Imagery and content explorations (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop): Anthea Economides · App interface design: IBM and Hertz UX teams.
Details
The Hertz mobile app redesign was part of a major effort to modernize Hertz’s digital experience. The goal was to improve functionality, user experience, and reliability while gathering direct customer feedback to inform ongoing improvements to the app.
company
Hertz / The Hertz Corporation
E-commerce Marketing Analyst
year
2018–2019
Design & production credits
My work: Creating mobile screen visuals in InDesign, imagery and content templates, launch landing pages and website promotions. Tools included InDesign, Photoshop, Adobe XD and Adobe Experience Manager. Coordinating with IBM, UX, loyalty, analytics, marketing and global stakeholders to support the app launch.
A better rental companion
The Hertz mobile app was very outdated and needed an entire back-end overhaul and facelift. In partnering with a leading IT solutions company, we worked to redesign the Hertz mobile app experience. Since the previous app had been very limiting in terms of maintenance and updates- all updates had to be done by developers- it was our goal to have our content management system (CMS) host as much content as possible, enabling content producers to swap out imagery, text, or CTA’s as marketing initiatives and priorities changed.
The plan
In order to meet customer expectations and reduce calls to the call center, the app was designed to address top questions asked by customers. The plan was to launch with these core features but to continue to iterate to deliver new functionality to meet market and consumer demands.
Legacy Hertz app before the redesign · Shown as reference for the interface that needed updating
Five essential tasks
Giving our customers better speed and convenience during their rental journey was a primary focus for the new app. Since the previous app redirected customers to the website for three of the five top uses, it was important that we included all of these uses in the new mobile app. Customers primarily used the old app for:
01
Booking a Reservation
02
Modifying/Canceling Reservations (redirected customers to website)
03
Checking Loyalty Information & Point Balance (redirected customers to website)
04
Updating Account Information (redirected customers to website)
05
Finding Return Location Directions
Imagery and content explorations (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop): Anthea Economides · App interface design: IBM and Hertz UX teams.
Imagery and content explorations (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop): Anthea Economides · App interface design: IBM and Hertz UX teams.
Exploring the new identity
Imagery and content explorations (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop): Anthea Economides · App interface design: IBM and Hertz UX teams
Design & accessibility
While the design and layout was built by the IBM development team along with our in-house UX and design teams, one of my roles was to create imagery templates that could be used to ensure there was a consistent visual appearance and brand reinforcement throughout the app.
Hertz rebranded in 2017 and the new look was modernized with bright airy photography and pops of yellow. While this color scheme was eye-catching and a great opportunity for brand reinforcement, it made it tough to find imagery that had high enough contrast to pass web accessibility standards when overlaid with text. We had to be very careful we were adhering to color-blind standards.
My contribution
My role was to help provide the content and design templates used to collaborate with the brand and development teams. I also helped market the launch by building landing pages and posting banners and videos on the website to drive awareness. The app’s interface and layout were delivered by IBM and the in-house UX and design teams.
Imagery and content explorations (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop): Anthea Economides · App interface design: IBM and Hertz UX teams.
Built around the journey
01
Increase Reserved Revenue
Appeal to customers with faster and easier booking features:
Biometric sign-on
Remembers previous rental searches
Speak to search for hands-free searching
02
Improve Retention
Encourage loyalty sign-ups and number of repeat bookings:
Reduced steps to sign up for loyalty program
Quick sign-up for Hertz Gold Plus Rewards by pre-populating customer information after reservation
03
Help the Customer
Activity and account details front and center:
Allow easy modification of profile preferences on coverages and payment options
Contact 24/7 customer support
04
Support Operations
Reduce dependency on developers:
Enable content team to swap out imagery, text, or content cards
Allow customers to request missing rewards directly from app
Made to evolve
Since launch, the mobile app team has continued to iterate and add new functionality. The content team could swap marketing banners and update special offers in the deals section directly, reducing the time and expense associated with developer involvement.
Imagery and content explorations (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop): Anthea Economides · App interface design: IBM and Hertz UX teams.
A stronger mobile experience
The new Hertz Mobile App achieved a 4.8 out 5 star rating on the App Store, compared to the previous 3.8 stars on the old app. The redesign also led to a 32% increase in monthly mobile app users and a 50% increase in sessions YOY. We also saw a positive impact in engagement, increasing screens/session by 84%.
I was grateful to be part of the mobile app development project, from updating string files to differentiating designs for both operating systems. It also gave me a clearer understanding of approvals and how to report progress to leadership.
