ModcAR: Customization Reimagined.
ModcAR empowers car enthusiasts to confidently customize their vehicles with 3D visualizations, cost tracking, and AR-guided installations making modifications more accessible, reducing install errors, and potentially cutting project time by up to 30%.
1 Minute Overview
My Role: UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher
The Team: Independent Project
Project Duration: February – May (12 weeks)
Tools Used: Figma, Figjam, Maze, Photoshop, Illustrator
The Problem: Car enthusiasts often struggle to visualize customizations, understand installation steps, or find reliable guidance leading to costly mistakes, uncertainty, and wasted time. ModcAR addresses this by providing an interactive AR experience that lets users design, preview, and confidently install car modifications with step-by-step guidance.
The Solution: ModcAR is an AR-powered platform that empowers car enthusiasts to visualize real time 3D modifications on their vehicles, access step-by-step installation guides, and understand performance impacts before making changes. With features like dynamic part previews, performance tracking, and a built-in community hub, users gain the confidence, knowledge, and tools to customize their cars independently and effectively.
The Impact: ModcAR had the potential to reduce user installation errors by up to 40% through clear AR-guided tutorials, improve user confidence and satisfaction by 50% and save users an estimated 30% in time spent researching modifications thereby empowering car enthusiasts to customize with clarity and control.
The Deep Dive: My Process
The Problem
Many car enthusiasts are eager to personalize their vehicles but face major obstacles when it comes to budgeting, selecting compatible parts, and understanding how to install modifications. Without mechanical expertise or trusted guidance, the process becomes overwhelming, leading to costly mistakes, time consuming research, and incomplete builds. This challenge affects both new and experienced enthusiasts who want more control over their customizations but lack the tools or knowledge to do it confidently. ModcAR aims to bridge this gap by making car customization more accessible, educational, and visually intuitive.
Project Goals & Objectives
User Goals: For many car enthusiasts, owning a vehicle is much more than just a means of transportation; it’s an opportunity for personalization and self-expression. However, the high costs of parts and budget constraints often make it challenging to balance their vision with what’s affordable. Virtual modification offers a solution by allowing users to experiment with various upgrades and customizations before making any real-world commitments.
- Virtually customize their cars with 3D/AR tools, experimenting with wheels, paint, body kits, engine tuning, and more.
- Visualize upgrades before committing, helping users align modifications with their budget and vision.
- Learn car mechanics through guided tutorials, empowering users to build confidence.
- Stay informed with updates on the latest car parts, tuning techniques, events, and industry trends.
- Access step-by-step installation guides without digging through scattered videos or forums.
- Receive practical tips and performance advice to get the most out of their modifications.
Business Goals: The primary business objective of ModcAR is to elevate the car customization experience by making it more interactive, engaging while also user-friendly, empowering enthusiasts to explore and execute their vision with confidence and creativity.
A secondary goal is to leverage user-generated insights (with full consent) to better understand preferences, behavior, and emerging trends. This data will inform product strategy, inventory planning, and targeted marketing efforts, enabling the business to deliver more relevant offerings and stay ahead of customer demand.
User Research
To understand my users and their needs, I conducted user interviews with five participants (one woman, four men, ages 21-60), mostly Android users. I completed interviews with data analysis, contextual inquiry, empathy mapping, journey mapping, persona development, and user flow creation. These methods helped uncover pain points, motivations, and key functional requirements.
Key Insights:
- App Preferences: Users valued app functionality, ease of navigation without opening multiple tabs, voice control, and overall accessibility.
- Usage Frequency: Most expected to use the app weekly or monthly; one user estimated hourly use.
- Motivations: Users are driven by personal growth, quality, fun projects, family, and dedication.
- Favorite Apps: YouTube (for ease of use and personalized content) and TikTok (for idea expansion). Simplicity and usability were consistent themes.
- Usage Context: The app would be used anywhere, from the garage to inside the vehicle, whenever inspiration strikes.
- Existing Solutions: None of the users had used a similar AR app before; the closest was “Alldata”, a car data standard.
Desired Features:
- Connection to parts/stores with contact info, shipping times, and return policies.
- Filters for parts by price and performance level (from budget to high-end).
- Visual and numerical feedback on performance impact, e.g., how a modification affects horsepower or torque.
- Access to community features, including forums and local car meetups, to share ideas and stay updated on automotive events.
Users want a seamless, easy-to-use app that connects them to parts and communities while offering clear, actionable insights on modifications. Their desire for both technical data and social interaction informed my design decisions to prioritize intuitive navigation, AR visualization, and integrated community features.
