Automotive & mobility

B2C

How we helped Mercedes-Benz test accident management services that protect premium value

Client

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Model

Product accelerator

Product accelerator

Mercedes-Benz service app showing vehicle maintenance, safety features, and warranty status on mobile device

Services

Proposition testing

Proposition testing

UX/UI design

UX/UI design

Rapid prototyping

Rapid prototyping

Product optimisation

Product optimisation

Info

Mercedes-Benz needed to know which aftermarket propositions were worth building, in a market generating roughly 2.5x the profit margin of vehicle sales. Accident management and parts sales are its biggest revenue streams after new cars, and every one of those touchpoints either strengthens or erodes brand loyalty.

So we tested high-fidelity prototypes of several value propositions with real users, validating a multi-million-pound direction before commitment.

Mind map showing the full Digital Guidance feature structure for the Mercedes accident assistance flow, branching from entry points (push notification, home promoted message, and assistance tab) through five sequential steps: medical support, securing the place, documenting the scene, getting diagnosis and cost estimation, and getting the car repaired.
Behavioural design framework mapping the user's mental journey across four phases — Prevention, Problem, Solution, and Back to normal — annotated with motivation levels (passive to motivated to resistant), and showing how the four problem types (damage, fault, breakdown, accident) feed into a five-step resolution process of collect information, diagnosis, proposal, decision, and repair.

Challenge

Premium brands face an innovation paradox: customers expect the digital experiences they get from Tesla and tech natives, yet any service failure damages decades of brand equity.

Mercedes-Benz needed to move at startup speed at a fraction of the usual risk, testing bold changes without disrupting a live operation.

Our analysis

Fast innovation doesn't have to mean reckless risk. The approach was to separate experimentation from implementation, testing several service variants through interactive prototypes.

Weak concepts were dropped quickly and cheaply in testing; the ones that went forward had proven demand before any operational change.

Mobile app sitemap showing Mercedes-Benz connected services user flows and screen architecture
Mercedes accident assistance app with damage documentation, scene capture, and expert support workflow
Mercedes assistance app with SOS emergency button and support menu options
An iPhone resting on dark leather car upholstery showing a lock screen push notification from the Mercedes Me app reading "Accident detected — Don't worry. Our support team will call you in a few minutes."

What we did

01.

Strategic discovery & synthesis

We began by understanding Mercedes-Benz's position in the premium automotive aftermarket, identifying where current services created friction and where innovation could drive differentiation.

Strategic discovery & synthesis

We began by understanding Mercedes-Benz's position in the premium automotive aftermarket, identifying where current services created friction and where innovation could drive differentiation.

02.

Rapid ideation & prioritisation

Through structured workshops, we generated hundreds of potential service improvements for accident management and parts sales. Rather than debating merit in meeting rooms, we prioritised concepts based on customer impact and operational feasibility.

Rapid ideation & prioritisation

Through structured workshops, we generated hundreds of potential service improvements for accident management and parts sales. Rather than debating merit in meeting rooms, we prioritised concepts based on customer impact and operational feasibility.

03.

Interactive prototype development

We turned the most promising concepts into high-fidelity interactive prototypes: genuinely functional demonstrations customers could use, well beyond wireframes or mockups. Multiple variants tested different value propositions at once.

Interactive prototype development

We turned the most promising concepts into high-fidelity interactive prototypes: genuinely functional demonstrations customers could use, well beyond wireframes or mockups. Multiple variants tested different value propositions at once.

04.

Iterative validation cycles

Through multiple rounds of testing with real users, we validated which features customers actually valued versus what stakeholders assumed they wanted. Each iteration sharpened our understanding, replacing assumptions with evidence.

Iterative validation cycles

Through multiple rounds of testing with real users, we validated which features customers actually valued versus what stakeholders assumed they wanted. Each iteration sharpened our understanding, replacing assumptions with evidence.

05.

Evidence synthesis

We consolidated findings into clear recommendations backed by behavioural data rather than opinion. Mercedes-Benz could see exactly which innovations justified investment and why.

Evidence synthesis

We consolidated findings into clear recommendations backed by behavioural data rather than opinion. Mercedes-Benz could see exactly which innovations justified investment and why.

Mercedes accident assistance app with damage documentation and expert support workflow
Onboarding screen for the Accident Guardian feature, showing white serif text over an aerial night photograph of a lone car on a motorway, with a Skip link in the top right corner.
App content card titled "How-to-Videos" with a video thumbnail showing a Bluetooth pairing walkthrough between an iPhone and a Mercedes COMAND display, a "Browse How-to-video Library" link, and the beginning of a Breakdown & Maintenance section below.

Project impact

Strategic risk mitigation

Validated £multi-million development direction before significant investment commitment.

Strategic risk mitigation

Validated £multi-million development direction before significant investment commitment.

Evidence-based decisions

Replaced internal assumptions with validated customer insights across premium service offerings.

Evidence-based decisions

Replaced internal assumptions with validated customer insights across premium service offerings.

Protected market positioning

A customer-validated direction for the aftermarket services that carry roughly 2.5x the margin of vehicle sales.

Protected market positioning

A customer-validated direction for the aftermarket services that carry roughly 2.5x the margin of vehicle sales.

Ready to know what's worth building before you commit to it?

In a short, evidence-led sprint we help you decide, then design it.

For Mercedes-Benz, that was a multi-million-pound development direction validated with real users before any build.

Let's talk about running one on your challenge.

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