Rivian UX audit
Rivian UX audit
This project outlines a UX audit conducted in early 2025 for Rivian's Canadian website. Following the launch of the dedicated Canadian site, various inconsistencies, broken links, and usability issues emerged, impacting the experience for Canadian customers. The primary goal of this audit was to identify these key friction points and present actionable recommendations to cross-functional teams. Following the audit, immediate smaller fixes were implemented within two weeks, and the majority of the recommendations were incorporated into the relevant product roadmaps.
This project outlines a UX audit conducted in early 2025 for Rivian's Canadian website. Following the launch of the dedicated Canadian site, various inconsistencies, broken links, and usability issues emerged, impacting the experience for Canadian customers. The primary goal of this audit was to identify these key friction points and present actionable recommendations to cross-functional teams. Following the audit, immediate smaller fixes were implemented within two weeks, and the majority of the recommendations were incorporated into the relevant product roadmaps.
Year
2025
Duration
1 Week
Category
website UX audit
Role
UX Auditor
Team
Marketing Strategy & Operations Digital Product Management Software Engineering Content Strategy Canada Legal Ecommerce
Industry
automotive
Client/company
Rivian
Tools & Methods
Heuristic Evaluation User Journey Analysis Competitor Analysis
Key skills
Heuristic Evaluation User Flow Analysis Comparative Analysis User Advocacy Cross-Functional Communication
Live Project
Visit Site
Year
2025
Duration
1 Week
Category
website UX audit
Role
UX Auditor
Team
Marketing Strategy & Operations Digital Product Management Software Engineering Content Strategy Canada Legal Ecommerce
Industry
automotive
Client/company
Rivian
Tools & Methods
Heuristic Evaluation User Journey Analysis Competitor Analysis
Key skills
Heuristic Evaluation User Flow Analysis Comparative Analysis User Advocacy Cross-Functional Communication
Live Project
Visit Site
Year
2025
Duration
1 Week
Category
website UX audit
Role
UX Auditor
Team
Marketing Strategy & Operations Digital Product Management Software Engineering Content Strategy Canada Legal Ecommerce
Industry
automotive
Client/company
Rivian
Tools & Methods
Heuristic Evaluation User Journey Analysis Competitor Analysis
Key skills
Heuristic Evaluation User Flow Analysis Comparative Analysis User Advocacy Cross-Functional Communication
Live Project
Visit Site
Problem statement
Problem statement
Launched in mid-2024, Rivian's Canadian website aimed for a better local experience but soon presented usability challenges. Users encountered pricing errors, confusing vehicle dimensions, disruptive redirects, site inconsistencies, and missing key features like a Canadian trade-in estimator. This audit, conducted in early 2025, systematically identified and documented these usability issues, informing the necessary improvements.
Launched in mid-2024, Rivian's Canadian website aimed for a better local experience but soon presented usability challenges. Users encountered pricing errors, confusing vehicle dimensions, disruptive redirects, site inconsistencies, and missing key features like a Canadian trade-in estimator. This audit, conducted in early 2025, systematically identified and documented these usability issues, informing the necessary improvements.
Problem statement
Launched in mid-2024, Rivian's Canadian website aimed for a better local experience but soon presented usability challenges. Users encountered pricing errors, confusing vehicle dimensions, disruptive redirects, site inconsistencies, and missing key features like a Canadian trade-in estimator. This audit, conducted in early 2025, systematically identified and documented these usability issues, informing the necessary improvements.
my role & responsibilities
my role & responsibilities
In the role of UX Auditor, the focus was on evaluating the user experience and flows of the Rivian Canadian website. Responsibilities encompassed identifying usability problems and inconsistencies, formulating actionable suggestions for improvement, and presenting these findings to key cross-functional teams to inform potential roadmap additions.
In the role of UX Auditor, the focus was on evaluating the user experience and flows of the Rivian Canadian website. Responsibilities encompassed identifying usability problems and inconsistencies, formulating actionable suggestions for improvement, and presenting these findings to key cross-functional teams to inform potential roadmap additions.
my role & responsibilities
In the role of UX Auditor, the focus was on evaluating the user experience and flows of the Rivian Canadian website. Responsibilities encompassed identifying usability problems and inconsistencies, formulating actionable suggestions for improvement, and presenting these findings to key cross-functional teams to inform potential roadmap additions.
