STUDIO RHOAD · 1. Deﬁnition, 2. Information Architecture, 3. Brand, Identity & Style, 4. User...

StudioRhoadD I G I TA L + B R A N D I N G F O R T H E A U T O M O T I V E A F T E R M A R K E T

STUDIO RHOADCapabilities Presentation

1. About Studio Rhoad (pg. 4) ‣ Partial Client List (pg. 7)

2. Our Approach (pg. 10) ‣ Project Roadmap (pg. 12)‣ User Driven Design (pg. 13)‣ Crafting the User Experience (pg. 14)‣ Discovery Approach (pg. 15)

3. Process Sample (pg. 16) ‣ Brand Strategy (pg. 17)‣ Information Architecture (pg. 18)‣ Wireframes (pg. 19)‣ UI Design (pg. 20)‣ Usability (pg. 21)

4. Our Experience (pg. 22) ‣ Case Studies (pg. 24)

5.Appendix (pg. 36) ‣ Working In Agile (pg. 37)

Table of Contents


About Studio Rhoad

Studio Rhoad is an award winning digital + branding agency for the automotive aftermarket.We create comprehensive product development, brand identity systems, information architecture & user experience, design & media creation as well as technical development for digital and bricks and mortar companies.

We help engage your customers across a broad and ever-growing digital ecosystem that includes social media, interactive applications search, video, media and the mobile environment.

Located in Knoxville, TN, Studio Rhoad was founded in 2001 and works with Fortune 500 companies including Honda, Tequila Patron, Toyota, Coca-Cola, Achilles Radial, Bristol Motor Speedway, Varrstoen Wheels, Brodix, Grip Royal, and many more.

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Partial Client List

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What makes Studio Rhoad UniqueWe ask questions. Lots of them. Then, we listen, learn and discover, until together, we come up with a creative solution that’s tailored for your specific needs regardless of the size or scope of the project.

Additionally, Studio Rhoad has worked in almost every facets of the automotive space and across an expansive area of user demographics, social communities and product types.

Why Studio Rhoad?

Ability to execute We get technology We love aftermarket

‣ Our process is fun and engaging

‣ Our team works in iterative cycles that allow for flexibility and adjustment

‣ Exceptional work ethic

‣ We get it done

‣ We want your solutions to be right, useable and extensible

‣ Our approach will be flexible and customized to your needs

‣ We have a great network of technology partners

‣ We get it right

‣ We have worked and participated within automotive market for over a decade

‣ Our team has an extensive knowledge of the nuances associated with the automotive space

‣ We are passionate about the market and motorsports which is precisely why we focus on the automotive space


Our Approach

How we will work with you on an engagement...

Meet your users needs and offer a product experience that is directly tied to and builds off of the mission of your organization, your value proposition to your audience and the goals you are working towards.

Create engagement and relevance through information architecture and user experience which guides your audience through an intuitive and practical path while speaking to them in “their” language.

Deliver inspiring creative that builds an experience that captures your community’s interest and enables your end users to gather the necessary information quickly and intuitively.

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Example Project RoadmapProjects, and their corresponding campaigns and elements, typically experience the base phases of: 1. Definition, 2. Information Architecture, 3. Brand, Identity & Style, 4. User Experience, 5. Content Creation & Loading, 6. Launch & 7. Test & Iterate as illustrated below:

Product Definition

Brand Definition Customer Profiling Product Definition Competitive Audit Story Messaging Creative Brief

Information Architecture

User Stories Use Cases & Flows Sitemap Wireframes Developer Spec. Content Spec. Template Spec.

Launch

Celebration Bug Fixes Analytics Site Administration Multivariate Testing

Test & Iterate

Analysis Usage Patterns Demographic Detail Feature Revision User Focus Groups Release Planning Performance

Brand, Identity, Style

Typography Iconography Palette Design Spec.

Content Creation

Copywriting Imagery Animation Editing Content Loading

User Experience

Template Design User Interface Front End Spec. Design Application User Testing Product Revisions Marketing Strategy

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Development (Front & Back)

Database Layer Application Layer Presentation Layer Elements (CSS, Javascript, Flash etc.) Hosting Setup Q/A & Load Testing

User Driven Design

Three factors determine the direction your UI should take:

The first factor is your brand: Who are you? What do people say about you? Everything from what type of content to color to interaction style depends on who you are.The second factor is your goal: What goals are you trying to achieve with your initiative? Do you want to increase sales? Do you want to make your product line more holistic? Do you want to increase acquisition and/or retention? Finally there is the third and most important factor, which is your user. Who are they? What do they need? Meeting their needs is the key imperative. If we meet their needs, we have succeeded.

