Overview
Senior Product Designer (UI/UX) within Ford's dedicated CX team at Ogilvy, for FordPass Pro – a fleet management app for small business owners with up to 5 connected vehicles. Designed solutions addressing critical pain points around vehicle health, productivity, and security while supporting Ford's transition to electric and hybrid fleets.
The Challenge
Commercial vehicle customers struggled with fragmented touch points to manage increasingly connected fleets. Small businesses needed a unified solution that would:
• Reduce operational downtime through proactive vehicle health monitoring.
• Improve security for valuable commercial assets.
• Increase productivity through remote vehicle management.
• Support Ford's connected services adoption and future EV integration.
• Improve security for valuable commercial assets.
• Increase productivity through remote vehicle management.
• Support Ford's connected services adoption and future EV integration.
Process and approach
Agile methodology with iterative sprints in a cross functional team, balancing user needs with business objectives:
• Research integration: Applied insights from user research with commercial vehicle owners to understand workflows and pain points.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Worked with global design and engineering teams across multiple markets.
• Scalable Design: Built flexible frameworks supporting future vehicle technologies (PHEV, BEV, wearables).
• Tools: Sketch, Adobe CC, InVision DSM, Abstract, Zeplin.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Worked with global design and engineering teams across multiple markets.
• Scalable Design: Built flexible frameworks supporting future vehicle technologies (PHEV, BEV, wearables).
• Tools: Sketch, Adobe CC, InVision DSM, Abstract, Zeplin.
Design Solutions
Fleet Dashboard & Home Screen
User Need: Quick fleet overview without information overload.
Business Need: Encourage daily app engagement and service adoption.
Solution:
• Dynamic information hierarchy adapting to diverse vehicle technologies.
• One-tap access to critical functions (health, location, security).
• Scalable architecture supporting 1-5 vehicles with consistent experience.
• One-tap access to critical functions (health, location, security).
• Scalable architecture supporting 1-5 vehicles with consistent experience.
Persona-Driven Design
User Need: Features that match real commercial workflows.
Business Need: Higher user retention and feature adoption.
Solution:
• Developed evolving personas based on ongoing user research.
• Mapped pain points to specific app functions (fleet managers, drivers, business owners).
• Validated designs against real commercial use cases.
• Mapped pain points to specific app functions (fleet managers, drivers, business owners).
• Validated designs against real commercial use cases.
Wearable Integration
User Need: Quick vehicle access without phone dependency.
Business Need: Differentiate from competitors, increase engagement touch points.
Solution:
• Identified high-value wearable functions (remote start, security alerts).
• Designed 2-step security for sensitive actions, such as remote start.
• Avoided feature bloat by focusing on true utility vs. novelty.
• Designed 2-step security for sensitive actions, such as remote start.
• Avoided feature bloat by focusing on true utility vs. novelty.
Design Systems and Scalability
User Need: Consistent experience across platforms.
Business Need: Design and development efficiency, and future product expansion.
Solution:
• Built comprehensive design system using InVision DSM.
• Created reusable components supporting current and future vehicle types.
• Established patterns for EV-specific features and data visualisation.
• Created reusable components supporting current and future vehicle types.
• Established patterns for EV-specific features and data visualisation.
Designing for Complex Systems
User Need: Reliable, real-time vehicle information and controls across diverse vehicle types.
Business Need: Protect vehicle security and battery health while supporting Ford's expanding connected vehicle ecosystem.
Examples:
EV / Hybrid Charging Interface
• Designed for multiple vehicle types with varying onboard technology and data availability.
• Accounted for API restrictions on data calls - each vehicle status check (lock status, battery level) could drain the main battery.
• Created UI states that balance user information needs with vehicle security and battery health.
• Built flexible interface accommodating vehicle technology variations and states.
• Accounted for API restrictions on data calls - each vehicle status check (lock status, battery level) could drain the main battery.
• Created UI states that balance user information needs with vehicle security and battery health.
• Built flexible interface accommodating vehicle technology variations and states.
Vehicle Authorisation Flow
• Simplified complex multi-owner, multi-user authorisation process.
• Prioritised security without sacrificing user experience.
• Designed for various entry points and authorisation states.
• Prioritised security without sacrificing user experience.
• Designed for various entry points and authorisation states.
Business impact
• Strengthened Ford's digital ecosystem for commercial customers, creating a differentiated service offering
• Reduced operational friction for small businesses, improving customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty
• Enabled the adoption of connected vehicle services, positioning Ford to expand digital revenue streams
• Provided a foundation for future product innovation, including wearables and EV integration
Key Learnings
• Designing for Scale: Built flexible frameworks before all future requirements were defined, especially critical for EV integration.
• Commercial vs. Consumer UX: Small business users prioritise efficiency and ROI over engagement—every feature must demonstrate clear business value.
• Global Collaboration: Balanced centralised design leadership with local market requirements across multiple regions.
• Prototyping for Alignment: Used prototypes not just for user validation, but as crucial tools for stakeholder buy-in across complex organisational structures.
Results
• Successfully launched across multiple markets supporting Ford's commercial vehicle strategy.
• Created design patterns now used across broader FordPass ecosystem.
• Informed future product roadmaps through concept and MVP development, helping stakeholders understand and plan next-generation connected vehicle features.
• Building and utilising technical foundation supporting Ford's electrification roadmap.