Process
Defining Goals & Scope
Based on known customer feedback regarding inconsistencies and redirects since the Canadian site launch, the primary goals for this one-week UX audit were established:
Identify & Categorize Issues: Systematically uncover and document usability issues, inconsistencies (content, features, links), and sources of user friction specific to the Rivian Canadian website experience.
Analyze Key User Flows: Evaluate the effectiveness and ease-of-use of critical user journeys (e.g., vehicle shopping, booking a demo drive, finding information).
Benchmark & Compare: Compare the Canadian site against the US counterpart to pinpoint discrepancies and broken cross-border user pathways.
Formulate Recommendations: Develop clear, actionable recommendations for improvement, targeted at enhancing the Canadian user experience.
Scope: Due to the focused nature of the audit and existing adherence to standards, testing for general website responsiveness and accessibility compliance was explicitly excluded.
Defining Goals & Scope
Based on known customer feedback regarding inconsistencies and redirects since the Canadian site launch, the primary goals for this one-week UX audit were established:
Identify & Categorize Issues: Systematically uncover and document usability issues, inconsistencies (content, features, links), and sources of user friction specific to the Rivian Canadian website experience.
Analyze Key User Flows: Evaluate the effectiveness and ease-of-use of critical user journeys (e.g., vehicle shopping, booking a demo drive, finding information).
Benchmark & Compare: Compare the Canadian site against the US counterpart to pinpoint discrepancies and broken cross-border user pathways.
Formulate Recommendations: Develop clear, actionable recommendations for improvement, targeted at enhancing the Canadian user experience.
Scope: Due to the focused nature of the audit and existing adherence to standards, testing for general website responsiveness and accessibility compliance was explicitly excluded.
Process
Defining Goals & Scope
Based on known customer feedback regarding inconsistencies and redirects since the Canadian site launch, the primary goals for this one-week UX audit were established:
Identify & Categorize Issues: Systematically uncover and document usability issues, inconsistencies (content, features, links), and sources of user friction specific to the Rivian Canadian website experience.
Analyze Key User Flows: Evaluate the effectiveness and ease-of-use of critical user journeys (e.g., vehicle shopping, booking a demo drive, finding information).
Benchmark & Compare: Compare the Canadian site against the US counterpart to pinpoint discrepancies and broken cross-border user pathways.
Formulate Recommendations: Develop clear, actionable recommendations for improvement, targeted at enhancing the Canadian user experience.
Scope: Due to the focused nature of the audit and existing adherence to standards, testing for general website responsiveness and accessibility compliance was explicitly excluded.
Process
Initial Data Gathering
The audit commenced by consolidating existing knowledge about known issues impacting the Canadian website experience. This involved gathering qualitative data from two primary sources:
User Feedback Review: Analyzing previously reported issues and complaints flagged directly by Canadian customers since the site launch.
Internal Stakeholder Input: Collecting insights and known friction points observed by internal colleagues, particularly those in customer-facing roles (like Sales associates).
This initial qualitative data was crucial for humanizing the flagged issues beyond simple bug reports, providing context on user pain points and helping to prioritize areas for the subsequent hands-on audit.
Initial Data Gathering
The audit commenced by consolidating existing knowledge about known issues impacting the Canadian website experience. This involved gathering qualitative data from two primary sources:
User Feedback Review: Analyzing previously reported issues and complaints flagged directly by Canadian customers since the site launch.
Internal Stakeholder Input: Collecting insights and known friction points observed by internal colleagues, particularly those in customer-facing roles (like Sales associates).
This initial qualitative data was crucial for humanizing the flagged issues beyond simple bug reports, providing context on user pain points and helping to prioritize areas for the subsequent hands-on audit.
Process
Initial Data Gathering
The audit commenced by consolidating existing knowledge about known issues impacting the Canadian website experience. This involved gathering qualitative data from two primary sources:
User Feedback Review: Analyzing previously reported issues and complaints flagged directly by Canadian customers since the site launch.
Internal Stakeholder Input: Collecting insights and known friction points observed by internal colleagues, particularly those in customer-facing roles (like Sales associates).
This initial qualitative data was crucial for humanizing the flagged issues beyond simple bug reports, providing context on user pain points and helping to prioritize areas for the subsequent hands-on audit.
