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Revolution
Revolution is an innovative showroom experience that prepares users for the future of autonomous vehicles through a simulated environment.
Course
Timeframe
10 Weeks
Team
Tools
Figma
Adobe Suite
Miro
Unity, C#
Product Walkthrough
Why is this a problem?
Unfortunately, most people do not completely understand how this technology works, leading to a lack of trust with autonomous vehicles.
Self driving vehicles (AVs) with highly intelligent emotional recognition technology are the future. The technology is developing incredibly quickly, and companies like Uber, GM, Google and many others are racing to innovate. Autonomous Vehicles are here to stay.
How might we?
How might we foster users’ sense of control and inspire confidence with an AV’s ability to handle any scenario it may encounter?
Revolution is our solution.
Revolution is a showroom simulator that prepares users for the future of autonomous vehicles by acclimating users to the controls, terminology, and overall experience of operating an AV.
The IVI
One of the main points of interaction between the user and the simulation is the In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system. The AV communicates to the users through this display and the behind wheel cluster display. The IVI brings the user through the setup, the edge case navigation and other interactions with the AV.
The Simulation
After the introduction, they start the simulation. The user is given a test track to learn how to control the AV and test its handling. After the user feels comfortable, the retail associate has the option of multiple different scenarios they can load up to show the user how the AV reacts to certain edge cases, such as an oncoming vehicle, construction, fauna in the road, EMS interaction, or all in one big experience.
Users are first guided by a retail associate to customize their driving experience. This interaction is through the IVI ( In-Vehicle Infotainment ) screen on the right of the steering wheel.
Users can selecting option that change the behavior and driving style of the vehicle. They personalize the interface and AV to their taste, and are familiarized with the controls and terminology of an AV.
I spearheaded the UI and Visual Design for these IVI screens.
Personalized Card
Before setup begins, users are informed that they will receive a personalized card after they finish setting up, which will contain their settings and preferences that can be later be ported into another AV that they choose to buy.
This card will contain the preferences in a QR code.
AV Customization
Revolution uses 3 forms of Emotional Recognition Technology - Eye Gaze, Facial Recognition and Heart Rate + Temperature monitoring to inform the AV's actions and communication.
Users can choose which form they want to enable and can also individually customize how they want each form to behave.
Display Customization
Users can customize the display to their own preferences, changing screen layouts, notification settings and other elements they might want to see from the screen.
Users are also able to change the level of communication and feedback they receive from the AV to their preferences.
What does it do?
Using a personalized set up process and Emotional Recognition Technology offered in a curated simulation, Revolution builds users’ confidence by addressing their fears of how the AV handles difficult driving situations.
It offers valuable experiences that users most certainly have questions about but would not experience in a normal, real-world test drive. Most importantly, it retrains users' common knowledge with experiential knowledge, which is the gateway to their acceptance later down the line.
Edge Case
The AV is constantly communicating system state with the user. When the AV approaches an edge case, the user is alerted via the displays.
Autonomous Mode
The AV assumes autonomous mode and efficiently takes control of the situation, demonstrating its capabilities to the user and making them feel safe and contained.
AV Handoff
Using ERT, the AV can detect changes in user emotion. If the AV detects a rapid negative change, it communicates appropriately to the user and gives them the option to give the AV control.
Scenario 2
The second scenario our team was successfully able to execute was an animal based scenario, where an animal or multiple animals would unexpectedly jump into the road. The AV would be able to successfully navigate this encounter while keeping the user in the loop and keeping them feel safe, therefore enhancing users' trust in the capabilities of the AV.
Scenario 1
The simulation offers multiple edge case scenario possibilities for users to interact with. In our simulation, we were able to functionally integrate 2 scenarios, the first being the AV navigating through construction and debris on the road.
SalesPerson Script
Since Revolution is intended to be an in-showroom simulation, our team also thought about the other side of the interaction : the salespeople utilising Revolution for their customers.
