AutoBase mobile and web apps
AutoBase reduces car purchase time by 80% (from 5-6 hours to under 1 hour) by solving a fundamental coordination problem: three parties (customer, dealer, finance manager) must verify the same information repeatedly because of the Risk Management process and KYC (Know Your Customer).
Created during FIS Global’s Innovate in 48 hackathon, the system uses blockchain-based smart contracts to create a portable, verified customer profile. Customers authenticate once, then share their verified information across any dealership without re-entering data.
Customers spend less time on paperwork, dealers process more transactions, and finance managers focus on creating options rather than verifying documentation.
We explored three approaches:
- a traditional database system (fast to build but doesn’t solve trust)
- a hybrid system (reduces some paperwork but still requires verification)
- blockchain smart contracts (higher technical complexity but eliminates redundant verification entirely). We chose blockchain because the trust problem was fundamental, not just an efficiency issue.
We considered two timing models:
- optimising the in-dealership finance process (reduces time from 5 hours to 3) versus
- moving verification before the dealership visit (reduces to under 1 hour).
Secondary user research showed customers value their time more than dealer convenience, and dealers benefit from pre-qualified customers, so we prioritised the pre-visit model despite the higher technical complexity.
User research
With a 48-hour constraint, we conducted secondary research through online user stories, consumer complaint forums, and automotive industry reports. We identified three critical pain points:
- Customers re-enter the same information at every dealership, taking 45-60 minutes per location.
- Financing approval requires 2-5 hours of waiting whilst paperwork moves between sales and finance teams.
- Opaque pricing creates distrust, with customers feeling they didn’t get the best deal even after spending an entire day.
Our research focused on younger buyers (25-35) who expect digital-first experiences. We mapped their behaviour: they research vehicles online for 2-3 weeks, visit 3-4 dealerships in person, then spend 5-6 hours at the final location completing paperwork. The inefficiency compounds across the industry: with 75 million cars sold annually worldwide, billions of hours are wasted on redundant verification.
Key user behaviour insight:
Customers don’t mind spending time choosing a car, but resent time spent on administrative processes they’ve already completed elsewhere. Finance managers echoed this, saying 60-70% of their time goes to verifying information rather than creating financing solutions.
Personas:
- Customer
- Car Dealer
- Finance Manager
Design exploration and trade-offs
With three distinct user types and a 48-hour constraint, we had to make strategic choices about where to invest our effort.
Key Trade-off 1: Build depth for one user vs. breadth across three
We chose to design all three interfaces at medium fidelity rather than one at high fidelity. This let us validate the coordination system (the core innovation) rather than polish individual screens. The judges could see the full ecosystem, which was critical for understanding the value.
Key Trade-off 2: Simple mobile app vs. feature-rich experience
We prioritised the core purchase flow (browse, select, scan QR, complete) over features like saved searches or comparisons. With limited time, we focused on proving the blockchain coordination worked rather than building every nice-to-have feature.
Key Trade-off 3: Real blockchain vs. simulated
We used Microsoft’s Smart Contract protocol (real blockchain) despite the learning curve because simulating it wouldn’t demonstrate technical feasibility to judges. This decision cost us 6-8 hours of development time but made our demo credible.
The hackathon required using blockchain, so our key challenge became making smart contracts fast enough for real-time car purchases. We tested single contract update speeds and found acceptable performance, but identified that batch processing overnight could handle high-volume dealership operations without slowing customer transactions.
We prioritised proving the core blockchain coordination over building every feature, designing all three user interfaces at medium fidelity rather than one at high fidelity. This let judges see the full ecosystem working together, which was critical for demonstrating the value proposition.
Wireframes and information
architecture
With three distinct user types identified (Customer, Car Dealer, and Finance Manager), we designed tailored interfaces for each: a mobile app for customers and a web platform for dealers and finance managers. The workflow prioritises the finance manager’s role, after customers submit their details through the mobile app, finance managers verify information and configure 3-4 personalised finance options based on the customer’s credit profile.
Once approved, the customer’s path to purchase becomes streamlined, reducing the traditional 5-6 hour process to about 1-2 hours.
