Timeline
2025
Team
1 stakeholder per market (UK, DE, FR) + captive finance stakeholders, 2 devs, 1 PM (Joe), Head of Product
Client details
heycar — European platform for buying and selling used and nearly-new cars, connecting buyers with vetted dealerships and vehicles with verified history and warranty.
Overview
Shoppers on heycar can configure finance on eligible cars directly from the vehicle details page. They adjust the deposit and term to instantly see updated monthly payments, APR, and total amount payable, with market-specific rules (rates, caps, eligibility) applied automatically.
Problem
We were handling sensitive financial data across three markets with strict captive finance and compliance requirements, yet the calculator had fragmented into multiple versions plus a “universal” flow that still overwhelmed users. Too many fields, inconsistent rules, and heavy jargon slowed decisions and increased drop-offs. Users with low familiarity with financial jargon struggled to compare options or trust the numbers. Internally, market nuances raised the risk of non-compliance and added operational complexity.
Approach
Started from existing inputs: recent surveys on finance literacy/preferences, prior usability tests on the component, and on-site analytics.
With PM (Joe), ran alignment workshops with captive partners; created a market-by-market compliance checklist; analysed drop-offs to find friction.
Defined minimum inputs for an accurate quote; rewrote labels/help in plain language; moved legal copy and edge cases to progressive disclosure (tooltips, expandable sections, representative examples).
Kept market rules, caps, and eligibility behind the scenes, so the UI stays consistent and lightweight while remaining compliant.
Experiments
We tested two placements using the same calculator component:
Inline within the PDP content (visible, easy to reach).
Modal opened from several triggers on the PDP.
We also tested hierarchy/placement variants by market.
Result of tests: the modal version reduced finance visibility and penetration. The inline version, combined with simplified information, increased interaction and finance intent (leads/applications)—a small uplift (a few percentage points) that varied by market.
Solution
A single, scalable calculator that’s easier to understand, faster to complete, and consistent across markets. It reduces abandonment and time to first quote while increasing completed finance enquiries, with compliance running behind the scenes.
What I did
Led discovery, flows, copy/labels, UI, and prototypes; partnered with PM, devs, and captives.
Defined minimum viable inputs and plain-language content.
Designed progressive disclosure for regulatory details and states/edge cases.
Ran A/B tests (inline vs modal; hierarchy variants) and translated findings into the final placement.
Learnings & Next
Working with finance providers is smoother with data upfront and a clear view of legal/compliance trade-offs.
User behaviour differs by market: some skim and decide fast; others seek reassurance and clarity on legal details.
Once a simplified, compliant base works for all markets, iterate per market to hit local KPIs.
Notes
Specific metric values aren’t shown (data no longer accessible). Some heycar markets have since been wound down by VWFS.