Therefore, we created a Salesperson script that would effectively be able to communicate to retail employees exactly what they needed to make Revolution as effective as possible.
Revolution addresses the pre-purchase touchpoint for potential AV users who hold a number of fears: how the AV handles edge cases, what the car feels like to drive, and how to interact with it. It offers a solution for customers who are curious about the technology but don't quite feel ready to take it onto the real road, where they may be involved in an accident.
It acclimates customers to driving with an AV, and prepares them for driving the real thing should they choose to do so at a later time. It offers valuable experiences that users most certainly have questions about but would not experience in a normal, real-world test drive. Most importantly, it retrains users' common knowledge with experiential knowledge, which is the gateway to their acceptance later down the line. Revolution isn't the only part of the AV Revolution, but it's a new angle we're excited to explore.
Interface Prototype
Click-Through built on Figma
The Rookies' 2021
It is my pleasure to share that Revolution was submitted to The Rookies' 2021 Awards in the Product design category this summer, where it received a Finalist Selection, Honorable Mention and Rank A Certificate amongst 4000+ entries.
How did we get here?
Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver
The Problem
A self-driving future with safer roads and less accidents is imminent, however, current drivers are not ready because they need to feel in control of their car. Their biggest fears are how an AV will handle difficult scenarios and edge cases.
Our Solution
Revolution is a car dealership test driving experience that builds user acceptance for AVs up to level 4. Using a personalized set up process and a curated simulation with multiple scenarios, Revolution builds users’ confidence by addressing their fears of how the AV handles difficult driving situations.
My Roles
For this project, I was the Visual and UI Design lead for the In-Vehicle Infotainment display and the Behind-Wheel Instrument Cluster. I also spearheaded the Product Design aspect, and played a crucial role in the User Testing and UX Research.
Secondary Research
Background
As we delved deeper into our research, we found out that there are 5 levels of automation in AVs. 0 being no automation, to 5, being fully automated. Some cars we see nowadays ( i.e. Tesla ) range towards level 2 or 3. Our team chose to create acceptance for level 4 AVs as we felt this is where the tech is headed today.
Secondary Research
Key Insights
Why don't people trust AVs?
3) Uncertain responsibility in the case of an accident.
1) Distrust and lack of understanding in automation and technology.
2) The AV technology is still imperfect and needs time to mature.
Every year, 37,000 people die in car crashes in the United States
94% of serious crashes are due to human error.
Transparency
“In the autonomous mode, the driver should have a sufficient understanding of what the autonomous vehicle perceives to realize its analyses and to make its decisions. The driver must be confident that the autonomous vehicle has the right information to make the right decisions and if not, he/she must be able to take control.”
Designing Human-Machine Interface for Autonomous Vehicles, Science Direct, S. Debernard et al. / IFAC-PapersOnLine 49-19 (2016) 609–614
Secondary Research
Emotional Recognition Technology
Heart Rate + Temperature
With an attachment on the driver's seatbelt, we chose to include Heart Rate and Temperature to complete our trio of ERT tech, a combination of which our research showed would be effective at mapping a users' emotional state.
Facial Recognition
One of the first methods we researched for our purpose was facial recognition, mapping out the drivers' facial expressions as an indication of their emotional state, since we felt it was an appropriate way of gauging a driver's emotion.
Eye Gaze
The second method our team research was eye-gaze, which went in tandem with facial recognition. This technology assesses the drivers' plane of vision to determine their focus and readiness on the road.
Primary Research
Methods
Cultural Probe, n = 27
Probe Details
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2 hours at Forsyth Park
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32 participants total
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Mix of qualitative and quantitative questions
Our objectives:
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To get a broader pool of people and learn about their views on AVs
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To probe people’s comfort level with emotional recognition technology in cars
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To learn their ideal car riding experience
Tesla Model Y Test Drive
Our objectives:
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To gain a first hand experience driving and riding a level 3 semi-autonomous vehicle
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To understand the different facets of the UX of an AV and how the experience is delivered to the driver and passengers
User Interviews, n = 7
Interviewees
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7 participants
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Long-time Tesla user, Tesla passengers, software engineer, industrial designer, tech and car enthusiasts.
