Streamlining Car Discovery Process with Recent Activity

Ever browsed for something, took a few steps in the process, then got distracted—only to forget where you left off?

It happens all the time—you explore options, maybe tweak some settings, and then life gets in the way. When you come back, you’re stuck retracing your steps, trying to remember what you did last. That’s where a recent activity feature comes in, helping users seamlessly pick up where they left off without the frustration of starting over.

My Role

• Conduct research
• Create user flow
• Create high-fidelity designs
• Prototyping

What Our Research Tells Us

Before diving into solutions, we revisited our past research to understand how users navigate the car-buying journey. Our findings revealed that purchasing a car isn’t an impulse decision—it’s a process that typically takes one to three months, moving through six key stages.

It starts with awareness—users see a car that catches their eye. If it sparks appeal, they begin exploring further, developing interest. During the ask stage, people tend to revisit cars they’re already interested in, going back and forth to validate their choices. As they weigh their choices, they enter the decide phase, family opinions often influence the type of car they choose, while financial decisions are driven by the most attractive promotions and cost-saving opportunities. Once ready, they take action in the act phase by applying for financing or making a purchase. If their experience is positive, they move into the advocate stage, recommending the platform to others.

This structured yet nonlinear journey helped us contextualize user behavior, reinforcing the need for a seamless experience that supports decision-making at every step.

Does This Feature Fit Well If We Implement It?

The short answer is no...

because the Recently Viewed feature generally works well in e-commerce because it taps into consumer behavior where users repeatedly view products they’re interested in, often leading to impulsive purchases. This model fits well for items that are affordable and bought within a short to medium timeframe (less than a week to a month).

However, buying a car is a much more complex decision. It’s not just about desire—it involves financial planning, family approval, and practical considerations like parking space. Unlike e-commerce, where repeated exposure triggers quick decisions, car buying requires a longer decision-making cycle.

—But...

Instead of just reminding users about the cars they viewed, we can integrate it with features that support their financing journey to make this feature valuable in the long run. By incorporating the Loan Calculator, Kualifikasi Kredit, and Instant Approval, we help users not only track their interests but also take meaningful steps toward purchasing a car. This way, the Recently Viewed feature becomes more than just a reminder—it becomes a strategic tool that keeps users engaged and guides them seamlessly through the buying process. We decided to call this feature Recent Activity to make it more relevant to the context.

Where Did They Go? Tracking User Drop-Offs and Pain Points

Before implementing the Recent Activity feature, we needed to understand how users navigated the car discovery and financing process. By analyzing previous research and user behavior, we identified key pain points that contributed to drop-offs:

• Losing track of progress – Users often explored multiple cars, calculated loans, or checked the credit qualification, but without a clear way to revisit their steps, many didn’t continue to the next stage.
• High cognitive load – The process required users to remember which cars they liked, their loan estimates, and whether they were eligible for financing, making it overwhelming.
• Drop-offs before financing – Many users engaged with early steps but didn’t return to complete their application (especially in Loan Calculator, Kualifikasi Kredit, and Instant Approval), leaving potential conversions on the table.

DESIGN

Finding the Perfect Spots for Recent Activity

Before placing the Recent Activity feature, we mapped out the user flow to pinpoint the best moments to remind users of their past actions. We wanted to show Recent Activity where it adds value—like after users explore car options, calculate a loan, check their Kualifikasi Kredit, or apply for Instant Approval—helping them pick up where they left off. We also decided to include post-Instant Approval application with their progress status. This way, users get a helpful reminder of where they stand, ensuring they stay informed without unnecessary clutter.

The Final Design

Homepage

• Make it stand out with a blue background and subtle graphics, so users can easily spot it
• If their activity involves stages or statuses—like Kualifikasi Kredit or Instant Approval—we highlighted them with a badge for better visibility
• To make the card interaction more clear, we included a CTA at the bottom of each card to tell users what will happen if they click on the card or CTA
• Since car prices, monthly installments, and discounts can change anytime, we added a small note to keep users informed

Product Detail Page

• Make it stand out with a blue background and subtle graphics, so users can easily spot it
• If their activity involves stages or statuses—like Kualifikasi Kredit or Instant Approval—we highlighted them with a badge for better visibility
• To make the card interaction more clear, we included a CTA at the bottom of each card to tell users what will happen if they click on the card or CTA
• Since car prices, monthly installments, and discounts can change anytime, we added a small note to keep users informed

Works like the homepage version but with a white background to make it feel subtle. By keeping it visually lightweight, it aligns with the natural reading flow, making it feel like an organic part of the page rather than a separate, attention-grabbing element.