The Triple Diamond Framework

1. Research the problem—What is the context? What are the issues?
2. Structure the problem space—Where in the system do the issues exist?
3. Design solutions—What content changes do we need to resolve the issue?

The Triple Diamond Framework

The Triple Diamond Framework focuses on structuring a complex problem space before designing a solution.

Research the problem

I interviewed UpdatePromise’s CEO and COO and Sunbit’s Head of Product to gain a deep understanding of the project’s scope and defined the problem that the UpdatePromise and Sunbit aimed to solve through the integration. Through these conversations, I uncovered answers to the following questions:

• What is the current auto service financing process at dealerships using both UpdatePromise and Sunbit?
• Who are the primary users that are involved in the auto service financing experience?
• What are UpdatePromise and Sunbit’s responsibilities for this integration? Which team owns specific APIs, and how will data flow between platforms?
• Are there any legal requirements or constraints? Who is responsible for customer communication, legal compliance, and regulatory considerations?

Service blueprint – FINANCING AUTO SERVICES

This service blueprint illustrates the interactions between the customer and service advisor at various touchpoints throughout the auto service appointment.

Discover and define the problem

After understanding the user types and on-the-ground context, I developed a product experience map, workflow diagram, and concept deck. These artifacts ensured a shared understanding of how financing would be introduced, managed, and communicated throughout the auto service appointment.

Product experience map

• Provided a high-level view of where financing would be integrated within UpdatePromise’s platforms.
• Identified when customers would engage with financing opportunities.
• Illustrated the financing application journey and when customers would receive communication

UPDATEPROMISE PRODUCT EXPERIENCE MAP

This product experience map shows where financing opportunities should surface on UpdatePromise’s platforms.

Workflow diagram

• Outlined the key responsibilities of UpdatePromise and Sunbit at each stage of the auto service financing experience.
• Clarified how data flowed between each platform during the customer’s finance application process.

FINANCING WORKFLOW DIAGRAM

This workflow diagram shows the full auto service financing experience and where data flows between UpdatePromise and Sunbit.

Concept deck

• PowerPoint deck with rough screen mockups and content samples to help facilitate early stakeholder alignment.
• Presented to the CEO and COO of UpdatePromise and the Head of Product at Sunbit.
• Strengthened partner relationships by discussing technical requirements, legal constraints, and project direction before diving into details.

Concept deck slides

This is a PowerPoint slide from a presentation that conceptually shows how financing opportunities might display in four of UpdatePromise’s dealership-facing solutions.

Business drivers and pain points

I uncovered the following business drivers during my creation of research artifacts:

Encourage customers to pre-qualify early

• Increases the likelihood that customers will approve additional services during their appointment.
• Speeds up the finance application process, reducing delays at checkout.
• Makes customers more likely to use financing as their payment method, boosting adoption rates.

Surface content at critical decision points

• Customers are more likely to opt for financing when faced with unexpected repair costs, high service totals, or bundled service opportunities.
• Reinforces the service advisor's upsell narrative, helping customers see financing as a practical solution.
  • Example: “Your tire tread is pretty low, which can affect safety in rainy weather. You can replace them today for as low as $[XX] per month with financing over 12 months. Should we take care of that now?”
• Provides clear and accurate financing status updates, preventing confusion and maintaining customer trust.

Structure the problem

I utilized Object-Oriented UX (OOUX) strategy to create an object map which laid out the problem space’s objects, relationships, and attributes. The object map provided immediate insight into where content would be impacted in UpdatePromise’s platforms, ensuring alignment with the user’s mental model of the product.

FINANCING OBJECT MAP

This object map displays the customer financing system in UpdatePromise’s platforms.

As a result, I identified all the areas where estimated monthly payments should be presented across dealer-facing and customer-facing platforms.

Object map results

This image shows which objects, capabilities, and attributes in UpdatePromise’s system will be impacted by the integration with Sunbit.

