OVERVIEW
Large-format touchscreen kiosk for Cadillac dealership showrooms, allowing customers to explore the full vehicle lineup, compare features, customize colors, and request brochures. Designed to engage customers during wait times and enable self-guided discovery of the luxury brand.
THE CHALLENGE
Create an immersive, self-service experience that reflected Cadillac's premium positioning while educating customers about complex vehicle features and trim differences. The interface needed to feel sophisticated and intuitive for customers unfamiliar with touchscreen kiosks while showcasing high-end finishes and technical innovations.
Role: UX/UI Designer Timeline:
Design phase only Tools: Photoshop, Illustrator
Client: Cadillac (GM)
Employer: DCI Marketing
DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Premium Visual Language
Dark leather-textured backgrounds with dramatic red accent gradients reinforced Cadillac's luxury brand identity. The design moved away from typical automotive showroom bright whites, creating an upscale, gallery-like atmosphere that matched the brand's positioning.
Vehicle Model Selection
Hero image showcasing the full brand lineup (V-Series, ATS, XTS, CTS, SRX, Escalade) with elegant typography and the tagline "Touch a Vehicle to Explore." Each model presented as a touchable card with distinctive imagery, making selection immediate and visually driven.
Trim Comparison Flow
Once a model was selected (e.g., CTS), customers could compare body styles (Coupe, Sport Sedan, Sport Wagon) side-by-side with large vehicle imagery and clear "Touch to Explore" prompts. This addressed a common dealership challenge—helping customers understand trim differences without requiring sales staff intervention.
360° Color Visualization
Interactive exterior and interior color selectors with real-time vehicle rendering. Key feature: "Match Interior" and "Match Exterior" toggle that showed coordinating color combinations, helping customers envision complete vehicles rather than isolated choices. Detail views expanded to show material close-ups (leather stitching, paint finishes).
Feature Gallery
Video-rich feature library organized by category (Exterior, Interior, Performance, Safety, CTS Features, Accessories). Each feature presented as a thumbnail grid with video playback and descriptive text. Right-side filter panel ("Most Popular," "All Features," category filters) enabled quick navigation across hundreds of features.
Comparison Tools
"Compare CTS" functionality allowed customers to view the selected model against competitors or other Cadillac models, reinforcing value propositions and differentiators.
Email Brochure System
Custom on-screen keyboard for customers to request digital brochures, eliminating the need for printed materials while capturing lead information. Clean name/email input with "Send Brochures" confirmation.
Key Design Decisions
• Dark, luxurious aesthetic over bright showroom whites (premium positioning)
• Large hero imagery and generous spacing (confidence in product, not cluttered)
• Video integration for complex features (visual demonstration over text explanations)
• Touch-optimized buttons with clear affordances (icons + labels)
• Persistent navigation bar for quick access to certified pre-owned, local dealers, and home
• 360° swipe interactions (tactile, engaging, mimicked mobile gestures)
• Iconography system for features, accessories, and comparisons (visual consistency)
• Large hero imagery and generous spacing (confidence in product, not cluttered)
• Video integration for complex features (visual demonstration over text explanations)
• Touch-optimized buttons with clear affordances (icons + labels)
• Persistent navigation bar for quick access to certified pre-owned, local dealers, and home
• 360° swipe interactions (tactile, engaging, mimicked mobile gestures)
• Iconography system for features, accessories, and comparisons (visual consistency)
CONSTRAINTS & TRADEOFFS
• Large touchscreen format required careful touch target sizing (minimum 44px) while maintaining sophisticated aesthetic
• Video-heavy content needed careful loading strategies for showroom Wi-Fi limitations
• Self-service meant eliminating all jargon and assuming zero automotive knowledge
• Brand guidelines required balancing Cadillac's traditional luxury cues with modern interface expectations
• Video-heavy content needed careful loading strategies for showroom Wi-Fi limitations
• Self-service meant eliminating all jargon and assuming zero automotive knowledge
• Brand guidelines required balancing Cadillac's traditional luxury cues with modern interface expectations
OUTCOMES
Project designed for dealership deployment (implementation status unknown post-employment).
What the design aimed to solve:
• Enable self-guided vehicle exploration without sales pressure
• Educate customers on trim differences and feature benefits
• Capture lead information through brochure requests
• Reduce dependency on sales staff for basic product information
• Reflect Cadillac's premium brand positioning through interface design
• Educate customers on trim differences and feature benefits
• Capture lead information through brochure requests
• Reduce dependency on sales staff for basic product information
• Reflect Cadillac's premium brand positioning through interface design
KEY TAKEAWAY
Luxury brand digital experiences require more than just polish—they need strategic restraint. The dark, spacious layout with dramatic imagery wasn't just aesthetic; it created psychological room for high-ticket purchase consideration. The best showroom tools don't rush customers toward decisions—they build confidence through exploration.