Our objectives:
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To learn about different users’ perspectives and mental models of AVs
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To understand people’s expectations with level 4-5 AVs and what it would take to feel confident in them
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To assess people’s comfort levels with emotional recognition technology in the context of improving the AV riding experience
SME Interviews, n = 3
Interviewees
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3 SMEs
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Product Manager @ Cruise*
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Software Engineer @ ZOOX*
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Prof. Ascanio (Professor & Car Expert)
Our objectives:
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To learn about current technology, capability of AVs and how confidence is built with the user
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To better understand how difficult scenarios and edge cases are handled by AVs
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To learn if and how emotional recognition technology is being leveraged within AVs
Primary Research
Novel Findings
Driving Behaviours, Styles and Pleasure
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Some users want AVs to emulate human driving style and retain the same judgement calls as they do (passive vs. aggressive)
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People enjoy the sensory aspects of driving (feeling the car run, speed, views)
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Results in a unique set of emotions that drivers experience with their vehicles
Need for Control in AVs
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Drivers want to feel in control and responsible for the actions of the car, especially in high risk situations
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Riders want the ability to override the AV to take back control in difficult scenarios
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Riders want “just enough” transparent communication from their AV to compensate for the lack of control of the vehicle
Fear Surrounding AVs
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Users have concerns about edge cases that may throw off the AV
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There is considerable technophobia that a computer could never be on the same level as a human brain
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Users are aware based on prior experience that software and technology can be fallible at times
Target Audience and Personnae
What do our users look like?
We synthesized our primary and secondary research insights to create 2 personas that we felt best represented our user groups and their mindsets.
Design Questions
Defining our objectives
How might we foster users’ sense of control and inspire confidence with an AV’s ability to handle any scenario it may encounter?
Based on our research, as talked about in the product overview section earlier, we created our main HMW statement underneath that would drive our design decisions and ideation.
Our Mission
MP3 is an AI platform that drives connection within an organization, and serves as a community to engage employees to learn, grow and share knowledge within the organization.
With the power of AI, MP3 offers a quick, real-time and data-driven approach for HR to manage and retain the organization’s workforce in a modern way.
Driving connection to build a high-performing organization
HMW 1
HMW overcome users' initial apprehension and conditioned fears concerning AVs?
HMW 2
HMW communicate the AV's actions and system state to users without overwhelming them with too much information?
HMW 3
HMW utilize our technology both non-invasively and consensually so it doesn’t feel creepy?
Sub HMWs
Diving deeper
Our Mission
MP3 is an AI platform that drives connection within an organization, and serves as a community to engage employees to learn, grow and share knowledge within the organization.
With the power of AI, MP3 offers a quick, real-time and data-driven approach for HR to manage and retain the organization’s workforce in a modern way.
Driving connection to build a high-performing organization
AVs are safer
Help in decreasing road accidents in comparison to human-driven vehicles.
AVs are more efficient
Road traffic can be reduced with fully connected autonomous vehicles.
AVs are more sustainable
Help in reducing road pollution & making the environment greener
Benefits of AVs
Design Concepts
Impact vs Feasibility
We mapped out our ideation on an Impact vs Feasibility graph to better understand our team's headspace and to consolidate our ideas to form a concrete solution.
A redesigned AV ecosystem that creates a seamless in- and out-of-car experience to build a sense of control and confidence in AVs. This would be done through a combination of Emotional Recognition Technology, innovative In-Cabin Interactions, Voice UI Integration and a Smart Key-Fob.
A showroom test driving experience that focuses on building awareness and acceptance for AVs in the pre-purchase touchpoint.
