FordPass — Global App Redesign

June 2018 - 2019

ROLE

TEAM

Ogilvy, GTB, VML, Ford Motor Company

TOOLS

Sketch, Invision, Marvel, Keynote, Zeplin, Abstract, Lookback

From 2018 to 2019, I worked with VML, Ogilvy, and GTB to redesign and launch a modernised version of FordPass — Ford Motor Company’s global companion app.

The goal was simple, but high stakes: customers were becoming used to controlling everything from their phones (home security, heating, banking) and they expected the same convenience from their vehicle. Ford needed an app that felt fast, intuitive, and genuinely useful, not an afterthought.

I led the design cycle end-to-end — from early discovery through to global launch — helping transform an underperforming app into a product that better matched modern user expectations, particularly for European markets.

My Role

Even though I was early in my product design career at the time, I owned large parts of the work:

Led UX across discovery, definition, prototyping, testing, and iteration
Created wireframes and prototypes from scratch, including core UI patterns
Ran user research and competitor analysis to shape requirements and prioritisation
Built personas, user flows, journey maps, and app maps to align teams
Partnered closely with agency UI designers and Ford stakeholders
Delivered working prototypes for regular stakeholder reviews, including senior leadership

The Challenge

Ford was actively repositioning itself as a mobility company — not just a manufacturer — and mobile apps were quickly becoming table stakes in the automotive industry.

Competitors already had apps in market, and FordPass needed to:

Meet rising expectations for remote control and real-time information
Feel coherent and premium across iOS and Android
Work globally across different markets, cultures, and regulations
Earn engagement and satisfaction (the true measure of success)

The project also had high visibility: senior stakeholders, including then-CEO Jim Hackett, requested regular prototypes to review direction and progress.

Constraints

Designs needed to work globally, which meant accounting for regional norms and regulations
Research access and participant availability were limited, so we worked in tight agile sprints and made the most of each testing window
Collaboration spanned multiple agencies and disciplines, requiring clear communication and fast alignment

How I Worked

I used a Double Diamond approach, keeping the work grounded in evidence and iterating quickly.

Competitive research (beyond automotive)

I studied not only OEM apps, but also best-in-class consumer products (e.g. Apple Health, Strava) to understand:

what “great” mobile UX looks like
patterns users already trust
how other apps drive engagement without adding friction

Personas, synthesis, and design studios

I created key personas and used interviews to uncover what users really considered “essential.” We then synthesised findings using affinity mapping and ran design studio sessions (“How Might We…”) to generate and critique solutions collaboratively.

Prototyping + usability testing

I moved from hand sketches into mid-fidelity prototypes using Sketch + InVision, and ran usability testing using tools like Lookback so stakeholders could observe behaviour directly.

Example: Learning from research (and changing direction)

One early concept explored gamifying driving behaviour through a “Journey History” feature — inspired by products like Duolingo and fitness tracking systems. It tested well initially, but deeper exploration uncovered fairness and feasibility challenges, and some markets reacted negatively to competitive scoring.

So I adapted the approach:

removed the competitive angle
shifted toward personal progress and practicality
focused on features like Fuel Report, which helped users understand consumption trends month-to-month and offered tips to improve efficiency

That feature tested strongly, with a customer satisfaction score of 9.2/10.

Iteration and measurable improvements

Because FordPass was a live product, iteration mattered. I used testing feedback to improve hierarchy and clarity — and we saw usability scores shift rapidly, in some cases improving from 3/10 to 8–9/10 within days of design updates.

I also designed early flows for Roadside Assistance, building a realistic end-to-end journey that accounted for business constraints and user preferences. Testing showed many users still wanted to call first, so we designed a hybrid approach using SMS “magic links” to bridge from phone support into in-app tracking.

A key example: killing the wrong idea early.

One business-led concept — Milestones (distance-based trivia like “you’ve driven the circumference of the moon”) — tested poorly, scoring around 4.2/10. Users saw FordPass as a practical tool, not a novelty experience, and the feature felt like noise.

I presented the findings back to stakeholders and recommended removing it. That decision helped keep the product focused and reduced the risk of cluttering the app with features that didn’t earn their place.

Outcome

VML, Ogilvy and GTB partnered closely with Ford’s UK development team and I to support implementation, using tools like Zeplin and interactive prototypes to reduce ambiguity and speed up build.

FordPass launched globally on iOS and Android, and we continued to learn from App Store feedback and follow-up testing to guide updates — keeping the product moving forward as user expectations evolved.

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"With FordPass Connect™ enabled vehicles, you can control your Ford remotely — start and stop, lock and unlock. Plus plenty of other features to help you get from A to B, better."

— FORD MOTOR COMPANY, GLOBAL