- The Catalyst for Innovation
- From Concept to Reality
- Team Collaboration
- Learning from Our Journey and Looking Ahead
- Wrapping Up
The Catalyst for Innovation
At instacar, we’re always listening to our customers. They’re the ones who drive us forward. When we started hearing that many of them were looking for more than our flexible month-to-month leasing option, we paid attention. They wanted longer-term plans to fit their lives better—plans that gave them the security of a fixed commitment.
Our research confirmed it: there was a clear demand for 12 and 24-month leasing options. People were looking for predictability in their lives, whether for personal reasons or business stability. Offering these fixed-term subscriptions was not just about adding another choice; it was about meeting a real need and growing our business in a way that made sense for our customers and us.
From Concept to Reality
When we decided to introduce 12 and 24-month plans, we knew the key was in the simplicity of the experience. Every customer should find navigating these plans as intuitive as having a conversation.
Alongside with Vangelis (Lead Product Designer), we started experimenting in different looks and page structures. Throughout the years, I've gained a slight insight into customer behavior, particularly through the valuable data provided by Microsoft Clarity. Every click is significant, and the first step to encourage the right actions is to closely monitor how users interact with our platform. So, moving to figma, we created designs that laid out the new plans clearly and concisely.
After our initial designs, we engaged in a feedback loop with potential users and internal teams. This step was crucial for refining our approach, making sure our designs were not only attractive but also practical and easy to navigate.
With our refined designs, our front-end development team began the task of turning them into a reality. This phase was about meticulous coding, ensuring that the designs faithfully translated into a functional and responsive web experience. Throughout, we conducted extensive testing, iterating based on feedback and technical requirements to ensure everything worked flawlessly.
Simultaneously, our backend team, led by Alex Galanis, worked on implementing the logic that supports these plans. They ensured that our system could handle the new subscription types efficiently, from pricing calculations to contract durations. This backend effort was vital for the seamless operation of the new plans, making sure they fit perfectly within our existing ecosystem.
Team Collaboration
Bringing our new 12 and 24-month subscriptions to life was a big team effort. I had the privilege of guiding our Product team through this adventure, but it truly was a collective effort from start to finish.
Our first step was to understand the numbers, which meant sitting down with our Finance team. They helped us figure out how to offer these plans in a way that’s good for both our customers and our business. Then, we got invaluable insights from our Operations team. They’re the ones who talk to our customers every day, and they shared what people were looking for and how we could deliver that smoothly.
With those insights in hand, it was time for the design team to take the lead. They have a special talent for making complex things simple and engaging. Together, we created a design that makes it easy for anyone to understand and choose the new plans. Then, our Engineering team took over, turning those designs into a reality on our website. They tackled all the technical challenges to make sure everything runs smoothly and intuitively for our customers.
This journey wasn’t straight from point A to point B. We went through many rounds of testing and feedback, always aiming to make things better. We listened to suggestions from our colleagues, from potential users, and from each other. Every piece of feedback was a chance to improve, to make our website more user-friendly, and to ensure our new plans truly met our customers' needs.
When we finally launched the new plans, it was a moment of pride for all of us. The engineers, in particular, went above and beyond to solve the last-minute hurdles, ensuring everything worked perfectly. Throughout QA we made sure no detail was overlooked, and every part of the new offering met our strict standards.
Learning from Our Journey and Looking Ahead
Launching our new 12 and 24-month plans went really smoothly, and we couldn't be happier. This wasn't just good news for our customers—it made all of us on the team feel really proud of what we accomplished together.
Why It Matters: When things go smoothly, it's a big morale boost. It makes everyone feel good about the work they've done and shows that when we pull together, we can do great things. It’s not just about the work itself but also about how we grow stronger as a team.
Darren Hardy, author of "The Compound Effect," explains the principle as "the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices." What we experienced with our smooth launch and the incremental improvements that followed is a perfect example of this principle at work in a business setting.
The compound effect isn't about making one massive change; it's about the power of small, consistent changes over time. Every little adjustment we made based on customer feedback, every tweak to the user interface, and every code improvement contributed to a larger, more significant impact. As Hardy puts it, "Small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference."
This principle matters immensely for us at instacar because it underscores the value of consistency and persistence. The smooth launch wasn't just a one-time effort; it was the result of continuous hard work, learning, and iteration. It's these small, daily efforts that add up, creating a stronger, more resilient, and more innovative company.
This approach is why the smooth launch and the continuous improvements matter. They're evidence of the compound effect at work, showing us that when we commit to making small, consistent improvements, the overall impact on our products, our customer satisfaction, and our team morale can be profound.
Wrapping Up
The path ahead is one of ongoing development, guided by our experiences and the valuable insights we gain along the way.
Until the next one, keep iterating & stay curious!