DriveDeal transforms traditional car sales into a streamlined digital experience — so you can sell smarter, faster, and from anywhere.
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Client
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Project Background
DriveDeal.ca is a Canadian SaaS platform built to modernize the car dealership experience by enabling sales teams to manage inventory, negotiate with customers, and close deals online — without relying on in-person visits or fragmented systems.
The product was developed to give dealership owners more control over client communications, especially as consumer expectations shift toward digital-first experiences.
The company partnered with our Storyworks cohort to support their go-to-market efforts. They had two primary goals:
Develop a high-converting lead generation website
Build a digital marketing campaign to drive qualified traffic
Our cohort split into two teams — one focused on marketing, the other on designing the website and user journey. I was the team lead for the lead generation team.
The Challenge
“How might we help DriveDeal.ca attract strong prospective clients and establish credibility as a reliable SaaS platform for car dealers — so it can secure a competitive position in the market before launch?”
The company needed a landing page that clearly communicated its value, made the platform feel trustworthy and modern, and encouraged potential clients to reach out or request a demo. They had no existing brand guidelines or digital infrastructure, so we had to build the experience from the ground up, based on our conversations with the client and insights about their target audience.
My Role
I served as the team lead and primary UX/UI designer for the landing page track.
My responsibilities included:
Leading client communication and internal team coordination
Translating business goals into user experience priorities
Designing the low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity mockups for the website
Collaborating with the branding and content sub-group to maintain design consistency
Supporting UX writing and ensuring content aligned with layout logic
While the brand and content were led by teammates, I was closely involved in shaping both — helping ensure the structure of the landing page supported the intended voice, tone, and messaging.
The Process
Our process was anchored in client collaboration and design iteration. We began by meeting with DriveDeal’s co-founders to understand their vision, challenges, and goals.
Their target audience was clear: independent car dealership owners who needed something reliable, modern, and easy to use, without the complexity of an enterprise-level CRM.
Although we didn’t conduct formal user interviews, our team ran several informal conversations with dealership contacts to validate our assumptions. We also leaned heavily on a proto-persona based on the client’s business experience and sales background.
This persona — “Leonardo,” a seasoned dealership owner overwhelmed by digital tools but eager to modernize — became our north star for both content tone and design logic.
Wireframes and UX Structure
I began by mapping out the core sections needed to tell the product story in a linear, persuasive way.
The landing page had to walk users through:
Problem — Fragmented systems and remote sales friction
Solution — DriveDeal’s simplified, user-friendly platform
Trust Builders — Social proof, feature highlights, and visual clarity
Conversion — A compelling, focused call-to-action to request a demo or sign up
My wireframes focused on clear, scannable content blocks, minimal distractions, and easy visual segmentation. I introduced anchored navigation, mobile-first responsiveness, and UI patterns familiar to B2B buyers — such as hero banners, value proposition grids, and an embedded FAQ section near the bottom.
Each section was intentionally short and direct, using white space and typography to establish visual hierarchy and reduce cognitive load. This was especially important for busy dealership owners — our persona had limited patience and high expectations.
High-Fidelity Design
Once the wireframes were approved by the client, I translated them into high-fidelity mockups.
The visual design reflected the brand voice we were establishing across all deliverables:
Reliable. Efficient. Approachable. Modern.
The UI featured:
A neutral color palette with muted blues and dark grays for professionalism
Rounded components and iconography to suggest friendliness and simplicity
Subtle use of gradients and shadows to add visual depth without distraction
CTA buttons with strong contrast and consistent placement
I ensured the design was aligned with the LinkedIn ads and cold email templates created by the marketing team — so that any user clicking through from those campaigns would have a consistent experience upon landing.
Client Communication and Leadership
As team lead, I was responsible for coordinating check-ins, communicating feedback, and ensuring that both visual design and messaging met the client’s expectations. I led multiple working sessions with the client where we walked through the wireframes and mockups, solicited feedback, and implemented revisions.
Being in charge of formal communication also meant managing scope. When timelines shifted or content needs evolved, I helped balance the client’s vision with what we could reasonably deliver. This role taught me how to manage expectations while still advocating for design integrity — a critical skill in any client-facing UX role.
Final Deliverable and Handoff
We delivered a complete lead generation kit, including:
A fully responsive high-fidelity mockup of the DriveDeal.ca landing page
Suggested UX copy aligned with the persona’s motivations
A basic design system for future scalability
A client-facing walkthrough presentation explaining layout decisions, UX logic, and brand alignment
Although the client has since paused execution to focus on internal development, our deliverables are built for immediate deployment — ready to plug into a developer workflow whenever they’re ready to launch.
Reflection and Lessons Learned
The DriveDeal.ca project taught me that great UX is as much about people as it is about pixels. Leading a team of peers while collaborating with a real-world startup forced me to work across disciplines, manage expectations, and make design decisions that balanced creativity with business goals.
I also learned the importance of designing with momentum in mind. Everything we built — from the wireframes to the content layout — was meant to keep users moving forward. No dead ends. No information dumps. Just a clear path from curiosity to action.
Most importantly, this project solidified my belief in the power of clear, purpose-driven interfaces. When you’re designing for people who are time-starved, skeptical, and risk-averse — like car dealership owners — your job isn’t just to impress them. Your job is to earn their trust in the first 10 seconds. That’s what this project challenged me to do — and I’m proud of the result.