We mapped each user’s decision points and designed role-specific views. Customers see only vehicles in their budget. Finance managers see credit profiles and risk assessments. Car Dealers see deal status across all locations. Each interface prioritises what that user needs to act on, applying progressive disclosure to reduce complexity.
Design Decisions & Rationale
Decision 1: Mobile-first for customers, web for dealers
Customers research cars on mobile (evenings, weekends), but dealers need desktop power tools for managing inventory and approvals. This platform split optimised each user’s context.
Decision 2: Pre-approval before dealership visit
Traditional flow: arrive, browse, negotiate, wait for finance. Our flow: browse remotely, get pre-approved, arrive knowing your options. This inverts the model but requires customers to trust the system before seeing cars physically. We mitigated this by showing real inventory with photos and letting customers reserve (not commit) remotely.
Decision 3: Finance manager controls the finance menu
We gave finance managers full control over which finance options appear to customers. This preserves dealership profit margins and addresses the Car Dealer’s concern about ‘giving away’ negotiating power. Customers gain transparency, dealers retain control over offerings.
Prototyping and user testing
We created clickable prototypes to validate our user journeys internally and stress-test key interactions. Our testing revealed a critical insight: customers resist traditional sales pressure and variable pricing because they feel disadvantaged in the negotiation.
This led us to explore how blockchain-verified information and transparent, pre-configured finance options could level the playing field—empowering customers with clarity whilst preserving the dealer’s profit margins and the salesperson’s role in the transaction.
Challenges & how we solved them
Challenge 1: Interface complexity across user types
We designed progressively complex interfaces matching each user’s needs and data literacy. Customers get simple mobile browsing, car dealers see moderate deal-tracking dashboards, and finance managers access detailed credit and risk data. Each interface shows only what that role needs to make decisions.
Challenge 2: Explaining blockchain value
Technical judges understood the innovation immediately, but less technical judges either questioned or did not understand the approach. We learned that leading with the customer benefit (portable, verified information across dealerships) rather than the technology (smart contracts, blockchain) would have made the value clearer to them.
Challenge 3: Mobile vs. web for customers
We enabled both: web for leisurely browsing and research, mobile for the actual purchase using QR code scanning at the dealership. The QR code provides an obvious, physical trigger moment that bridges digital shopping with in-person pickup.
Optimising the finance signup process is key
The traditional dealership experience requires customers to browse, test drive, negotiate, then spend hours, sometimes extending beyond a single day, waiting for financing approval and paperwork.
Our research showed the financing verification alone consumes up to 5 hours from initial application to credit risk assessment.
The design challenge became: How might we enable finance managers to verify customers and generate personalised finance options before they arrive at the dealership, eliminating the waiting time entirely?
Deals management
Car Dealers drive dealership revenue by supporting their sales teams, but coordinating between salespeople and finance managers creates bottlenecks that slow deal closures.
AutoBase addresses this by providing real-time visibility across all deals at all dealership locations. Car Dealers can quickly identify where transactions are stalling, whether awaiting finance approval, missing documentation, or customer questions, and intervene to resolve friction.
The result: more deals closed faster, with full transparency replacing the traditional back-and-forth communication delays.
Impact and results
Our 4th place finish worldwide validated the concept, but the real innovation lies in the blockchain-based smart contract system. Each customer’s verified information and credit assessment lives in a secure, portable contract they can take to any dealership.
This fundamentally changes the car-buying dynamic: dealerships can immediately show customers vehicles within their budget, pricing becomes transparent, and deals close faster because verification is already complete.
The customer shops with confidence, and dealers focus on service rather than paperwork.
Lessons learned
Looking back, our biggest miss was explaining why blockchain mattered. We focused on the technical implementation rather than the customer benefit.
Judges questioned where contracts would be stored and whether they’d be secure, which showed we hadn’t made the value clear.
If I could present this again, I’d lead with the problem blockchain solves: customers currently re-enter the same information at every dealership, and each dealer re-verifies everything because they don’t trust the previous dealer’s assessment.
Blockchain creates a portable, verified record that travels with the customer, eliminating redundant data entry for customers and redundant verification for dealers. It’s not about the technology, it’s about transferring trusted data seamlessly between parties who don’t traditionally trust each other.
