Battle applications: am.ru, auto.ru, drom.ru



    The car has become an integral part of our lives. For some it’s a means of transportation, for someone it’s a means of self-expression. Sooner or later, each of us thought about buying it. There are 3 leaders on the Russian market that help solve the problem of finding and “buying” a car. I want to compare them with each other and answer the question: which of the Android applications better solves this problem.

    In each of the tested scenarios I will identify the winner and depending on the place I will earn points (1 place - 2 points, 2 place - 1 point, 3 place - 0 points). In the end, by summing up the points received I will determine the winner.

    User Activation


    The first acquaintance is the most important scenario, which is worth considering with great care. It is necessary to make it as simple and clear as possible, because if at this step the user is confused and / or he was unable to solve his problem at least partially, then he will no longer use your application.

    We put ourselves in the place of the user and formulate the problem that he wants to solve by going into the application for the first time. Let's say I want to see what are the offers on the secondary market for the Mercedes-Benz C-class. Let's see what needs to be done to satisfy this request.

    Application am.ru




    In 8 steps I got the desired result. I didn’t stumble anywhere and did not think, everything was very simple and clear.

    Auto.ru application




    At the first start, I got a bunch of unnecessary information, flipped through the stamps in search of the right one, but did not find it, after that I went to the filter selection page (screen No. 2), where in the third step I again had to scroll through the stamps. In my opinion, this scenario can be simplified.

    Extra steps arose when I chose the region. If I am in Moscow, then I don’t need to choose a region, it is installed by default. But if I am, for example, in Chelyabinsk, then I click in the “Region” field (screen No. 7), after which I am invited to allow the application to receive the location (screen No. 8). However, I expect that my region will be determined and selected automatically, but this does not happen. I need to take an additional step: click on the "Define" icon in the upper right corner (screen No. 9), only after that my region will be selected. The guys from drom.ru solve this problem in 1 step instead of 3.

    Selecting the remaining filters did not cause any problems.

    Application drom.ru




    I think that the authorization screen is superfluous. Yes, you can skip it, but why then show it if the vast majority of new users skip it? It’s better to build in the authorization deeper and it’s clear to explain to the user why it is needed.

    I liked that, giving permission to determine the location, I automatically select my region. This is convenient, because if I'm not from Moscow or St. Petersburg (they are at the top of the list), then I will have to search my city in a long list or use the search, which is much longer.

    It’s convenient when, after choosing a model, a screen with brand selection immediately opens - this allows you to increase the speed of selection. But he faltered when it was necessary to click the checkmark in ActionBar (screen No. 5) after selecting the model, and then click the checkmark (screen No. 6) again to confirm the selection of all parameters. This is normal behavior when you can choose several brands and models at once, but for the first acquaintance with the application this is complex logic.

    Results of the 1st scenario


    1st place - am.ru. Yes, he had more steps than drom.ru, but everything was very simple and clear.
    2nd place - drom.ru. Extra authorization screen, multiple choice of brands is more difficult for a first acquaintance than a phased one like am.ru.
    3rd place - auto.ru. A lot of steps, and not everything works correctly.

    Advanced use


    The first step behind, the user satisfied his requests, his efforts were rewarded. Search results before his eyes, he looks through old / new models, expensive / cheap offers. In the process of choosing a machine, we begin to refine various parameters, and begin to use the application to the maximum.

    Suppose I specified my desire as follows: I want to find a used Mercedes-Benz C-class in the latest new body, worth between 1,500,000 and 1,700,000 p.

    Application am.ru




    Again, everything is simple and clear. Convenient Generation filter. For our scenario, it is more suitable than the “Year of issue” filter, because if you use the “Year of issue”, then the old models will also get into the results, but we are not interested in them.

    Auto.ru application




    A cool Generation filter, it’s even more convenient and visual than am.ru, because I choose a generation by design, and not by abbreviation, which I may not know.