Competitive Analysis:
While several car customization apps offer valuable features, most fall short in delivering a seamless, educational, and interactive experience that bridges vision with education, primarily through AR and real-world support.
Formacar 3D Tuning
- What they do well: Offers an extensive range of 3D customization options with a clean UI and personalized homepage widgets.
- Gaps: Lacks AR integration and can feel overwhelming due to information overload. No real-world guidance or local shop connection.
Fix My Car: Custom Mods
- What they do well: Teaches performance upgrades through interactive tools and simulates real-world installs.
- Gaps: Feature set is limited and lacks dynamic AR, community interaction, or real-time mod performance feedback.
3D Car Tuning
- What they do well: Delivers solid graphics and an easy-to-use tuning interface.
- Gaps: Ad-heavy experience disrupts usability; lacks AR support and educational guidance.
Bongo AR: Car Modification
- What they do well: Strong AR visualization for rim modifications and parts info, with local store connections.
- Gaps: Limited to rims and basic visual upgrades. AR capabilities are not fully explored or expanded.
NFS Heat Studio
- What they do well: Immersive visual experience with game integration, high-quality visuals, and strong brand engagement.
- Gaps: Lacks real-world application or educational value. Users can’t learn how to do installs or access real product info.
The Gap & Opportunity
Despite the popularity of car tuning apps, none thoroughly combine AR visualization, interactive installation tutorials, real-world performance impact, and community-driven features. Most fall short in helping users understand how and why to modify their vehicles beyond aesthetics.
ModcAR fills this gap by blending hands-on AR visualization, real-time performance data, and a resource hub that connects enthusiasts with tutorials, parts, local shops, and a broader automotive community, all in one intuitive experience.
User Personas
Through user research and testing, two primary personas emerged that represented our core customer types:
Tara Anderson -
- Age: 23
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Occupation: Digital Marketing Director
- Tech Level: Moderate
- Car Knowledge: Enthusiast, but not a mechanic
Goals:
- Follow step-by-step tutorials to confidently perform car modifications
- Visualize upgrades in advance to avoid costly mistakes
- Learn more about car mechanics and performance in a structured way.
Needs:
- A simple, easy-to-navigate app with hands-on guides.
- Access to visual previews of modifications before purchasing
- Trusted resources for tutorials and part recommendations.
Pain Points:
- Wastes time searching for reliable videos or instructions.
- Gets stuck during installations due to a lack of experience
- Lacks a centralized hub for learning and inspiration
Motivations:
- Fun, hands-on projects
- Personal growth and skill-building
- Creative self-expression through her car
- Staying connected to car culture and community
“I feel like there’s a smarter way for me to access information and tutorials that show me how to do car customizations.”
Mike Rodriguez
- Age: 54
- Location: Bakersfield, CA
- Occupation: Agricultural Equipment Technician (Semi-Retired)
- Tech Level: Low
- Car Knowledge: High, hands-on, but not digitally inclined
Goals:
- Customize his truck to improve performance and utility.
- Find reliable parts and ensure compatibility before purchase.
- Learn new techniques without relying on confusing online searches.
Needs:
- A simple interface with visual guidance, nothing overly flashy or complex.
- Offline-friendly resources, such as downloadable guides or printable steps.
- Clear performance impact metrics for any mod he’s considering.
Pain Points:
- Overwhelmed by modern tech interfaces and multi-step apps
- Frustrated with having to watch long or irrelevant Youtube videos to learn one task
- Doesn’t trust flashy apps that don’t clearly explain installation or compatibility
Motivations:
- Pride in doing it himself
- Wants things to work the right way the first time
- Loves passing on knowledge to his son and grandson
- Interested in practical, performance-based upgrades
“Just show me how it works, what it fits, and what I need. I don’t have time to dig around for that.”
Ideation & Brainstorming
To kick off ideation, I used a combination of “How Might We” exercises, crazy 8s, and sketching to quickly explore different possibilities for user interaction and layout. These rapid exercises helped surface ideas ranging from step-by-step tutorials to AR visualization tools. I also referenced design patterns, functional requirements, and user research insights to ensure the concepts were grounded in actual user needs. This allowed me to balance creativity with feasibility, making sure each idea served a real purpose in the final product.
Sketches
Information Architecture & User Flows
- To ensure a smooth user journey, I structured the app’s content around key user goals and frequent actions: Car Type, Vehicle Make, AR Visualizer, Wheels & Parts, Garage, and News/Updates.
- Each selection is designed to guide users naturally through the customization process, from selecting their car to visualizing modifications and accessing resources. I created detailed user flows, one focused on accessing the news and car updates tab for staying informed.