Audit Execution & Analysis
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
Comparative Analysis (CA vs. US Site)
User Journey Analysis
Heuristic Evaluation & Visual Review
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
Comparative Analysis (CA vs. US Site)
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
User Journey Analysis
Informed by stakeholder feedback that users required assistance with seemingly straightforward tasks, key user journeys were systematically analyzed from the perspective of a prospective Canadian customer. This involved simulating common scenarios to evaluate task success, ease of use, and the overall flow. Drawing on customer experience audit principles, the goal was to identify specific moments of friction, frustration, or confusion within these critical pathways
Heuristic Evaluation & Visual Review
A targeted heuristic evaluation assessed the interface against key usability principles. While the overall visual design was strong, one significant issue impacting task success was identified
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
Comparative Analysis (CA vs. US Site)
User Journey Analysis
Heuristic Evaluation & Visual Review
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
Comparative Analysis (CA vs. US Site)
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
User Journey Analysis
Informed by stakeholder feedback that users required assistance with seemingly straightforward tasks, key user journeys were systematically analyzed from the perspective of a prospective Canadian customer. This involved simulating common scenarios to evaluate task success, ease of use, and the overall flow. Drawing on customer experience audit principles, the goal was to identify specific moments of friction, frustration, or confusion within these critical pathways
Heuristic Evaluation & Visual Review
A targeted heuristic evaluation assessed the interface against key usability principles. While the overall visual design was strong, one significant issue impacting task success was identified
Audit Execution & Analysis
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
Comparative Analysis (CA vs. US Site)
User Journey Analysis
Heuristic Evaluation & Visual Review
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
Comparative Analysis (CA vs. US Site)
Leveraging the initial data, the core audit activities involved a hands-on evaluation of the Rivian Canadian website. Adopting principles from customer experience auditing, this phase focused on understanding the journey from the Canadian user's perspective, capturing their specific context (e.g., location, units, market differences), and identifying moments of friction or confusion. The key methods employed were:
User Journey Analysis
Informed by stakeholder feedback that users required assistance with seemingly straightforward tasks, key user journeys were systematically analyzed from the perspective of a prospective Canadian customer. This involved simulating common scenarios to evaluate task success, ease of use, and the overall flow. Drawing on customer experience audit principles, the goal was to identify specific moments of friction, frustration, or confusion within these critical pathways
Heuristic Evaluation & Visual Review
A targeted heuristic evaluation assessed the interface against key usability principles. While the overall visual design was strong, one significant issue impacting task success was identified
Comparative Analysis
Consistency Checks
Link & Redirect Integrity
Key Findings
Comparative Analysis
Consistency Checks
Link & Redirect Integrity
Key Findings
Comparative Analysis
Consistency Checks
Link & Redirect Integrity
Key Findings
Comparative Analysis
Consistency Checks
Link & Redirect Integrity
Key Findings
User Journey analysis
Consistency Checks
Booking a Demo Drive
Exploring Vehicle Information
User Journey analysis
Consistency Checks
Booking a Demo Drive
Exploring Vehicle Information
User Journey analysis
Consistency Checks
Booking a Demo Drive
Exploring Vehicle Information
User Journey analysis
Consistency Checks
Booking a Demo Drive
Exploring Vehicle Information
Heuristic & Visual Analysis
Clarity & Efficiency Heuristic Violation
Heuristic & Visual Analysis
Clarity & Efficiency Heuristic Violation
Heuristic & Visual Analysis
Clarity & Efficiency Heuristic Violation
Heuristic & Visual Analysis
Clarity & Efficiency Heuristic Violation
Synthesis, Presentation & Planning
1. Synthesis & Presentation:
Findings from all analysis phases were synthesized into a PowerPoint presentation detailing key issues and actionable recommendations. This report was presented digitally to stakeholders across relevant cross-functional teams, facilitating Q&A and discussion. The shareable deck enabled managers to easily distribute the findings for determining next steps.
2. Roadmap Planning & Integration:
A follow-up meeting with managers one week later focused on collaborative implementation planning. Recommendations were prioritized based on customer/business impact, technical feasibility, required effort, and alignment with existing team roadmaps and rollouts. This collaborative session resulted in most suggestions being integrated into relevant backlogs, while quick fixes were scheduled for immediate implementation.
1. Synthesis & Presentation:
Findings from all analysis phases were synthesized into a PowerPoint presentation detailing key issues and actionable recommendations. This report was presented digitally to stakeholders across relevant cross-functional teams, facilitating Q&A and discussion. The shareable deck enabled managers to easily distribute the findings for determining next steps.
2. Roadmap Planning & Integration:
A follow-up meeting with managers one week later focused on collaborative implementation planning. Recommendations were prioritized based on customer/business impact, technical feasibility, required effort, and alignment with existing team roadmaps and rollouts. This collaborative session resulted in most suggestions being integrated into relevant backlogs, while quick fixes were scheduled for immediate implementation.
