Product
Digital Design Language
Role
Head of UX
Year
2015
Keywords
Product Design, Design Strategy
Volvo
Project Overview
This project focused on developing brand guidelines for Volvo's digital presence to create a unified brand experience across all digital touchpoints, including websites, portals, social media, and mobile apps. The goal was to connect Volvo's physical products with its digital space, ensuring consistency in brand expression and user experience across all platforms. The guidelines covered the strategic use of typography, color palettes, and image tonality to reinforce brand identity and evoke the desired brand perceptions.
The project aimed to create a positive user experience by emphasizing intuitive navigation, clear calls to action, and relevant content for diverse target audiences. This involved establishing a governance process to coordinate online initiatives and ensure alignment with overall business and communication strategies. The guidelines addressed accessibility standards, localization, search engine optimization, and social media integration to create a seamless and engaging online experience for Volvo customers.
Project Overview
This project focused on developing brand guidelines for Volvo's digital presence to create a unified brand experience across all digital touchpoints, including websites, portals, social media, and mobile apps. The goal was to connect Volvo's physical products with its digital space, ensuring consistency in brand expression and user experience across all platforms. The guidelines covered the strategic use of typography, color palettes, and image tonality to reinforce brand identity and evoke the desired brand perceptions.
The project aimed to create a positive user experience by emphasizing intuitive navigation, clear calls to action, and relevant content for diverse target audiences. This involved establishing a governance process to coordinate online initiatives and ensure alignment with overall business and communication strategies. The guidelines addressed accessibility standards, localization, search engine optimization, and social media integration to create a seamless and engaging online experience for Volvo customers.
The Problem
Prior to this project, Volvo's digital presence was fragmented and lacked a unified brand experience across various platforms. The company utilized numerous systems and applications, which resulted in an inconsistent visual appearance and an incoherent user experience for customers.
The challenge was to create a more unified digital experience that would bridge the gap between Volvo’s physical products and its digital space. This included aligning the brand expression and user experience across all digital touchpoints, including websites, portals, mobile apps, and social media. The lack of a centralized process for design-related brand building further compounded the problem. The absence of a cohesive digital design language made it difficult for customers to readily identify and engage with the Volvo brand online.
The Problem
Prior to this project, Volvo's digital presence was fragmented and lacked a unified brand experience across various platforms. The company utilized numerous systems and applications, which resulted in an inconsistent visual appearance and an incoherent user experience for customers.
The challenge was to create a more unified digital experience that would bridge the gap between Volvo’s physical products and its digital space. This included aligning the brand expression and user experience across all digital touchpoints, including websites, portals, mobile apps, and social media. The lack of a centralized process for design-related brand building further compounded the problem. The absence of a cohesive digital design language made it difficult for customers to readily identify and engage with the Volvo brand online.
The Solution
To tackle the inconsistent brand experience across Volvo's digital platforms, we created a comprehensive set of brand guidelines that aimed to establish a unified digital design language. These guidelines defined clear standards for using key brand elements like the Volvo iron mark, typography, color palettes, and image tonality. We outlined best practices for intuitive navigation, clear calls to action, and content creation to ensure relevance across diverse audiences.
We also implemented a centralized governance process for design-related brand building. This process was designed to streamline decision-making and ensure projects aligned with overall business and communication strategies. Finally, we developed a user experience library that outlined specifications for various design components, templates, and functionalities. This resource served as a single source of truth for stakeholders involved in creating digital experiences for Volvo, which ensured consistent implementation of the brand guidelines across the board.
The Solution
To tackle the inconsistent brand experience across Volvo's digital platforms, we created a comprehensive set of brand guidelines that aimed to establish a unified digital design language. These guidelines defined clear standards for using key brand elements like the Volvo iron mark, typography, color palettes, and image tonality. We outlined best practices for intuitive navigation, clear calls to action, and content creation to ensure relevance across diverse audiences.
