Evolving the relationship between car and driver.
THE CHALLENGE
Byton is a Chinese car company with a new concept for autonomous cars.
Byton believes that drivers should be able to choose between autonomous and human driving depending on their mood and current needs.
They also believe that a touch and voice controlled interface is the key to a superior driving experience.
Solving these challenges is the key to Byton's success in the US automotive market.
MY ROLE: UX DESIGNER
SOFTWARE USED
Through research and synthesis I determined the problem drivers face with current cars and technology and used this knowledge to design the ideal relationship between car and driver in the next generation of automobiles.
RESEARCH
Heuristic Evaluation, C&C Analysis, Surveys, Interviews
SYNTHESIS
Affinity Mapping, Card Sorting, Feature Prioritization,
Persona Development, Journey Mapping
PROTOTYPING & DEVELOPMENT
Paper Prototyping, Design Iteration, Mid-Fi Wireframing,
Hi-Fi Wireframing, Wire-Flows, Usability Testing, Visual Design, User Flow
...UNTIL THEY DON'T
But the reality is far more complex. Traffic, commutes, and accidents take away from the romance.
THIS LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE
BUT DISRUPTION IS RIGHT ROUND THE CORNER
WELCOME TO A NEW ERA
Like it or not, self-driving or autonomous cars are coming and they have the potential to change driving, and the world in fundamental ways
SO HOW DO PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT AUTONOMOUS CARS?
SURPRISINGLY GOOD
Positive view
Negative view
What people would rather be doing other than driving
Views on autonomous cars are overwhelmingly positive.
Not only that, people would rather be doing a lot of things in a car besides driving.
Great, right? Let’s do this!
HOLD ON, THERE'S A BUMP IN THE ROAD
CAN PEOPLE HANDLE THIS POWER?
What do you find most distracting while driving?
Texts/Calls
Infotainment System
Podcasts
Climate Controls
Outside Activity
New features and functionality come at a cost. Our attention.
Quantitative data reveals that people want to use technology in their cars but are also distracted by it.
LET'S TAKE A TEST DRIVE
PERSONA: I created a user profile that aligns with my research
SUZIE STRESSER
Tech Executive
"I hate it when things don't go according to plan"
Age: 35
Status: Single Mother of 2 kids
Overview
Suzie has a love/hate relationship with her car. She absolutely loves to drive when conditions are right - no traffic, nice weather, open roads and great views. But when she has to commute in traffic she hates her life.
Driving Behavior and Habits
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Gets frustrated and angry in traffic
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Likes to listen to music in the car
-
Has a typical LA commute of at least an hour each way.
-
Has an active social life and sends/receives texts all day
-
Enjoys road trips with her family along scenic routes
Goals and Needs
-
Has high income and enjoys owning luxury cars
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Relies on high end comfort and features to keep her family happy
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Comfortable using new technology
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Is comfortable with the idea of autonomous cars
THINGS CAN GO WRONG
JOURNEY MAP: Suzie currently drives a late model BMW 5 series. Let's follow Suzie's mood as she drives from LA to Malibu with her 2 kids to meet her sister for lunch.
People love driving given the right conditions, but technology and external factors can be distracting and even dangerous.
How might we enable people to enjoy the driving experience but also provide the freedom to do what they want, when they want?
DESIGN THINKING>>
THE PROBLEM IS NOW CLEAR
WHY
HOW
WHAT
Develop an AI driven interface that adapts to driving conditions and only provides the features drivers need, when they need them.
Drivers are overwhelmed by internal and external distractions
Remove as many distractions as possible
LET'S SEE WHAT'S OUT THERE
C&C ANALYSIS: Looking at expected and unexpected areas
AUTO-RELATED
Most products are distracting:
Tesla makes you look away from the road, Apple Car Play is like a phone in your dashboard
AI ASSISTANTS
Products like Siri and Alexa work well for repetitive tasks and seem like they could work well
SCIENCE FICTION
A more human-like emotional connection to technology has value when interacting with complex systems
PRIORITIZING FEATURES
MoSCoW METHOD: With scope and MVP in mind, the following are the features we will or won't consider for inclusion in the UX design
MUST
SHOULD
COULD
WON'T
• Gesture Control
• Global Navigation
• Touch Screen
• AI
• Autonomous
Driving Mode
• Voice Command
• Facial Recognition
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
LET'S REINVENT THE CAR, NOT THE WHEEL
There’s an advantage to familiarity, we don’t want people to feel like it’s not a car anymore. So when it comes to visual and physical interfaces we want to use commonly used elements.
HIGH CONTRAST COLORS
INTUITIVE TOUCHSCREEN
VOICE CONTROL
COLORS
INTRODUCING...
SAY HELLO TO iBYTE
iByte is the AI-driven central command center for your driving experience.
Important features include: Global navigation to access all car functions
LET'S TAKE IT OUT FOR A SPIN
REMEMBER SUZIE?
She just got a new Byton with the iByte interface and she's going to retry her drive to meet her sister for lunch in Malibu.
Hop in!
NEXT STEPS
Integrate full-width Dashboard with iByte
Research best uses for Gesture Control
Get more people behind the wheel of a Byton!