Categories: Consulting, Product Strategy, Market and user research, User Journey Mapping, Service Mapping, Prototyping.

Background
Equifax engaged my consultancy, TheoremOne, to evaluate product-market-fit for a services product for the auto industry aiming to address fraud and identity theft in dealership financing. 

The Challenge
While Equifax believed their consumer employment data could add value, they lacked clarity on how to package the product and where to position it in the dealership sales process. Compounding this challenge, Equifax had no direct access to auto dealerships, relying on third-party Dealer Management Systems (a CRM for the auto industry) software providers to distribute their product.

Solution and Impact
As Product Strategy Lead, I engaged dealerships and partners to validate the product’s value proposition through user research. I designed and tested prototypes with each constituency, interviewing several potential user personas for the product and returned to Equifax with actionable insights with the goal of informing a go or no-go investment decision for Equifax’s executives.

Developed the Statement of Work, project plan, and guided the client through the Discovery process. Defined methodologies and deliverables, including Strategy Maps, Value Proposition Canvases, and User Journey Maps, to inform stakeholder decisions.

Conducted guerrilla research to recruit participating dealerships, Dealer Management System partners, and other industry subject matter experts.

Led 16 contextual, on-site interviews across five states, shadowing key dealership roles to understand their workflows, challenges, and interactions with their business software and customers.

Synthesized findings into patterns, themes, and opportunities, delivering recommendations on product enhancements, value propositions, and low-fidelity Dealer Management System prototypes.

Validated these prototypes through follow-up user interviews, ensuring alignment with dealer, partner, and consumer needs

Equifax’s executive stakeholders were thrilled with the outcomes. Our insights and vision helped them secure internal funding to proceed with product development and marketing, advancing their product’s market readiness.