- The other flow showed how a user navigates through their virtual garage to manage and track their custom builds. These flows ensured that both exploration and execution felt intuitive and seamless.
User Flows
Wireframing (From Low to Mid-Fidelity)
I began with hand-drawn sketches to explore layout concepts before moving into mid-fidelity digital wireframes. My design choices were guided by user priorities uncovered in research, organizing features by their frequency of use and impact. High-priority functions like searching for car parts, filtering items, accessing the AR visualizer, and viewing performance metrics were given top-level navigation and quick access.
Medium-priority tasks, like viewing order history, browsing part details, and searching for tutorials, were placed on a deeper level, accessible through contextual menus or category pages.
Lower-priority features, such as voice search, social sharing, and showroom favorites, were included in the design but placed in less prominent areas to reduce cognitive load. This structure allowed for an intuitive interface while still offering a feature-rich experience for users at every level of customization knowledge.
Branding & Visual Design (High-Fidelity)
The visual identity of ModcAR was designed to reflect the sleek, high performance world of car customization. I chose a palette of sophisticated dark greys paired with vibrant blue accents to balance professionalism with energy and innovation. These tones create a visually engaging experience while ensuring clarity and accessibility. I incorporated high-quality, realistic car imagery to showcase modifications in a clean, confident aesthetic that feels both aspirational and attainable. Typography was kept modern and minimal to complement the visual content, helping users focus on the details of their customizations without distraction.
- #007AFF
- #6D8AD2
- #636D86
- #34394B
High-Fidelity Wireframes
Usability Testing
To ensure that ModcAr was intuitive, useful, and aligned with user expectations, I conducted usability testing with a group of target users. The goal was to observe how users interacted with the app’s core features and gather feedback on the overall experience.
Methodology
- Participants were asked to complete a set of realistic tasks simulating their journey through the app. Each task was designed to test specific functionalities and navigation flows within ModcAR. Throughout the session, I asked follow-up questions to gauge users’ reactions, preferences, and any pain points they encountered.
PROTOYPE TASKS GIVEN
1. Find a store with rims or car parts using the “Locator” tab.
2. Open one of the first rims on the explore page using AR and snap a photo.
3. Navigate to your saved searches under the “Favorites” tab in the market section.
4. Tap “See more” on your favorites tab and open the filters to explore more options.
5. Return to the homepage, open the AR visualizer, and snap a photo.
6. Go to the “Tutorials” tab and follow the rim installation guide using AR.
7. Open “My Garage” from the AR section and view your saved vehicles/mods.
Questions During Testing
- How was your experience completing this task?
- What do you think of the user interface?
- How do you feel about how features and information are laid out?
- What did you like most and least?
- What features made you more likely to use this product again?
Post-Session Questions
- What are your thoughts on the app’s navigation?
- Were any tasks difficult? If so, which ones and why?
- Is there anything missing that you wish this app had?
- If you could change anything about the app, what would it be?
- What was your overall impression of the experience?
- Any other feedback or final thoughts?
Findings & Analysis
After conducting five usability tests with target users, several patterns emerged that helped validate design decisions while also identifying areas for improvement.
What Worked Well:
- Navigation felt intuitive and easy to use: Users appreciated the clean, straightforward layout
- Information hierarchy: Especially on the filter page, was described as logical and user-friendly.
- Variety of customization options: users liked the options available, which made the app feel robust and comprehensive.
Pain Points & Areas for Improvement:
- Store Finder Placement: Multiple users had difficulty locating the “Store Finder” tab under the Market page. It was not visually prominent and could benefit from clearer labeling or repositioning.
- Favorites Tab Organization: The division between “Ads” and “Searches” on the favorites page caused confusion. Users suggested consolidating or rethinking the structure to simplify the experience.
- Header Redundancy: The recurring “ModcAR” name at the top of every page felt unnecessary and took up valuable screen space.
- Voice Control Request: Several users expressed interest in having a voice control feature for hands-free interaction, especially while working in the garage or on the go.
Key Iterations
Usability testing was instrumental in shaping our final design. By closely analyzing real user feedback and observing navigation patterns, we implemented targeted improvements that enhanced clarity, streamlined workflows, and made core features more intuitive and accessible.
1. Store Finder Visibility
- Problem: Users struggled to locate the “Store Finder” tab under the market page, it wasn’t clearly labeled or visible.
- Solution: Added a prominent icon and renamed the section to “Find a Store” with clearer labeling. I also moved it higher on the market page for better visibility.
2. Favorites Page Layout
- Problem: Users were confused by the separation between “Ads” and “Searches” under the favorites tab.
