Integrating New Acquisitions
2021 • Cox Automotive - Dickinson Fleet Services • UX Stakeholder, Facilitator, Illustrator
“Sometimes the most effective solution isn’t a complex deliverable, but a simple, well-crafted story that unifies stakeholders and accelerates strategic decisions.”
Info
The Client: Cox Automotive - Dickinson Fleet Services
My Role: UX Stakeholder, Co-Facilitator, and Illustrator
Timeframe: Two weeks
The Challenge
Cox Automotive acquired Dickinson Mobile to expand into mobile repair services. While strategically promising, the acquisition posed a challenge: the executive team lacked clarity on Dickinson’s operational capabilities and how these services could integrate with Cox Automotive’s existing repair ecosystem.
Mandate: Create a framework for understanding integration possibilities and to provide a method for aligning stakeholders around a shared vision.
Approach & Workflow
Workshop Planning
I partnered with a Senior UX Architect to design a remote workshop that would:
Establish shared understanding of Dickinson’s capabilities.
Map out an end-to-end service journey integrating mobile repair with Cox’s offerings.
Provide executives with a clear, visual communication tool to support decision-making.
Stakeholder Workshop
We assembled a cross-functional team from Dickinson Mobile and xtime (Cox’s service/repair division). This ensured both organizations’ expertise was represented in the conversation.
Storymapping
Participants outlined tasks, jobs, and personas associated with mobile repair services. These contributions organically formed a primary workflow highlighting customer touchpoints and operational dependencies.
Storyboard – Team Exercise
While the storymap provided structure, executives needed a humanized view of the journey. Through guided exercises, we translated workflows into sketched scenarios that reflected customer experiences. I then elevated the team’s rough sketches into a high-fidelity storyboard, delivering a tangible visualization within three days.
The Solution
The final storyboard clearly illustrated:
How Dickinson’s mobile services integrate with Cox’s repair offerings.
The customer experience across mobile and traditional repair touchpoints.
The organizational value of integrating mobile repair into Cox’s portfolio.
Results & Impact
Executive Alignment: The storyboard enabled the leadership team to quickly grasp Dickinson’s role and integration value, driving faster decision-making.
Extended Use: Its success led to a second storyboard showcasing additional Dickinson’s services.
Ongoing Value: The storyboards continue to be used as onboarding and orientation tools for new executives and teams.
Team Growth: UX practitioners gained deeper appreciation for storyboards as a product communication tool, reinforcing their role in humanizing workflows.
Key Takeaways
This project demonstrated the power of visual storytelling in product strategy. The streamlined process, combined with cross-functional collaboration, created clarity and alignment in record time.