GO Rentals is New Zealand’s largest independent car hire company – built on a 20+ year foundation of the best customer experience in the market. They live and die by their website, with millions in annual revenue at stake.

I’ve been working with them for over ten years on three iterations of their website, and each time we’ve strived to push the market forward with the most innovative user experience possible. In 2019 GO contracted me for their most ambitious redesign yet.

We re-thought everything from a clean slate. Nothing was off-limits. Our goal was to redefine what an ideal car booking experience could be on any device, and then work out how to make that possible.

How can we most quickly define the itinerary (dates, times, locations) of our car hire, even on mobile devices? How might we better communicate independent ratings, awards, and customer testimonials to establish trust as early as possible? How might we anticipate a customer’s preferences and help them find the right vehicle quicker? How can we alleviate concerns by injecting help FAQs contextually within the booking process? How might we leverage technology to make data entry and payment as effortless and magical as possible?

My role became the facilitator between the needs of UX, branding, and SEO. Each of these stakeholders had important and valid goals that didn’t always align. It fell on my shoulders to find clever design compromises that could satisfy the diverse needs of this high-stakes project.

The result is a deeply considered and meticulously crafted user experience that leaves nothing to chance – from the first time you land on the website to the final email you receive after your journey is complete. It’s one continuous brand experience that leaves the customer immensely satisfied at every turn, no matter what device they use.