Vixa
Vixa is a connected car app that works alongside a physical black box plugin. Once attached to a car, the plugin shares real-time data with the app, providing live insights into the vehicle's health and performance. The goal of Vixa is to empower drivers by offering proactive diagnostics, maintenance reminders, and service booking, ultimately preventing unexpected breakdowns and improving vehicle longevity.
I worked as part of an agile cross-functional team, following sprints and all agile ceremonies, including daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives. The project started with strict deadlines to meet a five-month launch date, requiring close collaboration across design, development, and product management teams., requiring close collaboration across design, development, and product management teams.
MY ROLE
Lead Product Designer – I was responsible for leading the design process, collaborating with researchers, developers, product owner and business analyst.
My key contributions included:
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Crafting user flows and wireframes
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Designing the app experience, interface and interactions
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Improve and redesign legacy screens with the new branding
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Create basic animations with Lottie
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Conducting user testing and refining designs based on feedback
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Ensuring alignment between the product vision and user needs
TOOLS
THE COMPANY
The AA (Automobile Association) is one of the UK’s leading breakdown cover providers, known for its roadside assistance services. With over a century of experience, the AA is trusted by millions of drivers. Vixa was developed as part of the AA’s innovation initiative to enhance vehicle health monitoring through technology.
THE PROBLEM
Many drivers experience unexpected breakdowns due to a lack of insight into their car's health, resulting in costly repairs, frustration, and safety concerns. Vixa was developed to address this gap by offering real-time diagnostics, seamless service booking, and actionable insights to prevent issues before they arise.
The beta version of Vixa, initially called "AA-X," was launched as a free app exclusively for AA membership customers. Members could request the plugin at no cost, allowing the company to gather valuable user feedback and refine the product through extensive beta testing.
Facing pressure from investors to monetize the product, the company set an ambitious six-month timeline to enhance Vixa's value and overall user experience. This involved rebranding, redesigning, adding new features, addressing technical and design flaws, and positioning the app for a full-scale launch. The goal was to introduce a subscription model, charging £5.99 for non-AA members while maintaining free access for AA members.
THE SOLUTION
To address the core issues identified during the beta phase, Vixa initially focused on three key solutions:
METRICS AND RESULTS
While identifying the problems, we set the metrics we would like to measure.
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12,000 users during the beta phase (AA members)
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Projected 1,300+ users for the paid app launch in 2024
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
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Apple Store Rating: +34% improvement (March to September)
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Google Play Rating: +52% improvement (April to September)
CHURN
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Reduced by 10% over three months
Design Process
Unlike most projects I have worked on, Vixa’s design process faced significant constraints due to a strict five-month deadline for launch. As a new member of the team, I had to adapt the design process to fit the limited time available, balancing user needs with business objectives. Many traditional design steps were either condensed or skipped altogether.
Despite these challenges, I sought to impose structure by focusing on core design principles and iterative feedback. However, the limited timeline made it difficult to conduct thorough user testing for most of the new features. Instead, the initial versions were built as a foundation to gather real-world insights post-launch.
This approach allowed us to:
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Rapidly prototype and deploy new features
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Conduct user testing as more time became available, refining and validating features
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Prioritize user surveys, feedback, and in-app data to shape future iterations
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Add improvements to the roadmap based on evolving user needs and business goals
The design process remained flexible and adaptive, evolving as the product matured.
Discovery
DISCOVERY WORKSHOP
The team conducted a small discovery workshop to assess all available information on the “AA-X” beta app and gain a deeper understanding of the market.
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Target Audience
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User interviews (AA members)
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Competitor analysis
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Market research
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Inspiration Board
Since the app was still in its early stages, no data tracking had been implemented to measure and compare user interactions across pages or features.
TARGET AUDIENCE
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Modern urban drivers
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Between 18-34, living in a city and are early adopters of technology.
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There are 1.7m Modern Urban Drivers (5% of UK driver population).
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They are mostly likely to use and book a service with our app (92% consideration v 52% average).
Ideate
PROJECT SCOPE AND IMPACT
Vixa aimed to fill a gap in the market by providing drivers with:
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Early warnings and insights into their car’s health
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A simplified process for booking repairs and maintenance
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Competitive pricing and convenience through digital service offerings
IDEATION WORKSHOPS
A Brainstorming workshops was conducted for a few of the value proposition projects, it was focused on generating ideas for the new features on the roadmap to enhance the user experience and add value to the app.
The key areas/projects of focus included:
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Designing a Driving Stats screen to provide users with insights about their driving behavior and trip history
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Implementing MOT and Service Reminders to ensure timely vehicle maintenance
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Displaying Car Location to help users track their vehicle
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Developing a Virtual Mechanic for troubleshooting and basic diagnostics
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Introducing Battery Health Monitoring to give real-time feedback on battery performance
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Creating an Engine Health feature to notify users of potential issues
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Showcasing Plugin Connection Status to confirm the app is receiving accurate data from the device
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Dashboard, Support page, Onboarding and Splash screen re-design
Prototype
Vixa aimed to fill a gap in the market by providing drivers with:
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Early warnings and insights into their car’s health
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A simplified process for booking repairs and maintenance
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Competitive pricing and convenience through digital service offerings
MOODBOARD AND PRINCIPLES FOR RE-DESIGN
WIREFRAMING & CONCEPTS
MOCK UPS FLOW
A couple of mock-up flows were created to communicate the journey first-time and returning users will experience when opening the app. This flow helped the cross-functional team and stakeholders
MOCK UPS
USABILITY TESTING
Conclusion
The Vixa project successfully bridged a crucial gap in proactive car maintenance by transforming the AA-X beta app into a full-fledged product. Through rapid iteration, user feedback, and a focus on enhancing the overall user experience, the team delivered valuable features that not only empowered drivers but also aligned with business objectives.
Despite the tight deadline and constraints, the project achieved significant improvements in app functionality, design, and monetization potential. Key outcomes included streamlined diagnostics, service booking, and improved car health tracking, all of which contributed to reducing unexpected breakdowns and operational costs.
Vixa’s journey continues to evolve, with future enhancements planned to refine the app further based on ongoing user insights and market needs.
This case study highlights how Vixa brought value to drivers by addressing critical gaps in vehicle maintenance and empowering users with proactive car health insights.