Digital Sealed Bid

Project: Expand access to used car inventory and wholesale buyers by digitizing the Sealed Bid process

Project Background: Dealerships utilize “Sealed Bid” auctions to quickly and economically wholesale low value vehicles to other dealers.  The current process requires buyers to be physically present to participate, and it is difficult for dealerships to quantify results. I was brought in to figure out how digitize the process, with a specific focus on the needs of buyers.

Goal:  Design a system that allows Car Dealerships and Wholesale Buyers to conduct Sealed Bid events using cell phones, investigate inventory remotely, and transact on vehicles digitally.

Process and Insight:  Understanding existing process - Through interviews with Sales Field Representatives and the Product Manager, Igenerated artifacts defining the existing touchpoints, and how they would map into the digital experience.

Native versus Hybrid app, Responsive versus Adaptive:  Research confirmed that a mobile device would be one of the critical elements of the experience.  I worked as an educational resource helping the business understand the differences and benefits of developing the functionality as a Native versus Hybrid app. Included in this was work to illustrate how existing technology could be leveraged to provide a digital solution.

The Solution:  Prototyping for mobile - I developed a prototype based on the existing Hybrid app to enable User testing for evaluating if this approach would meet user needs.