Design the solution

I developed content for 4 dealership-facing and 2 customer-facing UpdatePromise products.

I produced a terminology guide, flowcharts, and content for screen mockups across 6 different UpdatePromise products. These deliverables were included in design documentation shared with UpdatePromise’s team of 12 software developers.

Terminology guide

• Standardized language across UpdatePromise and Sunbit, improving collaboration between internal teams.
• Ensured that customers received clear, consistent, and legally compliant information about auto service financing across all platforms and communication channels.

TERMINOLOGY GUIDE SAMPLES

Examples from a terminology guide defining key financing-related terms for the UpdatePromise and Sunbit integration.

Flowcharts and screen mockups

• Flowcharts helped UpdatePromise’s team of 12 developers understand workflows and streamline implementation.
• These assets were translated into user stories for Jira tickets, keeping the team aligned and on track to meet project deadlines.
• Content in screen mockups adapted to different financing states, including pre-qualification, approval, rejection, and payment.
• Content accounted for the entire auto service appointment journey.

Auto service appointment journey

This image shows the four steps of the auto service appointment journey that are accounted for in the screen mockups.

1. Customer makes an appointment online

Customers can schedule a service appointment on their dealership’s website through UpdatePromise’s Appointment Widget.

Appointment widget workflow

This diagram shows the workflow of the online service appointment booking process and financing touchpoints.

Appointment Widget: Financing banner (customer-facing)

• Fixed to the bottom navigation bar and opens Sunbit’s iframed pre-qualification form once the customer accepts the disclaimers.
• Appears for any service total since customers often visit the dealership for unknown issues, making it difficult to determine the total cost upfront.
• Customizable and can be displayed or hidden in UpdatePromise settings.

screens from appointment widget

Screen mockups demonstrating how customers pre-qualify for financing as they are booking an appointment through their dealership’s website.

2. Service advisor offers financing during the customer’s appointment

Service Advisors on the service drive use their work tablets to review customer appointment and vehicle details through UpdatePromise’s Vehicle Check-in platform.

PRE-QUALIFICATION WORKFLOW AT APPOINTMENT

This diagram shows the workflow of the pre-qualification process when the customer arrives at the dealership for their service appointment.

FULL SCREEN FOR VEHICLE CHECK-IN

Full screen mockup of financing-related content that service advisors see as they are checking in a vehicle for a customer’s auto service appointment.

Vehicle Check-in: Service packages (dealership-facing)

• Estimated monthly payments are displayed on service packages, which are a common reason for customer visits.
• Affordable service package options can increase a customer’s lifetime value by 50% (Modera, 2021).
• Financing provides an opportunity to upgrade to the most comprehensive service package, allowing customers to maximize cost savings and take advantage of complimentary extras.

CLOSE-UP OF A SERVICE PACKAGE

Close-up of a service package displaying the estimated monthly payment with financing during UpdatePromise’s Vehicle Check-in.

Vehicle Check-in: Financing banner (dealership-facing)

• The financing content and call-to-action on a banner below the service total updates in real-time based on the customer’s financing status.
• To preserve financial privacy and prevent misleading expectations, the banner is hidden if the customer is declined from financing or the service total doesn’t meet the $60.00 minimum.

Banners on vehicle check-in

This image shows a close-up of different banners that displays on UpdatePromise’s Vehicle Check-in platform. The content changes depending on the customer’s financing status.

3a. Customer makes a mobile payment

Customers use UpdatePromise’s Glovebox app to manage auto service appointments and payments. During checkout, the app shows financing as an available payment option.

• Customers often don't decide to finance until they see the final service total on the bill.
• Late adopters can still pre-qualify for financing at checkout.
• The content and workflow adapts based on the customer's financing status.

mobile payment workflow

This diagram shows the mobile payment workflow in Glovebox, where customers can complete their transaction by selecting either financing or a credit card as their payment option.

