Website

Project Overview

With a busy hectic lifestyle, and drought areas of Australia that restrict people easily washing their car at home; the Australian Car Wash Association developed a user-friendly location finder to help drivers keep their car clean in the most environmentally friendly way. A choice of search function is provided using postcode or suburb selection fields; as well as traditional google maps.

The database (over 550 entries) is the single most comprehensive listing of car wash sites in Australia. This mobile friendly web application also provides small independent carwash operators with a free web presence as part of their association membership.

Organisation

Australian Car Wash Association

Team

ACWA is the peak representative body for car wash owners and suppliers to the industry. It enables strong industry representation to Government and Regulatory Authorities as well as providing best practice guide lines for the industry.

Project Brief

Water restrictions in drought areas of Australia have limited people’s ability to wash their car at home in the traditional manner. And EPA best-practice regulations state that cars should not be washed where dirty water, oils and detergents run-off to stormwater causing pollution to our creeks, rivers and coastal waterways. These environmental considerations, together with today’s busy hectic work-life balance issues, challenges car owners to quickly and easily find a car wash that they know will comply with environmental legislation and maintain best-practice standards.

The Australian Car Wash Association (ACWA) as the national peak body representing the industry to the public, government and regulatory authorities had historically provided a static alphabetical listing of car wash sites. However this listing was part of the association intranet website and not a suitable platform for a public website and promotional vehicle to encourage environmental care in the community. A better solution was required.

As part of a national public education campaign centred on the water saving, environmental benefits, and best-practice standards of the car wash industry, ACWA took a customer-centric approach and created a new website: www.wheretowashmycar.com.au . The name itself, clearly demonstrates that the focus is on the benefits for the consumer.

The primary focus of the project was to provide a modern website that would engage car owners, provide environmental education, and easily provide a location finder to their nearby car wash facilities. The project needed to provide various search parameters to accommodate different user preferences.

Project Innovation / Need

ACWA provides the single largest and most comprehensive database (over 550 entries) listing of car wash sites in Australia. The call to action for the national public education campaign was www.wheretowashmycar.com.au . This website also includes tips and hints to assist car owners to care for the environment as well as their car. Education about the nationally accredited Water Saver Rating Scheme is also included on the site.

The tone of the website is good generic information about car washes that comply with environmental standards and not marketing ‘puffery’.

The single most important innovation was to differentiate those car wash sites complying with drought response that have demonstrated 5 star water saving through the Water Saver Rating Scheme. This scheme is accredited by the federal Smart Approved Water Mark organisation (that also approve 5 star shower heads, toilet cisterns, etc). These sites are displayed on the map interface with the water saver logo.

A secondary objective of the project was to provide all association members with a web presence. ACWA’s internal research had shown that over 62% of all members did not have a website for their car wash. Therefore, as stage 1, this project was developed primarily as a web application. However, the web application is optimized for mobile use. A further stage will be the development of a true mobile application encouraging use for people out in their cars in unfamiliar locations.

The ability easily update the web listing and export the latest database information from administrative records was an innovative outcome from the project.

User Experience

The project provides simple graphical interface with multiple search functions using the google maps API. The home screen allows users to click by State, postcode or suburb which then takes the user to a traditional google maps interface. All the google map functions of zoom and drag exist. The objective was to provide a proven and well-known user interface; where little new learning of how-to-use was required.

Two site locator icons are present; the ‘green star’ icon or the ‘Water Saver’ icon for those car wash sites that also demonstrate water saving compliance. And using the google maps interface, an information panel pop-up appears when the users clicks on an icon. The information panel provides address, contact details, street view, and driving directions.

The driving directions function is very user friendly. If a user puts in their current address & suburb as the search criteria a ‘home icon (red) will also appear on the map at this address. The map will then also show the closest car wash sites to this address. And you can even get driving directions to the car wash.

Multiple methods of displaying search results is provided to allow for user preference. There is the map locator as well as an alphabetical listing of the sites shown below the map. The alphabetical listing is dynamic, and changes as the map is zoomed in/out or dragged to a new location. Only those sites currently seen on the map locator are listed below the map. As you zoom in and reduce sites seen on the map, the list below the map also reduces; keeping the list as short and simple as the map is manipulated.

Project Marketing

ACWA has partnered with Clean Up Australia to promote the environmental messages of best-practice car washing. To date, the project marketing has been limited to creating awareness in government, State EPA’s, and water authorities. The short-term objective is to create a strong foundation that will provide affirmative support and credibility to the environmental messages.

At present, ACWA is seeking an appropriately experienced marketing and public relations organisation to assist with the marketing plan development and public promotion of www.wheretowashmycar.com.au The marketing objectives are to:

- Generate media interest and community debate around the issue of water conservation and prevention of stormwater pollution, focusing on how responsible behaviour (in car washing) can both save water and reduce environmental impact on the rivers, creeks and coastline;

- Raise the profile of responsible commercial car washes that demonstrate 5-star water management solutions; and

- Increase recognition of the images of ACWA and the Water Saver brands as identifying car wash establishments which maintain best practice sustainable environmental standards

The marketing/promotion plan will further define the target audiences, key messages, strategy and tactics to deliver ACWA’s messages to the marketplace.

A future product launch will be following the development of the true mobile application for wheretowashmyccar.