The audit examined the complete digital experience across desktop and mobile, covering the initial stages of vehicle research, the car configuration, and post-purchase support.
The project brought together evidence from website analytics, direct visitor feedback, expert UX reviews, and observed user behavior. By comparing these sources across three markets, TeaCup Lab identified and prioritized strategic recommendations, recurring usability issues, and user needs linked to specific journeys, devices, and user groups.
The study was organized in two phases, beginning with a broad analysis of the existing website experience before moving into moderated usability testing.
During the first phase, TeaCup Lab reviewed quantitative analytics to understand traffic distribution, page views, and the main points at which visitors left the site. True-intent intercept surveys were also used to capture people’s goals as they visited the website, whether they were able to achieve those goals, and what difficulties they encountered.
This evidence was complemented by expert UX reviews of several scenario-based journeys. These reflected the needs of people beginning to research a vehicle, buyers who had already narrowed down their options, and existing owners looking for after-sales information.
The second phase consisted of moderated usability sessions conducted remotely and in laboratory settings. Participants completed key tasks related to exploring vehicle models, comparing specifications, configuring a car, reviewing prices, and finding service or ownership information. Sessions were carried out on both desktop and smartphone interfaces.
The research involved prospective car buyers and existing vehicle owners in Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Prospective buyers included people actively researching a new car or planning a purchase in the near future across different budget ranges. Existing owners were recruited to explore post-purchase journeys, including access to vehicle documentation, maintenance information, accessories, and support.
Including both audiences enabled examination of how expectations changed before and after purchase, while the desktop-mobile split revealed how device-specific layouts affected the same journeys.
Our research explored how users navigate the site to search for vehicle models and evaluated their expectations for moving seamlessly across pricing, specifications, promotions, and the configuration process.
We assessed the decision-making journey, specifically looking at how participants compared model variants, equipment levels, and technical specs to understand the available options and pricing tiers.
Additionally, we analyzed the cross-device usability of the car customizer. We observed how varying interface layouts on desktop and mobile influenced a user’s ability to complete configuration steps, review their selections, and interpret the final pricing summary.
Finally, the audit investigated the differing priorities of existing vehicle owners versus prospective buyers. We examined how easily current owners could locate practical, post-purchase information, such as documentation, maintenance services, and accessories, compared to users focused on product discovery.
The findings from the quantitative and qualitative research were combined into a final cross-market UX audit. This synthesis helped SEAT distinguish local issues from broader patterns and identify opportunities to improve model exploration, specification clarity, vehicle configuration, and post-purchase support across its European websites.