    Application drom.ru




    It is very nice when you open the application and immediately see the results of the last search - this is more interesting and useful to the user than showing a page with filters. If you put several brands in one filter at once, then from the main page you can immediately get all the offers that I'm interested in. The rest do not have such a chip, and to track several brands you need to use different searches. By the way, due to such functionality, this application does not and cannot have a Generation filter.

    It is very convenient that the “Year of issue” and “Price” can be specified directly on the search results page, without going to the page of all filters.

    There is no filter “Used” or “Used”, and I did not immediately realize that you can set the mileage in order to get the desired result.

    Results of the 2nd scenario


    I could not choose the best solution, each has its own advantages. At am.ru, the filter settings are very convenient and understandable for the user; at auto.ru, the excellent Generation filter is implemented; at drom.ru, the start page immediately displays the search results and the ability to quickly configure the main filters. No one gets points. Draw.

    View offers


    Let's see how applications cope with the script for viewing offers.

    Application am.ru




    Everything was done very coolly, informatively and usefully, the only remark is when leafing through pictures (screen No. 4), I sometimes switch to another proposal (screen No. 5), because the same gesture is used. Is it really so useful to swap swap sentences? Maybe users often make mistakes with this gesture, and statistics show that they are actively using it?

    Auto.ru application




    Scrolling down the current offer, I see spare parts and car services (screen number 4). But why do they need me if I have not bought a car yet?

    I'm not sure that to view the location (screen number 5), you need to transfer the user to another application. It seems to me that it’s more convenient to show the place on the map right away, and not transfer it to other applications.

    The “Add note” field is located at the very bottom of the list so far that I did not notice it for a long time and at first thought that there was no such function. I believe that this is an important and useful function, which should be located higher.

    Application drom.ru




    Very embarrassed "Paid functions" (screen number 4). Why are they there? Colleagues, do you offer me to raise an ad I like for money so that someone else can buy it faster?

    Results of the 3rd scenario


    1st place - am.ru. A lot of cool and useful features.
    2nd place - drom.ru. Cool photo preview and handy notes.
    3rd place - auto.ru.

    Saving Favorite Suggestions / Filters


    Choosing a car is not a quick process. Let's see how applications cope with the task of saving offers / filters for further tracking.

    Application am.ru




    In order to subscribe to receive new offers, I must leave my email (screen number 2), which is very inconvenient. Using the application, I want to receive push notifications. Even if I already entered email in one filter, then saving another - the application again asks to specify email. What for?

    It is convenient to add your favorite offers to your favorites right on the search results screen without going into the offer itself (screen number 6).

    Auto.ru application




    What you need. Everything is done very simply and clearly!

    Application drom.ru




    After subscribing to new offers, it throws me to another “Subscriptions” screen (screen No. 2). I don’t understand why to do this, it’s illogical. By clicking on a subscription, I want to save it, and not go somewhere else. By the way, in order to return back to the search results, I need to take three additional steps (screen 3-5).

    Scenario 4


    1st place - auto.ru. Everything is simple and clear.
    2nd place - drom.ru. Inconvenient saving of subscriptions.
    3rd place - am.ru. I want to receive push notifications, not emails.

    Notifications of new offers




    Application am.ru


    There are no push notifications. 21st century, and we receive them by mail.

    Auto.ru application


    There are notifications, but it is not clear what characteristics the new offer has (screen No. 2).

    Application drom.ru


    Cool and clear notifications. Upon receiving such a notification, I am already reading a lot of useful information, on the basis of which I can already decide whether to spend time on it in more detail or not. If these notifications are still slightly finalized by setting the photo of the car (screen number 4), it will be even better.

    The only application that sends a notification about a change in the offer price (screen No. 3), which I added to my favorites. It's also very useful to find out that the car you like has become cheaper. I do not understand why others have not yet implemented this.

    Results of the 5th scenario


    1st place - drom.ru. Cool notifications.
    2nd place - auto.ru. There are notifications.
    3rd place - am.ru. No notifications.

