Previously, agents relied on printed forms and phone calls to coordinate tasks. There was no visibility into vehicle readiness, no proof of work for damage or cleanliness issues, and no structured communication between teams within the station.
We solved that providing these features:
I served as the Lead Product Designer for OSCAR, owning the end-to-end design process from initial research through to rollout across 20+ countries.
My role required close collaboration not only with the core product squad, but also with local market stakeholders, country managers, and station staff to ensure the tool met real-world needs across a highly diverse operational network.
On site immersion
Mapping the journey
Findings
Opportunities
Once we had a clear view of the current-state workflows and pain points, the next step was to translate insights into action. To do this, we used the Opportunity Tree methodology—a structured way to move from observed problems to potential solutions without jumping to features too soon.
The result was a visual model that guided both product and design decisions, kept discussions user-focused, and made it easier to explain trade-offs to stakeholders. The Opportunity Tree ensured that every design decision was rooted in a validated need, not an assumption or stakeholder request.
Alignment
Operating across 20+ countries and multiple brands, Europcar’s station network was anything but uniform. Each market had its own way of handling core workflows like vehicle return, preparation, and delivery. Roles, terminology, and even the definition of task completion varied from one location to another. While headquarters pushed for visibility, standardization, and efficiency, local teams prioritized autonomy, speed, and adapting to on-the-ground realities. These disconnects created tension—not just in process, but in language, expectations, and metrics. Aligning on a shared understanding of the problem space was just as important as aligning on the solution.
To bridge these gaps, we facilitated continuous alignment between business stakeholders, country managers, and frontline users. We ran co-creation sessions with local teams, mapped workflows across markets, and used visual tools like service blueprints and flowcharts to ground conversations in shared understanding. At the same time, we worked closely with operations and product leadership to connect field insights to business KPIs. This helped us prioritize features that balanced standardization with flexibility—building a tool that respected local differences without fragmenting the product. Alignment wasn’t a phase—it was a parallel track that ran throughout the entire design and delivery process.
Testing
Designing OSCAR meant solving not just for users, but for a highly decentralized organization operating across 20+ countries, multiple brands, and countless local variations. To ensure the product could scale, we worked continuously to align with both central business goals and local operational realities.
This ongoing alignment helped reduce resistance, build buy-in, and ensure that OSCAR could serve as a single operational layer—even in a landscape of fragmented practices.
Refining
Designing OSCAR didn’t stop at launching wireframes—it was a continuous process of refining, validating, and evolving the product in close collaboration with real users. Every workflow had to perform under real-world pressure: noise, weather, time constraints, and unpredictable edge cases.
This refinement phase helped ensure that OSCAR wasn’t just “usable” but trusted and relied upon—not because it was perfect, but because it kept improving in response to how people actually worked.
One app to rule them all
SCAR
Main modules
key features
Vehicle identification
A vehicle identification screen provides two options: manually entering the license plate number or the unique VIN/VUN code. Users can further utilize an integrated OCR camera to automatically capture the license plate, saving time and minimizing errors compared to manual input. This design offers flexibility and efficiency in identifying vehicles.
Rental Agreement info
Overview of the rental agreement within the app. This includes details like rental dates, vehicle information, and contact details. This allows to easily track the rental and see if the return has been done on time.
Standardized damage assessment
Facilitate consistent and efficient damage assessment through standardized protocols and digital recording within the service.
Fuel level, mileage and cleanliness tracking
Integrate automated fuel level and mileage recording capabilities, ensuring accurate data capture and eliminating manual processes.
Summary
Upon returning the rental, the client will be presented with a summary of the completed rental agreement, including key details added such as damage assessments. They can then review the information, ask any questions, and sign to finalize the closure.
After launching OSCAR across 1,000+ Europcar stations in over 20 countries, the platform quickly became the operational backbone for vehicle management. The rollout not only achieved its measurable business goals, but also transformed the daily work of thousands of employees.
Savings
Users
Stations
Designing for reliability and clarity was more valuable than adding features—agents embraced the tool because it reduced friction, not because it was “smart.”
Offline support and real-time status became core, trust-builders. Users need to feel the system won't fall them under pressure.
Field research was non-negotiable—many of the real constraints (sunlight, gloves, no Wi-Fi, team dynamics) only became clear on-site, not in workshops or remote interviews.
Cross-functional collaboration with country managers, agents, backend teams, and operations stakeholders created strong alignment and smooth rollout despite cultural and operational differences.
Designing with station staff, not for them made a huge difference. Co-creation early on turned skeptical users into champions.
The mobile-first, visual, and icon-led interface supported quick adoption across agents with different digital skill levels and language backgrounds.
More structured ethnographic research would have helped uncover subtle behaviors like handoff rituals or informal hacks that influenced design success.
Testing environments varied wildly—having better access to real devices and offline simulation environments would have made QA and field testing more consistent.
This project deepened my skills in service design thinking, where flows didn’t end at the screen—they started with people, places, and physical realities.
I grew more confident facilitating multi-country alignment, adapting design strategy across markets without compromising usability.
Working solo on design forced me to build resilient, reusable systems—a foundation I now use in every project involving scale and ambiguity.
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