Designing AI in the Future Smart Car

With the emergence of technologies like artificial intelligence and internet of things, a major automotive company wanted to understand what kind of relationship users might want with their cars when their cars might become very intelligent, and how that intelligence could help solve problems drivers are experiencing around transportation today.

Auto manufacturers typically design vehicles 4-5 years in advance. This means they need to consider how to incorporate the technologies of tomorrow into the designs they’re making today so their vehicles can keep up with technological advancements and still be relevant when they’re released.

Our role

  • UX Research
  • UX Strategy
  • Participatory Design
  • User Interviews
  • Video User Findings
  • Visual Design

What relationship do drivers want with their cars?

To understand what drivers now might want from their cars tomorrow, Particle conducted a three-part study that included iterative research and design. For the first phase, we conducted a metaphor study to understand the dynamic users wanted with their cars. Did users envision their partnerships with their cars like a dog and his master, silently taking orders, or like a family member with a personality that anticipated their next steps?

From there, we had drivers break down the moments before, during and after driving that were particularly challenging for them, to identify opportunities for innovation across the entire user journey especially those tricky transitions into and out of the vehicle.

Everyday metaphors helped drivers talk about the relationship they had with their cars now and the relationship they wanted with the cars of the future.

Crystal Rutland
CEO and Founder, Particle Design

Solving the right problem for drivers.

We heard stories of moms struggling to get their kids out the door and load all of their gear into the car; and tales of unsafe moments when mom’s had to turn around to manage unhappy kids in the backseat who had dropped their favorite toys. We heard about married couples who had to reset everything when they traded vehicles, from the position of the car seat and rear view mirror to the radio station. And we heard from one woman who needed to get her disabled friend into the car and pull up her doctor’s address so she could chauffeur her to an appointment.

Design for safety and simulate the experience.

Particle distilled and translated everything we heard into concept storyboards of potential driving usages for intelligent cars that could anticipate some of their user needs. From this concept research we learned what usages drivers found most compelling and when drivers wanted the car to act on their behalf and when they just wanted it to make smart suggestions so they could have the final say.

By running drivers thru a variety of predictive scenarios in the simulator, we were able to better understand how the intelligent car of the future would need to work when rubber hit the road. Specifically, how it could offer up predictions and assistance in actual driving scenarios in a way that was supportive and safe rather than distracting and irritating

With the insights we gleaned from this research, we were able to provide the auto manufacturer with a set of highly appealing predictive driving features with specific directives on how they would need to be designed and implemented in a vehicle for optimal driver satisfaction and safety.

Thru iterative and progressive research, we were able to design an intelligent, predictive in-vehicle experience that was personalized.

Amber Ward
UX Researcher and Project Manager, Particle Design

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