Celebrations

It's amazing when things line up just the way our customer wants them to. When they've been approved, received a good offer, or placed their order, we get to celebrate right along with them.

Celebrations should:

• Be saved for truly good news, not over-used (they lose their impact)
• Focus on the user, not us
• Offer a rare opportunity to sprinkle in an exclamation point
• Keep the user focused on the next steps, and keep them informed about what to expect from Driveway
• Be accessible by sending focus to the confirmation modal or text

Bad News

While we'd love for every Driveway visitor to find the car of their dreams, get a great offer for their trade, and finance through us, sometimes it just doesn't work out. In these cases, the messaging should:

• Express empathy and understanding, but not be condescending
• Offer next steps or alternatives, but not in a transactional way
• Explain what went wrong simply, but focus on the positive
• Connect to customer care if appropriate
• Not include words like sorry or please (Saying "sorry" can make errors seem worse, and saying "please" may undermine the message's authority or lead people to think a required step is optional. Unless the error has severe and irreparable consequences, avoid these kinds of niceties.
• Include light-hearted phrases like Oops or Uh-oh when appropriate
• Be accessible by sending focus to the error modal or message

Emojis 🥴

We don't use emojis in the Driveway UI. Instead, we use on-brand illustrations, color, and text with our consistent voice and tone to keep it professional. We're casual and friendly, but not quite that casual.

Lithia

There may be times where connections between Lithia and Driveway experiences must be made. When these situations arise, it is important to consider that the user may have navigated to one of these sites with no knowledge of the connection between these brands. In order to avoid confusion and potential friction, the messaging should:

• Focus on the action rather than the brand. e.g. If linking to Driveway from Lithia.com, consider “Shop Online” over “Shop on Driveway”
• Display the dealership's name rather than its relationship to Lithia or Driveway e.g. “Subaru of Beaverton” over “A Lithia dealership”
• Given the lack of Lithia brand recognition and freedom within a framework, actively try to avoid mention of Lithia e.g. “Our Network of Dealerships” over “Lithia’s Network of Dealerships”
• Adhere to Preferred Terms guidelines when referencing dealerships and service centers

Pronouns

When faced with the choice of pronouns when designing an interface:

• Favor “You/Your” over “Me/My”
• Consider where the user is within a transaction and reference Voice and Tone documentation for guidance on whether pronouns should be avoided altogether in favor of a more matter-of-fact approach
• Forms or quizzes may require the use of a pronoun to answer a question posed using “You/Your”. In this case, you may utilize “Me/My”
• Avoid adding to our current list of proper nouns if possible. e.g. MyDriveway or MyDFC