Ladipo - Simplifying Car Care
Ladipo helps car owners in Nigeria get expert guidance, find trusted mechanics, and buy genuine spare parts, all from their phone.
ROLE/TEAM
Lead Product Designer, worked with 1 other designer.
TIMELINE
6 months
Year: July 2023
TOOLS USED
Figma, Notion, Whimsical
Overview
Ladipo is a mobile car care platform inspired by Ladipo Market, one of Nigeria's most well-known auto spare parts hubs. The client wanted to bring that same access to experts, mechanics, and parts into a trusted digital experience for everyday car owners.
The goal
I co-led the design alongside one other product designer, taking the lead on persona development, journey mapping, idea prioritization, user flows, wireframing, and the majority of high-fidelity design.
My focus was making a complex, multi-sided ecosystem feel simple and trustworthy for the car owner.
The problem
Car owners need help fast when something goes wrong, but reliable experts are not always within reach. Without the right support, they are left guessing about the fault, the advice they receive, and whether the parts they are sold are genuine.
Gettings started
After reviewing the brief, I created a persona and journey map to anchor the design in real user behaviour. From there, I mapped the main user flows and wireframed in Whimsical before moving into high-fidelity design.
Instagram’s “Saved” feature
To bring this to life, here are the key decisions that shaped the experience
Expert consultation
Users can speak to a car expert, understand their fault, and make informed decisions before taking any action.
In-app purchases
All marketplace transactions stay inside the app to protect users from fake parts and untracked agreements.
Consultation to workshop
Virtual advice connects directly to workshop discovery so users always have a clear next step after a consultation.
Flexible vehicle management
Basic car info is separated from document upload so users can manage their records without feeling forced to complete everything at once.
How do we onboard users to Ladipo?
Users can create an account, verify their phone number, and add their car details during onboarding. Car setup personalizes the entire app experience, but it can be skipped.
This was intentional. A user whose car has already broken down should not be blocked by a setup screen. They can complete their car details later from their profile, once they have dealt with the immediate problem.
The home screen
The home screen gives users quick access to their cars, nearby experts, previously consulted experts, and recent activity. A default car is selected across the app so users do not have to keep choosing the same car during consultations or marketplace searches.
How do users get help when a fault occurs?
Users can find nearby experts, check ratings and reviews, confirm the affected car, and connect via video call. Voice and chat were included alongside video to keep consultations accessible regardless of network conditions.
How do users buy genuine spare parts?
The marketplace connects users with verified vendors and lets them search for parts based on their car make, model, and year. All purchases are completed inside the app.
Once a transaction moves off the platform, Ladipo loses visibility and users lose protection. Keeping purchases in-app means:
Both sides are accountable
Users have a clear record of what they bought
Inflated prices and fake parts are harder to slip through
After purchase, users can choose to pick up their order or have it delivered.
How do users find a workshop when virtual help is not enough?
The workshop section helps users find physical mechanics when an issue cannot be resolved virtually. Users can view workshop details, read reviews, and contact them through the app.
This creates a clear path from expert advice to physical repair, so users are never left to figure out the next step on their own.
Profile and vehicle management
Users can manage their profile, cars, documents, saved experts, and preferences from one place. They can also view their service history by expert and track the status of ongoing services.
Car registration was split into basic information and optional document upload so users can manage their records without feeling forced to complete everything at once.
Designing for a multi-sided ecosystem
Ladipo is not just a consumer app. Behind the car owner experience is a network of experts, vendors, and workshops, each with their own tools to manage their side of the platform.
Experts
Manage incoming consultations, active sessions, and case records.
Vendors
Manage their store, listings, incoming orders, and sales activity.
Workshops
Manage their profile, job requests, service records, and job status.
Challenges, learnings, and next steps
The biggest challenge was trust. I came into the project thinking the hard problem was managing a multi-sided system. That turned out to have a clear structural solution. Trust was harder because it was not a feature. It showed up in every small decision: what the app asked for and when, how clearly it protected a transaction, how well it helped users understand their situation before asking them to act.
Working on Ladipo reinforced something I now carry into every service product: trust is not a section of the design. It is the design.
The next phase involves refining the expert consultation flow based on early user feedback and expanding the platform to support more cities across Nigeria.
