Polestar

Web Configurator

Polestar as a brand wants to break free from the conventions of the car industry on all levels. Therefore, the buying process of a Polestar car differs from the traditional way of buying a car. Instead of traditional dealerships they have their own showrooms called Polestar Spaces where customers can experience the cars on their own terms without any pushy sales reps. In fact, the only way you can buy a Polestar car is through their online store.

Since all Polestar cars are sold online, it is business critical that the online store gives the customers the right preconditions for going forward with their purchase. The car configurator has two major roles to play in the journey of buying a Polestar car.

In the consideration phase, the main purpose of the car configurator is to visualize the cars in different specifications (exterior and interior colors, rims and other options) as well as in various angles and environments. It is also important to showcase what equipment that are included or available as options. And of course, how much the car and added options costs.

Further on as the customers getting ready to place an order, the car configurator plays an important role in describing the exact specification of the car and the included services and warranties. Before placing the order, the customers need to select what type of financing they want for their purchase. The car configurator needs to be able to present the different financing alternatives and the differences between them in way that is easy to understand so that the customers feel confident to proceed and place an order.

The main design principle for the configurator UI is to divide the screen into separate areas for visualization and for selection. To make it easier for the user to see the differences between the visual options such as exterior color and rims, the visualization area remains in the same place while the user can switch between categories. The user can however select what type of context and angle to see the car in.

When the user reaches the categories that doesn’t affect the visual appearance of the car, the visualization area scrolls away to make better use of the screen real estate.

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