPre-sales & positioningJourney designAutomotive
A car beside a checklist and a reassuring confirmation mark
The human promise: an ownership decision that feels understandable and possible. Contextual illustration.
Client contextMercedes-Benz Research & Development India
SourceProposal storyboard · June 2025
FocusFrom discovery to ownership
01 / The opportunity

The barrier began before
a buyer entered the showroom.

The proposal explored a gap between financial readiness and perceived access. Some premium car buyers could consider Mercedes-Benz, yet assumed ownership was beyond their reach. Aggregators made comparison easy but flattened the brand into filters and specifications. Brand experiences inspired desire while leaving affordability and the next step less clear.

The design challenge was to help people understand what ownership could mean for them. That required a connected experience across discovery, financing and dealership contact.

02 / The leadership lens

Give the proposition a direction
that every discipline can use.

The proposal brought design, content, technology and go-to-market thinking around a shared idea: “Luxury is closer than you think.” The leadership contribution is in connecting the business ambition to the buyer’s hesitation, then making that connection tangible enough for a client and delivery team to discuss.

The storyboard used four lenses: culture, audience, category and brand. Together, they provided a basis for choosing what to communicate, which moments to simplify and how the app could support a credible path to ownership. The work shown here represents the team’s proposal and concept exploration.

Original proposal slide showing the four-truths strategic framework across culture, audience, category and brand
A proposed framework for aligning the positioning and creative direction.
03 / From insight to design choices

Make the decision clearer
without losing the aspiration.

The team’s assessment identified overwhelming choices, unclear pricing, weak affordability messaging, looping navigation, a complex configurator and a hard-to-find test-drive option. These observations informed the concept direction; the deck does not document a completed usability study.

Show the cost early.

Bring EMI options and ownership costs into exploration, with explanations that help people understand the offer.

Guide the choice.

Use intent and preferences to make recommendations, then keep configuration and price changes understandable.

Keep the next step visible.

Connect model exploration to test drives, financing and booking, with a clear handover between stages.

Original UX observations slide identifying six sources of friction in car discovery and booking
The team’s observations used to frame the proposed experience.
04 / A connected experience

Carry confidence from
the first impression to the next step.

The storyboard connects an initial affordability message with a short preference questionnaire and tailored recommendation. Within the app, transparent cost scenarios, configuration and access to financing help people explore the choice. The proposed flow continues through booking and confirmation to delivery tracking.

Immersive vehicle exploration was an additional concept. Its value would need to be tested against the more immediate questions buyers have about suitability, cost and commitment.

Original Enter storyboard showing the proposed first discovery touchpoint
Enter: create interest.
Original Explore storyboard showing the proposed response to affordability perceptions
Explore: make possibilities tangible.
05 / The proposal made tangible

A shared view of
what the experience could become.

The mobile and web concepts make the direction reviewable across product, brand and technology stakeholders. They show how an ownership proposition can shape the journey beyond individual screens.

Original Mercedes-Benz prototype: Discovery and affordability
Discovery and affordability. A proposed landing experience connects ownership messaging with model discovery. Select to view larger.
Original Mercedes-Benz prototype: Onboarding and preferences
Onboarding and preferences. Guest exploration and short preference inputs reduce the initial commitment. Select to view larger.
Original Mercedes-Benz prototype: Recommendations and affordability
Recommendations and affordability. The proposed home screen connects a vehicle recommendation with financing explanations. Select to view larger.
Original Mercedes-Benz prototype: Reservation and confirmation
Reservation and confirmation. A staged checkout makes costs and confirmation visible. Select to view larger.
Original Mercedes-Benz prototype: Test-drive scheduling
Test-drive scheduling. The concept offers doorstep or dealership visits and flexible time slots. Select to view larger.
Original proposal explanation of the ad-to-app journey, pricing, configurator, checkout and ownership flow
How the proposed design decisions connect across the journey.
06 / Value and validation

A proposition to test.
A direction to build around.

The proposal created a coherent story for the opportunity and a tangible experience direction. It connected buyer psychology with a proposed product journey and the disciplines needed to deliver it.

The next step would be to validate affordability comprehension, recommendation relevance and confidence in the route to a test drive or booking. Measures could include task completion, abandonment by stage and the quality of enquiries passed to a dealer.

Based on the supplied draft proposal storyboard dated 30 June 2025. Concepts, market estimates and intended benefits describe the proposal. This material does not establish a production launch, conversion uplift, revenue outcome or completed user validation.

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