- Solution: Combined both into a single streamlined favorites view, with filters to toggle between saved items. This reduced cognitive load and simplified navigation.
3. Page Header Simplification
- Problem: The repeated “ModCAR” branding at the top of every screen felt redundant and took up space.
- Solution: Reduced the header size and only displayed page name, freeing up space for more important content on subpages.
4. Voice Control Feature (Planned Iteration)
- Problem: Users wanted a way to interact with the apps hands-free, especially while working on their vehicles.
- Solution: Exploring the integration of voice commands for search navigation, and tutorial playback to improve accessibility and user experience.
The Outcome & Reflection
The Final Solution
ModcAR is a sleek, user-friendly AR application that bridges the gap between car enthusiasts’ creative visions and the technical know-how needed to bring them to life. It simplifies customization through immersive tools, educational content, and real-time visualization, empowering users to confidently explore, plan, and execute their car mods.
Key features include
- Visualize Modifications in AR: Users can see real-time, 3D renderings of car modifications on their actual vehicles. The AR feature allows them to “try on” parts and accessories, adjust options dynamically, and visualize the impact on both aesthetics and performance before making any real-world changes.
- Tutorials and Resource Hub: Step-by-step tutorials walk users through installation and maintenance processes. A built-in community hub supports peer advice, parts trading, and local shop discovery, along with direct communication for purchasing or getting quotes.
- Performance Impacts Insights: Users can preview how modifications will affect performance metrics like horsepower, torque, and engine efficiency. The app helps track, compare, and recommend upgrade combinations to meet specific goals or preferences.
- Smart Customization Support: Users input their car’s make and model or build a new design from scratch. The app then filters compatible parts, offers smart suggestions, and ensures users understand how each mod fits into their vehicle system, reducing error and maximizing creativity.
Clickable Prototype
Click around the prototype here >>
Measuring Impact
ModcAR successfully addressed the core challenges faced by car enthusiasts, bridging the gap between their creative vision and the technical know-how required to bring it to life. By introducing intuitive AR tools, performance insights, and guided tutorials, the app transformed a once overwhelming process into an accessible, engaging, and empowering experience.
Solving the problem:
We simplified customization for both novice and experienced users by:
- Offering real-time AR visualization of mods
- Providing step-by-step tutorials for DIY installation
- Reducing guesswork through performance impact insights
- Centralizing trusted resources in a single platform
User Goals Achieved:
- Enabled users to experiment virtually with upgrades before committing
- Made learning about car mechanics easier and more interactive
- Delivered custom, budget-conscious paths to personalization
- Built a sense of community and ongoing engagement with real-time updates:
Business Goals Achieved:
- Created an immersive, engaging product experience that enhances brand loyalty
- Laid the groundwork to collect meaningful user insights for future inventory, design, and marketing strategies.
Potential Impact:
- 40% reduction in user installation errors through AR-guided tutorials
- 50% increase in user confidence and satisfaction
- 30% decrease in time spent researching modifications
- Improved conversion and retention by empowering users to customize with clarity and control
Lessons Learned
The biggest challenge I faced was designing for a highly specialized user base, automotive enthusiasts, with varying levels of technical knowledge. It pushed me to think deeply about accessibility, clarity, and real-world application.
This project taught me the value of:
- Iterating and testing early: Frequent user feedback helped uncover usability issues and improve design decisions
- Clarity and simplicity: A clean interface and clear navigation are essential, especially for users who aren’t mechanically inclined.
- Visual hierarchy: Defining key elements like filters, tabs, and CTAs made the app easier to use.
- Context-aware design: Understanding when, where, and how users engage with the app helped tailor the experience to real-life workflows
- Collaboration: Working closely with users and mentors led to more creative and effective solutions.
Next Steps
If given more time, I would prioritize:
- Improving feature visibility: Enhancing the discoverability of key tools like the “store finder” to reduce user friction.
- Streamlining layout: Simplifying the favorites page by consolidating tabs and improving visual clarity.
- Expanding accessibility: Exploring voice control integration to support hands-free navigation and increase usability across diverse user groups.
- Deepening research: Conducting additional usability tests and contextual inquiries to uncover edge cases and refine features for real-world usage.
These next steps would further elevate the experience, ensuring ModcAR is intuitive, inclusive, and aligned with users’ evolving needs.
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Let's Create Something Together
I’m currently available for freelance projects and actively seeking remote full-time opportunities. Whether you’re looking for a designer to craft intuitive user experiences or a front-end developer to bring ideas to life, I’d love to connect and see how I can help your team create something impactful.