We also implemented a centralized governance process for design-related brand building. This process was designed to streamline decision-making and ensure projects aligned with overall business and communication strategies. Finally, we developed a user experience library that outlined specifications for various design components, templates, and functionalities. This resource served as a single source of truth for stakeholders involved in creating digital experiences for Volvo, which ensured consistent implementation of the brand guidelines across the board.
The Result
Clear Visual Identity: Established standards for typography, color, imagery, and use of brand elements like the Volvo iron mark, ensuring all digital touchpoints reflect the brand’s premium and innovative nature.
Improved User Experience: Guidelines prioritize intuitive navigation, clear calls to action, and audience-specific content, making it easier for users to engage meaningfully with the brand.
Enhanced Brand Consistency: Centralized governance aligns all digital initiatives with business strategies, avoiding fragmented solutions and reinforcing a unified brand presence.
Increased Efficiency: A user experience library serves as a single source of truth, streamlining design and development processes while maintaining brand alignment.
The guidelines have been widely adopted, enabling Volvo to leverage digital channels more effectively to engage customers and meet business objectives.
The Result
Clear Visual Identity: Established standards for typography, color, imagery, and use of brand elements like the Volvo iron mark, ensuring all digital touchpoints reflect the brand’s premium and innovative nature.
Improved User Experience: Guidelines prioritize intuitive navigation, clear calls to action, and audience-specific content, making it easier for users to engage meaningfully with the brand.
Enhanced Brand Consistency: Centralized governance aligns all digital initiatives with business strategies, avoiding fragmented solutions and reinforcing a unified brand presence.
Increased Efficiency: A user experience library serves as a single source of truth, streamlining design and development processes while maintaining brand alignment.
The guidelines have been widely adopted, enabling Volvo to leverage digital channels more effectively to engage customers and meet business objectives.
Defining the Volvo Digital Language
Establishing a consistent visual identity across all Volvo's digital platforms was a key focus of the project. This involved defining clear standards for typography, color palettes, iconography, and image tonality. Drawing on the Volvo Brand Identity Guidelines, I ensured that the digital language aligned with existing brand standards and reinforced Volvo's premium positioning.
The Mobile App Handbook and the Web and Portal Handbook provided valuable insights into best practices for using these elements in digital contexts. Our team detailed specific color palettes for different purposes, including corporate colors, profile colors, signal colors, and a dedicated "Call to Action Blue" for key interactive elements. By outlining these standards and providing specific examples, We created a cohesive and visually appealing experience that reflected Volvo's core values of quality, safety, and environmental care.
Defining the Volvo Digital Language
Establishing a consistent visual identity across all Volvo's digital platforms was a key focus of the project. This involved defining clear standards for typography, color palettes, iconography, and image tonality. Drawing on the Volvo Brand Identity Guidelines, I ensured that the digital language aligned with existing brand standards and reinforced Volvo's premium positioning.
The Mobile App Handbook and the Web and Portal Handbook provided valuable insights into best practices for using these elements in digital contexts. Our team detailed specific color palettes for different purposes, including corporate colors, profile colors, signal colors, and a dedicated "Call to Action Blue" for key interactive elements. By outlining these standards and providing specific examples, We created a cohesive and visually appealing experience that reflected Volvo's core values of quality, safety, and environmental care.
Building a Scalable Design System
The User Experience Library ensured design consistency across Volvo’s digital platforms, serving as a single source of truth for designers and developers. Collaborating with various teams, I defined specifications for a wide range of design components and templates, drawing insights from the Volvo Brand Web and Portal Handbook and the Mobile App Handbook.
The library detailed components like headers, promo units, navigation bars, and media galleries, specifying their purpose, functionality, and appearance. By standardizing typography, color usage, iconography, and layout, the library eliminated inconsistencies and ensured a cohesive visual identity across platforms. This empowered teams to deliver high-quality digital experiences aligned with the Volvo brand.
Building a Scalable Design System
The User Experience Library ensured design consistency across Volvo’s digital platforms, serving as a single source of truth for designers and developers. Collaborating with various teams, I defined specifications for a wide range of design components and templates, drawing insights from the Volvo Brand Web and Portal Handbook and the Mobile App Handbook.
