The core of every Subaru automobile and its brand is its all-wheel drive (AWD) technology. I was challenged with creating a microsite that would be a highly engaging and interactive experience that could explain the complexities of their All-Wheel Drive systems to both car novices as well as hard-core driving enthusiasts.
Awards:
Webby Awards – Automotive Finalist
Communication Arts – Site of the Week
Adobe – Site of the Day
Web Awards – Exceptional Site
ADDY Awards – Bronze
Subaru needed to clearly articulate the difference in their technology, claim the heritage they had built, and help the customer understand why they should care about what Subaru AWD really meant to them. The design process took me from building an AWD system next to their engineers at their headquarters in Cherry Hill to local dealerships and gas stations talking to potential customers to immerse myself in the problems and insights.
SITE CONCEPT
Reclaiming a pioneering technology
I started with research the technology by going to Subaru headquarters to drive all of their cars and build an All-Wheel Drive system from the ground up with their master technicians. This lead to the realization that the best way to explain the technology was to strip out all the 3 letter acronyms and use plain English and simple visuals. The visual design of the site was done with unique interfaces, animation, and sophistication but simplicity that matched the technology it was explaining. The resulting site drove a huge awareness and knowledge lift in Subaru consumers and won numerous major design awards.
USER EXPERIENCE
Customized to your car preference
Subaru All-Wheel Drive came in 5 different configurations depending on the Subaru model you were interested in. Instead of letting consumers sort through all of that information on their own, the site had logic built into it so it would customize everything from the home page to the All-Wheel Drive content it would display.
What’s the difference?
For consumers who wanted to understand all the differences between all the different Subaru All-Wheel Drive systems, we created the ‘What’s The Difference?’ section of the site. This section allowed consumers to select the type of All-Wheel Drive system they were interested in and then choose one of three road conditions to see how the system would react. This simple and visual treatment made it easy to understand all the nuances so they could find the best system for them.
What’s in it for me?
The site also needed to educate consumers about the benefits of All Wheel Drive, and we decided that instead of the usual jargon and acronym-filled language, we would use something different – use plain English. The ‘What’s In It For Me’ section laid out in plain English why people should care about All-Wheel Drive and how the technology would benefit them. The result was that we saw that 22% of consumers who explored the site went on to buy Subaru.
