Citroën relaunched the DS as a line of cars with its own branding that brought this feeling into the 21st century.

Bringing it to China, however, posed a very unique challenge - the original DS was never sold in China. It was a country entirely unfamiliar with the brand and the expressive vehicle that had changed car design.

When talking with customers it quickly became clear that while referring to the original DS did not have any meaning, the French culture, lifestyle and elegance did. This was true especially for the more affluent audience that DS targeted. French brands were en vogue with these high achievers and visible proof of an elevated lifestyle was important to them.

Instead of nostalgia, we se the focus on French elegance and smart modernity.

The year of introducing DS to China was also the year the Apple iPhone and iPad saw a major breakthrough in the country. ‘Swiping’ as an interaction element was seen as innovative and smart devices replaced computers at breakneck pace.

The DS target audience was very likely to have both devices and so we decided on a responsive experience with focus on touch gestures.

Swipe, don’t click

We went with long vertical pages and placed subcontinent horizontally, so that it would feel native and natural on touch devices.

To make this content accessible on desktop devices, we used circle pagination markers and arrows as navigation elements. Status quo today, the ability to navigate this way on a website was an entirely new feeling at the time.

Video walkthrough

Many of the interactions were new at the time. 
In order to prototype them and help the client understand, we created a usability videos prior to production that showed how customers would use the site.

Contextual Offers

Leaning on smart modernity, we introduced a unique feature: data-driven, geo-located contextual offers.

The red bubbles appeared when data allowed useful conclusions, such as:

• Asking for booking a test drive, should the user visit a certain model several times

• Geo-located offers to connect with relevant dealers

• Season-relevant notifications like reminders to change to winter tyres

Comparison and Configuration

A flap on the bottom right hand corner indicated the price of the model the user looked at. 

Chinese customers tended to make their car purchase decisions fast and online. In order to convert engagement into consideration, the floating price tag was also the contextual entry point for the interactive car comparison.