Step 1: The customer fills out a pre-qualification form in Glovebox.

Pre-qualification Screens

The left screen shows a text message containing a link to Sunbit’s pre-qualification form. The right screen shows the form iframed in Glovebox.

Step 2: The customer gets application results in less than 2 minutes.

Approved and declined screens

The left screen shows a successful pre-qualification with an approved amount, while the right screen shows a declined application

Step 3: The customer selects financing as their payment option when it's time to pay.

Checkout screens

The left screen shows a text message notifying the customer that their vehicle is ready for pickup with a link to make a mobile payment. The middle screen shows the payment summary and a button to proceed with payment. The right screen shows the bill and the option to use  financing as a payment option.

Step 4: Sunbit contacts the customer with next steps.

Payment confirmation screen

This screen shows a confirmation message with the next steps and includes a receipt, showing financing as the selected payment option.

Late adoption: A customer who hasn’t applied for financing still has the option to do so during checkout.

Pre-Qualify at Checkout Screens

The left screen shows the Payment Information page, where customers can choose to pay with a credit card or apply for financing. Selecting "Get Pre-Qualified" sends them to Sunbit’s form (shown on the right) where they experience a flow that includes both pre-qualification and checkout.

3b. Customer pays at the dealership

Cashiers use UpdatePromise’s Payments Portal to accept payment from customers who prefer to pay in-person at the dealership, are purchasing parts over the counter, or would like to make a split payment.

Traditionally, Sunbit provides dealerships with a tablet preloaded with its native app which customers use to apply for financing and complete checkout. Once the transaction is completed, the cashier marks it as paid in the Dealership Management System (DMS), and Sunbit processes the funding.

Sunbit requested that this existing flow remain unchanged but was open to offering checkout through the UpdatePromise's Glovebox app as a secondary, catch-all solution.

In-dealership checkout workflow

This diagram shows the dealership checkout process with financing. If the customer is present, they use the Sunbit tablet to complete the transaction. If the tablet is unavailable, the cashier sends a Glovebox payment link for mobile checkout.

Step 1: Cashier selects “Financing” as the payment method.

full screen For payments portal

This screen shows the Payment Portal in UpdatePromise. A cashier is selecting “Financing” as the payment option on an invoice, which opens the side panel to the right.

Step 2: Customer completes the checkout with financing

Checkout with Sunbit Tablet (preferred): The customer uses the Sunbit’s Tablet at the counter to complete checkout with financing, then the cashier manually enters the financed amount.

SIDE PANEL: CHECKOUT WITH SUNBIT TABLET

The left image shows the cashier entering a Financed Amount in the side panel, then selecting “Mark as Paid” to record the transaction. The right image shows a confirmation message, next steps, and remaining balance.

Checkout with Glovebox: The cashier sends a payment link to the customer to complete checkout with financing in Glovebox. Once the transaction is completed, the cashier receives a confirmation notification.

SIDE PANEL: SEND FINANCE LINK

In the left image, the cashier selects the “Send Finance Link” button, which opens the Terms and Conditions dialog in the middle image. The cashier selects “Yes,” which sends a text or email message to the customer with an invitation to pay in Glovebox (right image).

PAYMENT NOTIFICATION

A notification alert on the Payments Portal confirming that the customer has successfully completed checkout with financing in Glovebox.

Step 3: Financed transactions are reflected on the Payments page.

FULL SCREEN FOR PAYMENTS: TRANSACTION COMPLETED

This screen displays the Payments Portal in UpdatePromise. The last transaction line indicates a payment was made with financing.

4. Accounting reconciles the financed transaction

Accountants can export a reconciliation report from UpdatePromise. With Sunbit integrated, the report includes details on financed transactions and their payment methods.

RECONCILIATION REPORT

The reconciliation report displays all transactions made at the dealership within a selected time period. The first two lines highlight financed transactions and their associated payment methods.