ABOUT THE CLIENT:
HOURCAR is a nonprofit serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area with an efficient, equitable and sustainable transportation ecosystem ~ a car-sharing, membership-based program designed to fill transportation needs and gaps for individuals, families, and organizations. It provides affordable access to efficient transportation to get people to where they want and need to go with lower environmental impact. For those who can’t afford a car, maintaining a car doesn’t make financial sense and/or it’s just awkward and inconvenient to physically own a car, HOURCAR provides a practical solution to traditional, private, single-occupancy vehicles.
In serving the community, HOURCAR cares about every detail: from convenience, affordability, being accessible 24/7, to keeping their auto fleet well maintained and their parking spots and sidewalks shoveled during snowy winter months.
HOURCAR also wants to keep its members safe and the experience of using an HOURCAR hassle-free as possible. There is ample easy-to-digest information on their website on how HOURCAR works and how to use its services but there still needs to be a form of real, offline information for members to consult when using an HOURCAR.
THE PROBLEM:
HOURCAR had been using a 2-sided 8.5 x 11 laminated instruction card inserted into each of their HOURCARs’ glovebox for members to reference as they needed. Cards also contain specific car model instructions relevant to the car model. For example, an HOURCAR Subaru Forester would have a glovebox card to include basic need-to-know instructions for using a Subaru Forester. All instructions have been carefully vetted and tested for clarity.
The problem with HOURCAR’s glovebox instruction cards? They weren’t getting read. To make the glovebox instruction cards both informative and more user-friendly called for a re-design.
BEFORE: HOURCAR Glove Box Instruction Sheet ~ it uses the HOURCAR brand colors and typeface but the layout is cluttered without much white space or breathing room around the text. The instruction sheet appears to be “shouting” notices so it’s hard to focus and digest the information as it is presented.
AFTER: Keeping HOURCAR brand standards, I took the principles of clear menu design and infographic design to establish clarity in the content that people would actually read. Relevant icons provide visual clues. White space makes the card’s content flow. It’s now easy for HOURCAR members to find the specific information they need in their moment of need on the new 8 x 8-inch sized cards.
A glovebox instruction card seems like such a little thing but small details like this create another positive touchpoint people have with the HOURCAR brand. It reflects just how much HOURCAR cares about its members and about their experience using their auto-sharing services. It’s turned me into a fan!
Refreshing and improving brands and marketing communications is a sweet spot for Grand Ciel Design! Looking for a marketing make-over, give us a shout.
