Arval (a BNP Paribas Group company) is a global leader in full-service vehicle leasing and sustainable mobility solutions. Operating in nearly 30 countries, they specialize in helping both corporate clients and private individuals manage their mobility through innovative digital platforms.

The Arval E-commerce Master project was a strategic initiative to unify and modernize the online car leasing experience across multiple international markets. The goal was to evolve from a limited, pre-configured selection model to a versatile platform that supports both quick selections and fully customizable vehicle configurations.

The project began with a deep dive into Arval’s existing digital landscape. With nearly every country using different implementations and inconsistent interfaces, the user experience was highly fragmented. To move from a "warehouse" model to a "storefront" model that guides and inspires, I initiated a collaborative research phase to align global needs with a unified vision.

To ensure the new platform would work for every market, I organized a series of international workshops. We brought together local teams to map out their unique requirements and pain points. To make these sessions tangible, I developed baseline wireframes that served as a canvas for ideation. Using interactive breakout sessions, we explored technology requirements while simultaneously asking: "If we could design the ideal e-commerce platform for your users, what would it look like?"

User testing revealed that the human need was simple: clarity. We discovered that users felt overwhelmed by the lack of a dedicated product page and the inability to compare different offer types, such as new, stock, and used cars. It’s cool to be able to fully customize your car, but only a small percentage of users is interested in that. These insights shifted our focus toward building a Human-Centered Product Page. A place where users can explore details about the car and compare features before committing to a lease, acknowledging that a car is a significant life decision, not a simple impulse buy.

A key outcome of this research was the shift toward a component-based design. Instead of rigid, page-based layouts, the local markets expressed a strong need for a flexible, widget-based approach. This allows each country to tailor the "storefront" to local preferences while maintaining a consistent global identity. As mentioned before, user needs for leasing cars differ for every country. This strategic foundation ensures the platform is not just a list of vehicles, but a smart, recommendation-driven experience that helps users make confident choices.

From a design perspective, this project presented unique challenges as existing interfaces across different countries had varying looks and feels. While a design system existed, it was outdated and rarely used in practice, while a new system was still in development. To bridge this gap, I based the UI design for the E-commerce Master on the latest design direction, ensuring the platform remained consistent, modern, and aligned with Arval's future visual identity.

Following the design phase, I conducted usability testing to validate our choices with real users. We utilized a customer event as a "Test Lab," providing a hands-on opportunity to connect with users in person as they explored new leases or contracts. To ensure a focused experience, I created a white-label version of the interface tailored to Justlease, allowing us to test the flexibility of our component libraries without brand confusion.