The problem with price-first messaging

AAA’s legacy website led with price—and little else. “If you take a screenshot and zoom out, the only thing you can still read is the price,” James noted. “Everything else is listed underneath it.”

This structure inadvertently anchored prospective members’ perception of value solely on cost. Through user research, the team discovered this approach diluted AAA’s value proposition and made it harder to communicate what set them apart.

Instead, the new design focused on value-driven messaging, building up benefits and trust before revealing the cost. The impact was stunning: a 40% increase in conversions over the legacy design.

“We were tracking 25, 30%, and then we hit Memorial Day… we started seeing an 80% outperformance.”

Building internal trust through qualitative insights

One of the biggest hurdles James faced wasn’t external—it was internal. When his team presented an early prototype based on qualitative insights, senior leadership initially dismissed it.

“They said, ‘We don’t believe it,’” James recalled. “‘There’s no way your dozen people are going to overcome our beliefs in the thousands of survey responses.’”

It wasn’t until a new CMO joined—and trusted the qualitative data—that the team got the green light to proceed. That internal shift marked the beginning of a larger transformation in how AAA approached design.

“The organization didn’t understand how to value and integrate qualitative insights into operations.”

From isolated wins to organizational change

The success of the new join flow was undeniable—but James knew the work was far from over. He used the momentum to advocate for a larger digital redesign, this time targeting the travel section of the site.

That initiative required buy-in from multiple business lines, each with their own goals and assumptions. “The travel group didn’t see our success with membership as a clear sign we could help them,” James said. “We had to build trust from the bottom up.”

The team once again turned to human insight—using highlight reels from user testing to illustrate where customers were confused or disengaged. A six-week A/B test sealed the deal, with visits to the travel homepage up 60% and searches for hotels, flights, and car rentals up over 70%.

“We proved we understood both their business and the customer.”

Creating a culture of design maturity

James doesn’t see design as a set of visuals. He sees it as a mindset—a way to diagnose problems and build solutions with empathy and curiosity.

“In most organizations, people see design as the noun—the output. But design should be a verb,” he said. “To design is to devise for a specific purpose.”

This reframing is at the heart of what James calls design maturity—a cultural shift where everyone in the organization contributes to the design process, not just those with “design” in their title.

He compares it to how companies now think about data: “We wouldn’t leave data in the hands of just a few math wizards anymore. Everyone uses data. The same should be true for design.”

“If we can democratize design like we did with data, we can build better experiences—inside and out.”

Practical tips for driving design transformation

Throughout the conversation, James offered several actionable takeaways for teams looking to follow a similar path:

• Start small: Pinpoint a high-impact project and use it to demonstrate the value of customer-centered design.
• Align with what matters: Understand how your organization defines success and connect your insights to those metrics.
• Tell compelling stories: Use video clips and real customer voices to make qualitative feedback feel real and urgent.
• Be patient, but persistent: Changing culture takes time—and often starts with one or two believers.

“Culture is what dictates how your organization receives information. Understand it first.”

Embracing liquid expectations

In a standout moment, James discussed the concept of liquid expectations—the idea that people bring their best digital experiences with them, no matter what industry they're in.

“If Uber can show me where my driver is, why can’t I see where my tow truck is?” he asked. That question led to the creation of AAA’s new Truck Tracker feature, inspired by modern logistics experiences.

It’s a prime example of how innovation in UX doesn’t always mean inventing something new—it can also mean adapting proven models to meet user expectations.

“Our competitive sphere isn’t just automotive. It’s everything.”

The path forward for UX and design leaders

James Lane’s journey at AAA illustrates the power of aligning product design, user research, and customer experience into a cohesive strategy. By challenging assumptions, elevating qualitative insights, and evangelizing a broader understanding of design, he’s helped evolve a legacy brand for the digital age.

He believes the future lies in democratizing design, much like the business world has done with data.

“A good customer experience derives from good employee experiences," James said. "And design as a method can help with that.”