Finding
Mobile was the main consideration channel.
Customers were comfortable researching, configuring, and even ordering an EV on their phones.
Design implicationKeep the core journey usable on mobile.
Ford Motor China · Dec 2022 to Jul 2023
Lincoln
EV Journey
A concept journey connecting EV discovery, purchase, handover, and ownership.
- Role
- UX/UI Designer
- Duration
- 8 months
- Owned
- Test drive · Configuration · Purchase UX/UI
- Co-created
- Journey · Service blueprint
- Status
- Concept program · Ended before development
Final hi-fi prototype
01 · Challenge
The car was taking shape.
The experience around it was not.
Lincoln was exploring its first electric vehicle in China without a predetermined feature list or an established EV service model.
Design mandateCreate one connected relationship from discovery to ownership.
Core tensionReconcile mobile-first EV expectations with Lincoln’s premium service, brand, and operating reality.
02 · Evidence inputs
What ten interviews
changed.
The research team interviewed ten participants. I used the findings to set experience priorities and develop service concepts.
Finding
Confidence mattered before commitment.
A new electric vehicle introduced questions that specifications alone could not answer.
Design implicationMake the unfamiliar easier to understand before asking for commitment.
Finding
Ownership started before handover.
Charging, maintenance, membership, and support needed to feel continuous with purchase.
Design implicationCarry vehicle and service context across purchase, handover, and ownership.
03 · System
Nine stages.
One service model.
The proposed model connected customer intent and channels across discovery, decision, and ownership. I co-created the journey and service blueprint with cross-functional partners.
Discover
AwarenessInterestEngagement
- Primary channel
- WeChat Mini Program
- Selected moment
- Research synthesis
Decide
DecisionShopBuy
- Primary channel
- Mini Program + Retail
- Selected moment
- Test drive · Configure
Own
HandoverUseLoyalty
- Primary channel
- Lincoln BEV App
- Selected moment
- Vehicle guide · Controls
04 · Final hi-fi prototype
Three connected
prototype flows.
Every screen below is from the final Hi-Fi Prototype. Each flow plays automatically; pause, use the arrows, or select a named step at any time.
01 · Vehicle exploration · Final hi-fi prototype
Explore the vehicle before committing.
The final mini-program flow connected the Lincoln home page, service support, immersive vehicle exploration, a vehicle manual, and use scenarios.
Select any screen to inspect the final flow.03 / 06
VR exterior
Explore the exterior in an immersive vehicle view before committing.
02 · Test drive · Final hi-fi prototype
Make the drive personal, then close the loop.
The final flow moves from booking details and a combined time-and-model selector to a customized route, agreement, confirmation, and post-drive feedback.
Select any screen to inspect the final flow.01 / 12
Booking test drive
Start with personal details, pickup preference, and a service-center choice.
03 · Purchase · Final hi-fi prototype
Keep every choice attached to one vehicle.
The final purchase flow carries the configured vehicle through exterior and interior choices, an editable wishlist, finance, deposit, and order confirmation.
Select any screen to inspect the final flow.01 / 06
Exterior selection
Choose color and wheel details while keeping the vehicle visible.
05 · Design highlights
Make the next decision
easier to see.
Four details from the final prototype show how the experience reduced interpretation, kept vehicle context visible, and made each next step more explicit.
Configuration · Immediate feedback
Make every change visible on the vehicle.
Exterior and interior choices stayed attached to the same vehicle. Color, wheel, material, and texture changes returned visual feedback in context instead of asking people to remember previous selections.
Finance · Visible consequences
Turn an abstract loan into adjustable outcomes.
Down-payment ratio and term became sliders tied to visible payment amounts, helping people compare a finance decision without leaving the configured vehicle behind.
Adjust → compare → decideFeedback · Clear expectation
State the effort before asking for it.
The post-drive prompt signals a one-minute ask before opening feedback, reducing uncertainty at the moment the journey asks for more effort.
One minute, stated up frontControls · Adopted recommendation
Label unfamiliar actions, not just icons.
I recommended clear text labels for icon-only controls so people could recognize an action without learning a new symbol set. The UI direction adopted the labels.
Before · concept reconstruction
⌁☼⚡
Adopted pattern
⌁Air flow☼Lighting⚡Charge
06 · Qualitative impact
The team had a clearer
direction to work from.
The program stopped before development, so these reflections speak to the quality of the work and collaboration. They are not launch metrics.
“The project exemplifies high quality and reflects Lincoln’s commitment to exceptional customer experiences.”
General Manager
“The product-thinking mindset and user-centered approach of the UX/UI team were fundamental to the project’s success.”
Product Owner
“Working with YueZhi was seamless thanks to her collaborative spirit and outstanding communication skills.”
User Researcher
07 · Outcome & limits
What we delivered,
and where the program stopped.
Lincoln reconsidered its EV strategy, and the program ended before development. The work did not launch, so there are no product metrics.
A concept service model connecting the proposed customer journey with channels and operational dependencies.
I learned to treat the interface as the visible edge of a larger service: every screen decision depends on what retail, delivery, support, and vehicle teams can sustain.