My first Mercedes wasn't a car

“Stakeholders we're pitched a tradional UI by the agency; But to stand out we had to have a immersive timeline. Therefore, I prototyped it early to earn buy-in. They trusted the shift because they experienced it firsthand.”

If You Want to Stand Out, Design Something Memorable

The question was real, "Could you guys do a time-release interactive experience for a car launch?" The Designory team asked after receiving our direct mail promotional diskette (yes, diskette).

The year was 1994-95. Netscape Navigator 1.0 just hit the scene. We'd sent out a time-released direct mail promotion for our interactive agency cow to every damn agency we could think of. The experience counted backwards to New Year's with content that unlocked over time. Designory saw it and immediately thought: car launch.

The mission was clear: Launch the 1996 E-Class to select dealership enthusiasts via a CD-ROM experience. This was before UX was a job title, before product design had a seat at the table. But we had to deliver something that told 110 years of Mercedes history while revealing the future.

This was product thinking before we called it product thinking.

Mercedes asked if we'd built a CD-ROM before. We said yes. We hadn't. But we'd just won the first-ever Gold Clio Award for interactive media on a badass ArtCenter kiosk project. If we could design hardware-integrated experiences … we could for sure handle optical media.

"The only thing was, we required no less than a quarter million dollar budget." (They said yes)

We were used to controlling all of the hardware in installation design: we got full screen, full motion storytelling, smooth transitions, leading users exactly where we wanted, and how we wanted. CD-ROMs were constrained by the viewer's hardware. 320 x 240 pixel videos was the max we could serve. Yikes! This was a whole different ballgame. I had to tell the story differently with this one.

Nine months to prove we could do it.

Designing a Car Launch No One Had Done Before

I had to give users what I knew they needed, and boy, did I ever.

These weren't casual browsers. They were dealership enthusiasts who'd opted in, actively waiting to see what the next-generation E-Class would deliver. They wanted context, heritage, and exclusivity wrapped in an experience worth their time.

The insight: don't just show the car. Show why 110 years led to this moment and make the viewer earn it.

Traditional car launches used print brochures and TV spots. We were designing something completely different: time-released interactive storytelling where every click revealed a small piece of the new E-Class. They ate it up.

110 years of Mercedes-Benz history …

The agency demanded a main menu. "Where is the main menu? We promised the client a main menu." I resisted: "The only reason you promised that is because that's what you're used to seeing. Mercedes-Benz doesn't make cars like everyone else. They edit and restrict, leaving only the most essential elements. In this case, it's a timeline. One timeline. 110 years of history that reveals the new vehicle."

I was designing a product experience that had to work perfectly the first time, with no updates possible.

When One Solution Unlocks Everything Else

The Mercedes launch proved interactive media could sell luxury products to discerning audiences.

Disney called immediately after the launch:
"You put Mercedes' history into context. Can you do the same for our six standard characters?"
(Referring to the brand bible for Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto.)

The Disney project revealed the scalable insight: we'd transformed an expensive $800 printed brand manual into an interactive training tool that cost pennies to reproduce and was infinitely more effective.

The pattern became clear:

• Design once, extend everywhere

• Build systems that could evolve and scale

• Reduce costs while increasing effectiveness

Disney Standard Character Guide. Same UI, new budget. :)

We licensed my UI to other clients, including Mustang Jeans in Germany. The approach worked across industries because it solved a universal problem: how to make complex brand history accessible and engaging. This was my first taste of product design methodology... building scalable systems that solved problems across contexts.

What I Learned From My First Client

This wasn’t about doing something totally new… it was about taking on just enough to grow without drowning. I hadn’t built a CD-ROM before, but I knew I could design a bitchin’ one. I trusted that good ideas, clear thinking, and a solid grasp of the problem would carry me.

Working within tight technical limits forced me to focus. Every decision had to serve the story, the user, and the constraints. There was no room for fluff… only what worked. The real lesson? Embrace restrictions. They’re not the enemy. They’re how you find the sharpest, most durable solution.

I also learned to fight for the ideas that mattered. Even when others hesitated, I backed the timeline format because I knew it told the story better. And when it worked, it didn’t just meet expectations… it raised the bar.

This project proved I could ship memorable, well-structured product experiences in unfamiliar territory… with guts, logic, and zero safety net.

The Mercedes E-Class CD-ROM won eight awards in 1996-1997:

• Pioneer Award Gold

• Comm. Arts Interactive Design 2

• I.D. Annual Design Review

• How Interactive Design Winner

• AFLA "LA Winners"

• Int. Automotive Advertising

• Peoples Choice Awards

• Cindy Award Gold

That's not just good design. That's product leadership when nobody knows what's possible yet.

Design Philosophy: The best product experiences happen at the intersection of technical innovation and human storytelling. If I could design luxury product launches before digital marketing existed, I can navigate any emerging technology challenge.