Your Brand

YourGoals

Users’ Needs

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Studio Rhoad Product Development Process

With Studio Rhoad Client Workbook we work closely to define user profiles, landscapes, your business objectives, features & functionalities and anything else that helps us begin crafting the user experience and information architecture of the product experience.

First we will establish user stories which are a walkthrough of how a projected user will use the product. It is essential that we help these users accomplish their core goals through their experience in the most effective and efficient manner possible. The user story highlights the key interactions that a user will take with us in accomplishing their prioritized needs and requisite goals.

We will look at environmental constraints with the technology and environments that the experience will live in / grow to touch. Some features become core, meaning they must have a consistent experience across platforms and are bound by the most limiting constraints of the most basic platform. Some features are supplemental and are allowed to use the unique nature of each platform to dynamically accomplish their goal.

Client Workbook

Light User

Active UserThe Celebrity

“Betty Eno” - “The DIY-er - Future Martha Stewart”Female, Brooklyn New YorkAge: 31EngagedEx - Advertising Creative Director

“Abhay Modi” - “The Frugal Gadget Dude” Male, Austin, TexasAge: 26Software Engineer Single

“Anna Walker” - “The Celebrity DealPro” Female, Detroit Michigan Age: 46 Former Auto workerMarried, 3 kids

Story Betty just got laid off from an Ad agency where she was a

creative director. She is a “planner” and has sufficient savings until she gets another job. Betty loves all things “Home” and “Cooking”. Her blog http://epicureanquest.blogspot.com/ gets good traffic and

attention. Now that she has some time she is beginning to plan a business around her blog.

Abhay is an engineer at an Austin tech company. He prides himself at having all the latest tech at the greatest prices. He wears “savvy frugal” on his shoulder. He loves being helpful and sharing. Makes him feel valuable and smart.

Anna worked in the Automotive industry for 20 years. Assembly line worker for 12 years, Administrative Assistant to UAW Labor Relations Dir. for 8 years. She took voluntary retirement and used her buyout to start her own online business. She writes the blog DetroitDealMama.com. She will introduce her upcoming book “Deal with It Honey: Living Large at a Small Price & Other Adventures in Stylish Frugality” on Oprah.

Needs ‣To have fun while finding deals‣Easy to use commenting tools‣The best deals‣To know how Savings.com could fit her new venture ‣To make new online friends‣To get followers for her blog‣To discover that she could provide value to others by

sharing her awesomeness.

‣People to like his deals‣Affirmation from other users‣The best deals‣Feedback ‣To increase his following‣To know how to better promote himself‣API for him to make his own Savings.com apps

‣Easy to use site, she is busy‣Easy to integrate features‣To know that Savings.com will increase her traffic‣To know that Savings.com won’t damage her image‣ Monetization possibilities ‣Exposure‣Feedback & ideas from her fans

Value Prop

Save money, interact and have fun, “you too can be a DealPro”. “It’s easy!”

Get recognized while sharing your vast wisdom with the unwashed masses. You are a “Nerd” god. Chicks dig you.

Savings.com is an awesome partner to help grow your brand and user base. They will help me make more money.

Core Message

Save money, have fun & discover that you could be a DealPro. It’s super easy.

Others will know you are a god on Savings.com and chicks will dig you. We are an awesome partner to help you grow your brand and users which will help you make more money.

DealProUser Profiles

Please Note: These profiles are done with DealPro recruitment in mind. They are figurative and should only be used as a guide.

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Discovery Approach We approach engagements by first defining, prioritizing and planning a direction specific to your brand’s and audiences’ needs and goals. We start with broad ideation and work to build consensus within your organization by focussing our process on the story of your user and helping them connect with your unique message.

User Experience

Brand Story & Business

Identity Application

Options

Recommendations

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Process Samples

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Product Definition: We believe that the brand is not the product, not the identity, not the logo, not the functionality, but all of these, working together.

Value

Brand

Positioning

Brand Attributes

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Competitive Audit

Tasks and Scenarios

User Personas

Information Architecture There are three areas of focus for any project: the business, the user, and the space in which they meet. The depth and number of deliverables used depends on the needs of the client and size of the engagement. In essence, we do what is needed to develop consensus for these three areas.

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Information Architecture also covers the macro and micro design of the user interface. The macro deliverables help define the main pieces and connections of the site. The micro documents address the fine details, showing how all the intricate parts behave and interact.

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Wireframes

UI Design

As the design systems come to form, the team will start production on the various interface templates, style guides, and any flash or motion based graphical assets for prototype development.

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Usability We have two rules for usability: follow best practices and listen to users. Methods applied include: User Interviews (to help find new opportunities, determine vocabulary and mental models of users), Focus Groups (to determine gut reactions and general perceptions), User Testing (to test if interface design is sound, identify gaps and roadblocks), and Surveys/Multi-variate Testing (to provide metrics for how successful a project is, and identify what variables are most effective).