    Communication with the seller


    It is clear that each of the applications allows you to contact the seller by phone, but now phone calls are extremely rare, and users prefer to write messages via telegram or other instant messengers. Let's see how our candidates deal with this.

    Application am.ru




    Again, everything is done very conveniently and clearly. It is a pity that there is no sending pictures in the chat.

    Auto.ru application




    It is possible to send pictures - this is convenient. You can ask to send an additional photo of the car, parts, etc.

    Screen number 2 and screen number 3 can be combined so that there are less steps.

    Application drom.ru




    To send a message / return to correspondence, it takes a lot of steps. And it’s also not clear why you need to enter the phone if I’ve already logged in to the application.

    Why does authorization via Facebook (screen No. 4) not work as well as it works with competitors? If I am already logged in to Facebook on the phone, then do not ask me to re-enter the login and password. You need to ask this data from Facebook so that I can log in in one click.

    Results of the 6th scenario


    1st place - am.ru. Minimum steps to write to the seller.
    2nd place - auto.ru. Conveniently, it is possible to send photos.
    3rd place - drom.ru. Using messages is inconvenient.

    Help in checking and buying a selected car


    And finally, you found a dream car and it seems that you just have to buy it, but the most difficult scenario remains. We are always told that all the cars on the market are “not beaten and not painted”, but I would like to hear the answer to this question from a third “disinterested” party who is competent in this.

    Application am.ru




    You can read the purchase tips and send the contract by mail.

    Auto.ru application




    Any seller or buyer can check the car in their service and get a detailed and useful report (see screenshots). You can sign up for such a check here . It is very strange that this is not indicated much in the application itself and there is no link in each sentence. The service is very cool. If all sellers passed such a test, the probability of buying a car that does not meet the declared specifications would be very low.

    Application drom.ru




    The application gives a minimum of information from the traffic police. There is an opportunity to apply for a loan, but I did not use this function and I can not say anything about its work.

    Results of the 7th scenario


    1st place - auto.ru.
    2nd place - am.ru.
    3rd place - drom.ru.

    Completeness of the database of offers


    This question is important, but I will not consider it, since I do not have such data. If auto.ru is the leader in Moscow and the Moscow Region, then for Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, or some other city, the question remains open.

    Summarizing


    1st place and 7 points - am.ru. In my opinion, this is a well-deserved victory. The application is a little more thoughtful and convenient than the rest. Weakness - notifications.
    2nd place and 6 points - auto.ru. An application has some very strong points, but steps need to be shortened and usage scenarios simplified.
    3rd place and 5 points - drom.ru. He does not lag behind competitors and is more than confident that he can catch up and overtake.

    From the results it is clear that all applications are about the same level, which indicates healthy competition. I really liked that all of them are developed according to android material desing guidelines . Well, when standard controls are used, and they are located in standard places - this allows the user to quickly understand the application.

    Conclusion


    Each of the applicants solves the problem of finding a car, but the problem of buying is not all and not completely. Imagine such an application with the help of which you not only chose the right car, but also were able to carry out a check similar to auto.ru, consult on legal issues of purchase and sale, prepare and print a contract, as well as book a negotiation room and conduct a purchase transaction. I am willing to pay for such a service. And you?

    I really hope that this article will help teams make applications even better. Thanks for attention.

    PS Perhaps not everyone will agree with my conclusions and assessments. There is a poll below, please vote for who you think should win.

    Only registered users can participate in the survey. Please come in.

    What places did the participants take in your opinion?

    • 16.2% 1 - am.ru, 2 - auto.ru, 3 - drom.ru 6
    • 2.7% 1 - am.ru, 2 - drom.ru, 3 - auto.ru 1
    • 21.6% 1 - auto.ru, 2 - am.ru, 3 - drom.ru 8
    • 10.8% 1 - auto.ru, 2 - drom.ru, 3 - am.ru 4
    • 27% 1 - drom.ru, 2 - am.ru, 3 - auto.ru 10
    • 21.6% 1 - drom.ru, 2 - auto.ru, 3 - am.ru 8

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