The Challenge

The mobile appointment flow showed clear signs of friction. The date and time selection step had the lowest completion rate in the funnel at 72.83%, and customers who entered vehicle information completed bookings at a higher rate (94%) than those who did not (89%). Research suggested the flow wasn't aligning with customer expectations; users wanted to provide vehicle details first and receive a more personalized experience in return, rather than selecting an appointment with limited context.

This raised a key question: How might we redesign the appointment flow to better match customer mental models while improving clarity, efficiency, and conversion?

Success Metrics

• Increase date/time step completion by 3%

• Increase appointments completed with vehicle fitment by 5%

• Increase overall appointment completion by 3–5%

Research: Three Phases

Phase 1: Exploration

We began by evaluating appointment booking experiences across industries and analyzing the existing flow with ContentSquare to identify friction points and establish a behavioral baseline.

Phase 2: Flow A vs. Flow B

The biggest question was step order. Through unmoderated mobile usability testing, we compared a vehicle-first flow against a service-first flow and found that customers strongly preferred entering their vehicle first. They expected to receive personalized service options, pricing, and recommendations in return, making the experience feel more relevant and intuitive.

Phase 3: Ideate & Refine

With the flow direction validated, we tested a refined prototype, surveyed existing customers, and analyzed funnel data to uncover remaining friction and validate design decisions before moving into detailed design.

Key Findings

• Customers expected personalized service recommendations in exchange for providing vehicle information, making a vehicle-first flow feel more intuitive.

• Clear service descriptions, icons, and categories helped non-expert users choose services with greater confidence.

• Appointment availability mattered more than location, with users willing to travel up to 10 miles farther for a preferred time slot.

• Sticky CTAs and clearer navigation improved progression through the flow.

• The final concept received a 6.3/7 user satisfaction which made us feel confident we were going in the right direction.

Design

The final concept addressed each major friction point identified through research:

• Vehicle-first flow: Starting with vehicle selection created a more intuitive booking experience.

• Simplified service selection: Clear categories, icons, and plain-language descriptions helped customers confidently choose services without needing expert knowledge.

• Combined location and time selection: Bringing store and appointment availability into a single step reflected how customers naturally prioritized booking decisions.

• Sticky CTAs: Persistent action buttons made it easier to navigate the flow and reduced confusion during booking.

Outcome

The final flow (vehicle-first) was implemented and validated through an A/B test that generated $11M in annualized revenue.

Six months post-launch, the redesigned experience exceeded every success metric:

• Date/time step completion increased by 4.7%

• Appointments completed with vehicle fitment increased by 12.2%

• Overall appointment completion rate increased by 7.2%