So I'm car shopping. Due to an onerous commute, in the construction industry, my disdain for hybrids, etc, the best choice for me in terms of a car would be something with a diesel engine. While gas/electric hybrids are amazingly efficient when certain criteria are met, diesels are efficient all the time.
Unfortunately in the US your options for diesel cars (not trucks) are pretty limited. VW is about the only viable option. So I go to the VW website. Normally when you go to a car makers site, one of the things you do is use their "build and price" feature. This has been a staple of car maker websites since around the year 2000.
So I'm on VW's site and I'm looking to build and price a Jetta TDI. I spent about 15 minutes scratching my head and wondering why I couldn't find anything to allow me to start "building" my ideal car. Then I notice something that "match". I click on it. It takes me to something that kind of resembles a build it now feature, but not really. What you basically did, was enter in search criteria through a list of options they provide you with, and then it shows the available inventory in your area.
At this point I'm annoyed and I go back to google and search for anything that makes mention of this new website format from VW. I stumble upon this article:
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/02/vw-ne...d-reviews/
We take a step backwards and hail it as progress.
Unfortunately in the US your options for diesel cars (not trucks) are pretty limited. VW is about the only viable option. So I go to the VW website. Normally when you go to a car makers site, one of the things you do is use their "build and price" feature. This has been a staple of car maker websites since around the year 2000.
So I'm on VW's site and I'm looking to build and price a Jetta TDI. I spent about 15 minutes scratching my head and wondering why I couldn't find anything to allow me to start "building" my ideal car. Then I notice something that "match". I click on it. It takes me to something that kind of resembles a build it now feature, but not really. What you basically did, was enter in search criteria through a list of options they provide you with, and then it shows the available inventory in your area.
At this point I'm annoyed and I go back to google and search for anything that makes mention of this new website format from VW. I stumble upon this article:
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/02/vw-ne...d-reviews/
Quote:Quote:This really sucks. But you guys are going to love what comes next.
The new site has a simplified, tablet-first concept that reduces the number of necessary clicks to find a car. The biggest change, though, is that it replaces the traditional configurator to build and price with "Find a Match."
Quote:Quote:How does a buyer feel empowered by having information obscured? Only a woman would think that way.
Paige Parrent, Digital Platforms Manager at Volkswagen Marketing, guided the design process for the new site. The goal was to "take away the intimidation and make buyers feel empowered," she told Autoblog. That meant making the build process more transparent and giving users immediate feedback. It's no longer about what's possible, but what's available. "We want to match people with the cars they love."
Quote:Quote:
Online dating and e-commerce websites inspired the layout. Like dating, logic plays a role in buying a car, but it's an emotional decision in the end, Parrent believes.
We take a step backwards and hail it as progress.