The Problem
A self-driving future with safer roads and fewer accidents is imminent, but current drivers are not ready because they need to feel in control of their car. Their biggest fears are how an Autonomous Vehicle will handle difficult scenarios and edge cases.
Our Solution
Revolution is a car dealership test driving experience that  builds user acceptance for Autonomous Vehicles up to level 4. Using a personalized set up process and a curated simulation, Revolution builds users’ confidence by addressing their fears of how the Autonomous Vehicle handles difficult driving situations.
Customised Onboarding Process
Emotion Recognition Suggestive Aid
Curated Scenarios in AV Simulation
Personalised Preference Card
My Role
Team Lead, Interaction Designer, and Product Designer. I also built the virtual environment and coded our user test in Unity and helped build the prototype.
Tools
Figma
Unity
Awards
Rookies
Indigo
Links
Prototype
Process
Challenge Prompt:
Building a sense of comfort and control for the passengers and drivers of Autonomous Vehicles with the help of emotional recognition technology.
Problem Space
Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are the future, but they are not universally accepted.
Autonomous vehicles provide a breakthrough AI that is capable of driving the user...
...but the UI they use to interface with the vehicle relies on retrofitted, clunky paradigms.
We want to rework users’ pain points interfacing with the vehicle with emotional recognition technologies to keep our passengers informed, entertained, and safe.
Inside a vehicle the amount, quality, and delivery of information is essential not only for a good experience but protecting the lives of drivers and their passengers.
Initial Problem Statement
AVs with highly intelligent emotional recognition technology are the future. However, most people do not completely understand how this technology works leading to a lack of trust with autonomous vehicles.
How might we...
Incite trust, confidence, control & sense of safety for the passengers riding AVs?
Research
45+ Million Millennials
Worry about roads with AVs
— Study from AAA
Every year, 37,000 people die in car crashes in the United States.
94% of serious crashes are due to human error.
Lack of understanding in hardware and software that makes an AV drive
Uncertain responsibility in the case of an accident
AV technology is still imperfect and needs more time to mature
Emotional Recognition Tech Explorations
Primary Research Methods
Experience-Based Observation
Tesla Model Y Test Drive
Interviews (n=10)
7 users, 3 experts
Cultural Probe (n=32)
“Is Self-Driving the Future?”
Tesla Test Drive
Objectives
To gain a first hand experience driving and riding a level 3 semi-autonomous vehicle, and to understand the different facets of the UX of an AV and how the experience is delivered to the driver and passengers
Cultural Probe Sentiment Analysis
Synthesis
Problem Matrix
Existing User Journey
The first half of a user journey map depicting the experience of a user who is skeptical about autonomous vehicles
User Testing
Resources
Steering Wheel and Pedals
AV Model
Ambulance
City Environment
EasyRoads3D
Speedometer
Path Creator and Follower
Vehicle Tools
Development
I learned some C# in order to drive the simulator. I thought it was going to be simpler, but after a few hours I realized I needed to learn about Euler transforms and Quaternions just to point the car in the right direction. I was able to hook up the steering wheel and pedals to the virtual car, then make a button on the car turn on and off the self-driving mode using the code below.
Joystick Control
Follow the AV Self-Drive Path
Find the Path and Move To It
Speedometer Animation
The speedometer was hooked up to a fourth display and mirrored to an auxillary device using VNC screen mirroring over the local network.
Various game-world cameras were set up to feed displays and to paint textures on “mirror” objects to simulate a reflection.
Three cameras hooked up to three displays, a large one in the middle and two small ones on each side. We adjusted final positioning of the cameras in software to make the complete image more seamless.
Evaluation
UI Tests
Onboarding
Set up process was easy to follow
Appreciated different layout choices
Less text is good
Home Page
‍
Some copy needs reword (“Disclaimer”)
Navigation was easy to follow
Notifications need to be more visible
Instrument Cluster
Add notifications to cluster
Add AV mode indicator
Emotional Recognition
Differentiate between in-car (emotional recognition) and out-of-car (safety) notifications
Sim Tests
Driving
Driving felt natural and very realistic
Braking needs to be more powerful
The speed felt natural and speedometer readings felt accurate
Environment
Add signage for directions
Add more relatable environments like city areas
Users got lost a few times and didn’t know where to go
Environment felt very bland and empty
Scenario
Add more scenarios so that people can get a feel for the range of the AV’s capabilities
Construction scenario works well to make users feel more confident an the AV’s capabilities
User Flows
Scenario 1: Setup
User goes through the AV settings and customizes the display layouts, emotional recognition and AV driving style to match their preferences.
Scenario 2: Construction
User interacts with the IVI, navigates to a destination and the AV helps the user switch lanes when there is a construction site on the road.
Scenario 3: Construction
User interacts with the IVI, navigates to a destination and the AV helps the user switch lanes when there is a construction site on the road.
Final Deliverables
Setup Screens
Home Page + Navigation
Instrument Cluster
Scenarios