User Interviews

Testing Report

Survey

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Our Experience

Inspiring Creative: Studio Rhoad Case Studies

With nearly 10 years in the digital space as a firm, Studio Rhoad has worked in almost every industry and across an expansive area of user demographics, social communities and product types. The following are a series of case studies highlighting a small cross section of projects that we have developed with our clients.

At Studio Rhoad we believe each engagement has a core essence that comprises its identity and purpose. We believe that it is our job to work with our clients to help discover this essence and bring it to life in an innovative, intuitive, engaging user experience tailored to each of our clients’ brands, audiences and business objectives.

As you will see, we do not espouse a standard “Studio Rhoad Style” that we apply blindly to our clients. Rather we work within a process that allows us to work with our clients in an iterative, team based environment and create unique products that have a life, presence and personality befitting of their vision.

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Select Case Studies

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Case Study Summary24

Varrstoen Wheels

Elevating An eCommerce Experience To The Next Level Varrstoen is a performance wheel brand, bridging the the gap between California style culture and functional automotive fashion. Over the years, Varrstoen has attracted a dedicated fan following, and the once small wheel brand has become a global lifestyle brand in many countries. From their unique value proposition to their unprecedented collection of products, Varrstoen has taken their California roots into a lifestyle driven style company.

Through a very collaborative effort, we helped the California-based brand redesign and relaunch its web platform with an emphasis on e-commerce and a hybrid blend of user experience and visual design.


Varrstoen Wheels

The eCommerce Strategy

The team at Varrstoen provided us with feedback regarding their existing site and identified that the new platform needed an elevated path to purchase experience. Along with this, we needed to find ways to incorporate and support their existing brand/culture content. This informed a new strategy of thinking and we sought out to support their higher goals of making the site more transactional in a manner that leverages their use of great photography, pairing it with beautiful interactive design, and streamlining the user flow in a way that delights and promotes product.

Once we were aligned on the business goals of the new platform, we performed an audit on the existing platform to better understand what was and wasn’t working relative to their competitor's sites. Through a comprehensive UX audit, we established a feature and functionality matrix that aligned with newly defined content hierarchy and information architecture. Secondly, we determined that we would build the site within a responsive framework to accommodate new devices and a variety of form factors.


Varrstoen Wheels

When it comes to eCommerce, social influence can make a difference... Digital commerce is on the rise and so are the expectations of the consumer. In today’s digital economy, consumers are expecting brands and retailers to understand their underlying motivations and provide products, offerings and utilities that align with their needs. As we set out to build Varrstoen.com, we spent a lot of time thinking about the consumer and what could be done to build “desire” for the brand.

What is unique about a digital shopping experience versus a traditional one is that digital has the ability to use emotion to enhance a customer's journey down the sales funnel. Beautiful imagery, enticing copy and delightful interactions can come together to engage the consumer and influence purchasing decisions.

With Varrstoen, we heavily leveraged the power of emotion as well as a phenomenon known as social proof into our digital strategy. Through the integration of shoppable, user generated content, we provided contextually relevant opinions, actions and desires of other like minded consumers. This strategy enabled us to build consumer confidence by showing them the ‘correct’ behavior when it comes to engaging with the Varrstoen brand. This thinking not only enabled us to increase conversion, but empowered our consumer to be a brand ambassador and encouraged further engagement.

Chris Rhoad CEO / CCO


KoruWorks

Understanding the Brand & the Consumer Like all of our projects, our goal from the start was to align ourselves with who KoruWorks is as a brand and to identify opportunities we could leverage to better express their positioning. To do this, we set ourselves up as an extension of their team and conducted research and working sessions to define key considerations.


KoruWorks

Defining the eCommerce Strategy

Working closely with the product and content team at KoruWorks, we re-thought the site architecture and user experience with the consumer in mind. Based on our understanding of audience desires and the objectives of the brand, we defined a strategy for the eCommerce website that would turn the site into a digital destination that seamlessly integrates content and ecommerce.

This strategy was driven by the shared values and interests we found between the brand and their consumer. As a brand, KoruWorks creates great content and their consumers want great content. Along with this, KoruWorks wants to sell the stylish experience and their consumers want to buy experiences.

The idea of seamless integration is one we didn’t take lightly. We wanted to make sure that anywhere on the site, users can engage in content pushes the products, positioning, and personality of the brand. We knew that if we could do this well, we would could improve metrics across the board and more specifically—time on site, return visits, engagement and email sign-ups, as well as push through to retailers.

Establishing the Design Direction & Visual Identity

KoruWorks is more about the experiences you have with your vehicle than it is the vehicle itself. We wanted to take this brand principle and use it as inspiration for our design approach.