The library detailed components like headers, promo units, navigation bars, and media galleries, specifying their purpose, functionality, and appearance. By standardizing typography, color usage, iconography, and layout, the library eliminated inconsistencies and ensured a cohesive visual identity across platforms. This empowered teams to deliver high-quality digital experiences aligned with the Volvo brand.
Crafting Intuitive User Journeys
A key challenge in the Volvo digital brand guidelines project was creating intuitive navigation across diverse platforms to ensure seamless user experiences.
My team and I developed the “Volvo Brand Web and Portal Handbook”, focusing on simplicity, shallow structures, and consistent navigation patterns. We emphasized user testing to validate labels and links for clarity and effectiveness. For mobile platforms, we created the “Volvo Brand Mobile App Handbook”, outlining navigation patterns like swipe gestures, top and bottom bars, and slide-over menus to ensure adaptability across screen sizes.
By prioritizing clarity, consistency, and user testing, we delivered user-friendly navigation systems that reinforced Volvo’s quality and reliability.
Crafting Intuitive User Journeys
A key challenge in the Volvo digital brand guidelines project was creating intuitive navigation across diverse platforms to ensure seamless user experiences.
My team and I developed the “Volvo Brand Web and Portal Handbook”, focusing on simplicity, shallow structures, and consistent navigation patterns. We emphasized user testing to validate labels and links for clarity and effectiveness. For mobile platforms, we created the “Volvo Brand Mobile App Handbook”, outlining navigation patterns like swipe gestures, top and bottom bars, and slide-over menus to ensure adaptability across screen sizes.
By prioritizing clarity, consistency, and user testing, we delivered user-friendly navigation systems that reinforced Volvo’s quality and reliability.
Collaboration and Governance
Effective collaboration and clear governance processes were crucial for the success of the project. Part of our deliverables was a structured process for gathering requirements, defining strategies, and developing future guidelines.
A core value for us was the importance of working together to ensure a consistent product, service, and marketing experience. This collaborative approach involved designers, developers, product managers, and brand stakeholders working closely together to ensure alignment on design decisions and adherence to brand guidelines.
Through clear communication, open feedback loops, and a well-defined governance structure, the project successfully delivered a unified and consistent digital experience for Volvo. Creating facilitated workshops and the social context of digital product development is one of my core strengths.
Collaboration and Governance
Effective collaboration and clear governance processes were crucial for the success of the project. Part of our deliverables was a structured process for gathering requirements, defining strategies, and developing future guidelines.
A core value for us was the importance of working together to ensure a consistent product, service, and marketing experience. This collaborative approach involved designers, developers, product managers, and brand stakeholders working closely together to ensure alignment on design decisions and adherence to brand guidelines.
Through clear communication, open feedback loops, and a well-defined governance structure, the project successfully delivered a unified and consistent digital experience for Volvo. Creating facilitated workshops and the social context of digital product development is one of my core strengths.
My Role
In this project, I played a key role in developing and implementing the comprehensive set of brand guidelines for Volvo's digital presence. I collaborated with various stakeholders to define standards for key brand elements, outline best practices for navigation and content creation, and establish a centralized governance process.
I also contributed to the development of the user experience library, ensuring it served as a valuable resource for all teams involved in creating digital experiences for Volvo. My efforts focused on creating a seamless and engaging online experience for Volvo customers, while ensuring consistency and alignment with the overall brand identity.
My Role
In this project, I played a key role in developing and implementing the comprehensive set of brand guidelines for Volvo's digital presence. I collaborated with various stakeholders to define standards for key brand elements, outline best practices for navigation and content creation, and establish a centralized governance process.
I also contributed to the development of the user experience library, ensuring it served as a valuable resource for all teams involved in creating digital experiences for Volvo. My efforts focused on creating a seamless and engaging online experience for Volvo customers, while ensuring consistency and alignment with the overall brand identity.