Synthesis, Presentation & Planning
1. Synthesis & Presentation:
Findings from all analysis phases were synthesized into a PowerPoint presentation detailing key issues and actionable recommendations. This report was presented digitally to stakeholders across relevant cross-functional teams, facilitating Q&A and discussion. The shareable deck enabled managers to easily distribute the findings for determining next steps.
2. Roadmap Planning & Integration:
A follow-up meeting with managers one week later focused on collaborative implementation planning. Recommendations were prioritized based on customer/business impact, technical feasibility, required effort, and alignment with existing team roadmaps and rollouts. This collaborative session resulted in most suggestions being integrated into relevant backlogs, while quick fixes were scheduled for immediate implementation.
Results & Impact
While the full impact of the audit awaits the implementation of larger recommendations by the respective teams, the project yielded significant immediate outcomes and established a clear trajectory for enhancing the Canadian user experience:
Rapid Critical Fixes: High-priority issues identified in the audit, such as misleading redirects, content inaccuracies (like incorrect "coming soon" labels), and broken links, were quickly addressed by the relevant teams within two weeks.
Positive Early Indicators: Anecdotal feedback from Canadian customer-facing teams suggested these initial fixes led to fewer users requiring help with basic website navigation or information finding.
Roadmap Integration for Future Enhancements: A primary outcome was the formal integration of most audit recommendations into the official roadmaps of key cross-functional teams. This secured commitment to address the identified usability gaps and inconsistencies, with planned updates focused on significantly improving feature parity (e.g., trade-in estimator), information clarity (e.g., dimension units), and overall task success for Canadian users.
While the full impact of the audit awaits the implementation of larger recommendations by the respective teams, the project yielded significant immediate outcomes and established a clear trajectory for enhancing the Canadian user experience:
Rapid Critical Fixes: High-priority issues identified in the audit, such as misleading redirects, content inaccuracies (like incorrect "coming soon" labels), and broken links, were quickly addressed by the relevant teams within two weeks.
Positive Early Indicators: Anecdotal feedback from Canadian customer-facing teams suggested these initial fixes led to fewer users requiring help with basic website navigation or information finding.
Roadmap Integration for Future Enhancements: A primary outcome was the formal integration of most audit recommendations into the official roadmaps of key cross-functional teams. This secured commitment to address the identified usability gaps and inconsistencies, with planned updates focused on significantly improving feature parity (e.g., trade-in estimator), information clarity (e.g., dimension units), and overall task success for Canadian users.
Results & Impact
While the full impact of the audit awaits the implementation of larger recommendations by the respective teams, the project yielded significant immediate outcomes and established a clear trajectory for enhancing the Canadian user experience:
Rapid Critical Fixes: High-priority issues identified in the audit, such as misleading redirects, content inaccuracies (like incorrect "coming soon" labels), and broken links, were quickly addressed by the relevant teams within two weeks.
Positive Early Indicators: Anecdotal feedback from Canadian customer-facing teams suggested these initial fixes led to fewer users requiring help with basic website navigation or information finding.
Roadmap Integration for Future Enhancements: A primary outcome was the formal integration of most audit recommendations into the official roadmaps of key cross-functional teams. This secured commitment to address the identified usability gaps and inconsistencies, with planned updates focused on significantly improving feature parity (e.g., trade-in estimator), information clarity (e.g., dimension units), and overall task success for Canadian users.
Takeaways / Lessons Learned
A key learning involved the complexities of maintaining UX consistency across a product managed by multiple functional teams. Disconnected updates often led to user-facing issues. This audit highlighted how a focused UX review can serve as a catalyst for cross-functional alignment, not only identifying problems but also creating a shared understanding and facilitating the collaborative planning needed for effective solutions.
A key learning involved the complexities of maintaining UX consistency across a product managed by multiple functional teams. Disconnected updates often led to user-facing issues. This audit highlighted how a focused UX review can serve as a catalyst for cross-functional alignment, not only identifying problems but also creating a shared understanding and facilitating the collaborative planning needed for effective solutions.
Takeaways / Lessons Learned
A key learning involved the complexities of maintaining UX consistency across a product managed by multiple functional teams. Disconnected updates often led to user-facing issues. This audit highlighted how a focused UX review can serve as a catalyst for cross-functional alignment, not only identifying problems but also creating a shared understanding and facilitating the collaborative planning needed for effective solutions.