The new site is designed in a way that allows the personality of the brand to come through. KoruWorks is raw, refined, and beautiful and so is the design system of the new eCommerce experience. From its minimal elegance to bold typography and images, the design system is solely focused on highlighting the lifestyle of the brand and how it aligns with those that run their wheels.

Interactions and animations bring the site to life in a way that is delightful and easy to use, similar to how the products are designed to be functional as well as beautiful.


JOSEF NEWGARDEN APP

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Behind The Build

The majority of driver/athlete mobile apps are merely aggregators of social media accounts. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blog posts, etc are imported into the app. These features are mundane and, frankly, pointless when those same outlets can already be reached via the user’s default Twitter/Facebook/Instagram app. The reason we built this app was to, for once, make a driver app that was actually beneficial not only to the fans, but the driver and his partners. The core is built around a social media gamification model that encourages fans to interact with everyone involved. Every time a fan interacts with Josef, the team, or sponsors the fan is awarded points. These interactions include Facebook Likes, Shares, use of hashtags, replies on Twitter, retweets, checking-in at a sponsor store or race tracks, etc. Virtually every form of interaction on the major social platforms awards points. Those points are accumulated over a moderate period of time (about two weeks) at which point the fan can redeem the points for tangible rewards which are provided by the sponsor. Not only does this help build the fan base for the driver, team and partner, it also provides a channel of direct/permission marketing for the sponsor to a market that is actively interested in the brand.

Additional features in the app include, of course, aggregation of the athlete’s social accounts as well as push notifications. A pattern we have noticed with fans is their incessant need to stay up to date with the athlete’s social accounts. Doing this proves difficult since Facebook, Instagram and Foursquare do not provide a special notice when a particular person updates their account (ie uploads an image to Instagram). We fixed that. A special notification setting has been built into the app that allows the fan to enable push notifications for each of the driver’s social media accounts. Another words, if the athlete posts a picture to Instagram and the fan has enabled push notifications for Instagram, they will instantly receive a notice informing them of the recent activity. This same features is applicable to all of the athlete’s social accounts included his blog posts.


Appendix

Working in Agile

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Introduction

We believe in working with our clients to meet their needs, but also in exceeding their expectations in both creativity and project management. Making projects painless.

For that reason we work in Agile. Agile is a project management method for product development. What does this mean?

It means that we will be working in an iterative and dynamic process that allows us to produce a early and sustainable rate of feature delivery. Early in the production cycle you will see some finalized features rather than one huge release at the end. Ideally, we can continue to improve on each feature set as it is tested throughout the project. There are no gantt charts or complex documents making it more natural with less friction.

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Project Management Approach - Directed AdaptabilityBy design, working in the digital space is a complex and multi-disciplinary undertaking. It is more often than not that you have to throw your project plan out the window and improvise. The key is to make the journey painless, to set and manage clear expectations on an ongoing bases and be willing to adapt to change. To be agile. Our collaborators are often surprised that “such a creative company” is so “good at project management”. It has taken us a long time to get here, but we are happy to share our experience with you. Although we believe in the values of the Agile methodology we are not orthodox. We are more “reformed” believers that adapt our approach to your needs. Most importantly we believe that there are three things that will make our relationship successful:

1. Simplicity 2. Collaboration 3. Communication

Starting with our documents being simple, actionable, visual and easy to understand.

Continuing with sharing everything digitally. We use Basecamp to share important project information such as deadlines, notes and files.

And finally with regularly scheduled meetings or “weekly scrums” where we review project progress and help remove obstacles.

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Agile is an adaptive, iterative engagement style

Rapid, incremental development and release cycles

Business functionality delivered at end of every 2-4 week Cycle

Client feedback and collaboration incorporated daily

Test, evaluate, and revise

Completion means meeting Your Global Business Objectives

(not producing finite, scoped deliverables)

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Agile Values

Static Processes & Tools

Exhaustive Documentation

Individuals & Interactions

Working Product(s)

vs.

vs.

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Agile Values

vs.

vs.

Can we do XYZ? Yes.

Customer Collaboration

Responding to Change

Adjustment

Adjustment

Adjustment

Adjustment

Success

Adjustment

$&%#/!?

Scope Negotiation

Following a Rigid Path

Plan

Change Request to Change Plan

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Anatomy of a Cycle

Product Backlog Features &

Cycle Planning Develop plan for

what team

Cycle Backlog Lists and

prioritizes tasks

We Cycle! Execute tasks

Software Release

New

Retrospective Adapt and inspect

End-of-Cycle ReviewCelebrate meeting Product

Owner’s vision

Start

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Why Use Agile

Involves Stake-holders at all stages

Gives clients product control

Provides complete transparency

Allows for flexibility

Develop and test rapidly

Most importantly

it’s fun & authentic!43

Thank you

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