Building design at AutoNation, from 0→1 to AI

Context

In 2022 AutoNation, one of the largest automotive retailers in the US, set out to launch AutoNation Mobility: a startup inside the company, built to rethink how people get a car. The product was a micro-lease for people who need a car for longer than a rental but less than a traditional lease: 3, 6, or 12 months, bought entirely online.

I joined as the founding designer on a 10-person team of product managers, engineers, and business strategists. There were no designs, no design system, and no design process. There was only a shared goal and a launch date.

How I led

My job was to set the design direction for a 0→1 product and build the practice that would outlast it.

• Established the UX process and design system so a small team could move fast without drifting.
• Hired and built out the product design org.
• Ran design sprints after competitive research across Rivian, Tesla, Carvana, and others, turning insight into testable ideas before we committed to development.
• Presented early prototypes to leadership to align on strategic direction.
• Mapped every flow so product, engineering, and business stakeholders understood the logic behind each step. Flow maps became our main tool for making decisions quickly.
• Set up a sprint cadence for the AutoNation design team, which raised the team's overall throughput, and led the UX team that created DRVN, AutoNation's first design system.

What we built

A subscription experience, 0→1, in six months. I developed the design language, crafted the customer journey, and produced the creative assets, taking the product from concept to launch in six months. Shoppers browse by need (commuter, family, electric, performance) instead of by make and model, compare a flexible lease against renting and leasing side by side, and check out in under 10 minutes.

Browsing, three ways

←→

01Collections: curated starting points for people who don't know what they want yet.

02A single collection, with a prequalification prompt woven into the grid.

03All vehicles, for shoppers who already know what they're looking for.

Pricing you can see. On every vehicle, shoppers pick how long they want the car and how far they'll drive, and the upfront and monthly price update on the spot. Every fee and tax is broken out before checkout, so the number at the end is the number they saw at the start.

Checkout, fully online. Leasing a car usually means an afternoon at a dealership. We broke it into six steps, each labeled with how long it takes, and pinned the car, term, and price to the top of every screen so nothing changes by surprise.

Checkout, step by step

←→

01Account creation says what you get for signing up, right beside the form.

02Verification explains why it needs sensitive data, right where it's asked for.

03Contracts lead with a plain summary of the key terms before the legal text.

04Insurance is the last step, with requirements spelled out before upload.

05Review and pay restates every number and what's included before anything is charged.

A design system built for speed. A unified visual language with a component library, typography and color guidelines, grids, and accessibility standards. It let a small team deliver 300+ components and 175+ screens while staying consistent.

AutoNation's first AI dealer tool. An AI-assisted tool that helps dealers put together the right deal and the right products for each customer.

Outcome

• Concept to launch in six months for AutoNation Mobility's micro-lease product.
• Under 10 minutes to lease a vehicle, fully online.
• 300+ components designed and 175+ screens delivered.
• +5% completed deals after launching the AI dealer tool.
• −19% misaligned product offerings: customers were shown products that actually fit them.
• AutoNation's first design system (DRVN), and a sprint process that raised design throughput.

Reflection

AutoNation Mobility was eventually shut down, but the work didn't go to waste. The design language, key patterns, and overall look and feel we created were adopted into AutoNation.com, and they still shape how customers interact with the brand.

Building a 0→1 product taught me that a business can end while the system behind it keeps going. That's why I invest in systems: the parts of the work that last longer than any single product.