The test drive experience simulates different scenarios with LCD screens on the windshield & windows. In the process users learn about the AV features and how the AV functions through the In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) System and Instrument Cluster.
Design Concepts
Final 2 Concepts
After multiple intense rounds of ideation, we came up with 2 final concepts to choose from, one addressing the pre-purchase touchpoint for consumers and the other looking at improving the AV experience as it stands.
Final Concept
Rationale and Storyboard
We chose Concept 1 - The Simulator because we felt that it best matched our users' needs, by giving users experiential knowledge to help them visualize the capabilities of an AV while removing the fear of injury or accident. Below is a storyboard that I illustrated which encompasses how the user would interact with it, and the end outcomes.
User interacts with the IVI, navigates to a destination and the AV helps the user switch lanes when there is a construction site or another edge case on the road.
User goes through the AV settings and customizes the display layouts, emotional recognition and AV driving style to match their preferences.
Scenarios and Taskflows
User Scenarios
Based on this vision for our final concept, we started off by ideating on 2 scenarios that we felt would help best demonstrate the capabilities of an AV and make a user feel comfortable and confident with its functionality.
Task flows
How do users interact with it?
We set up 2 individual task flows for our different scenarios, mapping out each user touchpoint and AV interact to better inform our UI design decisions for the IVI and behind wheel display.
We created 2 task flows, one for the initial User Setup on the IVI, and the second mapping out how the AV would navigate an edge case on the road - in this situation, unexpected construction and debris.
Card Sort
Mapping our Users' Mental Models
Our card sorting told us that AV current speed, autobrake, seatbelt indicator, transmission mode and hazard lights are needed behind the steering wheel display. Users want time, temperature & current location on both displays, and we found out that users prefer to have seat adjustment, windshield wipers, blinkers and lighting to be controlled via tactile buttons in the car.
We were all unfamiliar with car interfaces, so we start off our prototyping by conducting a card sort with 7 users, asking them to describe and categorize different features they would expect to have on a car interface, enabling us to gain a better understanding of user mental models.
Sitemaps
Initial Sitemaps
These sitemaps were our initial vision for how we could lay the feature sets we wanted out in a way that was compliant with driver heuristics we see today in automobile UX design.
Based on our card sorting results and feedback from our professor as well as research, we created 2 sitemaps, the first being for our IVI display and the second being for the behind wheel instrument cluster.
User Test Round 1
Testing our Lo-fis
Our user testing tasks were as followed :-
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Users would start off the onboarding process, and then proceed to set up their driver profile, customizing screen layout, ERT preferences and AV performance settings.
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Users would then navigate to the Homepage, set a location and begin experiencing the IVI interactions.
We started off with the screens shown below, based on our initial sitemaps. We used the Wizard of Oz testing method with 5 participants testing out our IVI display wireframes on a laptop screen. Our objectives were:-
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Testing onboarding interactions and user comprehension of copy and technical settings.
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Testing homepage layouts, placement of information and labels.
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General questions on written copy, setup, Emotion Recognition Technology, homepage, iconography and alerts/notifications.
Our Mission
MP3 is an AI platform that drives connection within an organization, and serves as a community to engage employees to learn, grow and share knowledge within the organization.
With the power of AI, MP3 offers a quick, real-time and data-driven approach for HR to manage and retain the organization’s workforce in a modern way.
Driving connection to build a high-performing organization
Round 1 Feedback
Lofi Screens
Layout
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Users enjoyed the ability to choose between modular layouts and create their own
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Offer a layout with a bigger map when not in self-driving mode
Homepage
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Users want the physical experience of the static tactile buttons
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Need more control over alerts and notifications
Driving Styles & ERT
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Make driving style preferences more accessible through the landing page
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Provide more context to how Emotion Recognition Technology is used within the AV
The Big Learn
The Impossible Task
While Round 1 was a really good way of rapidly testing our interface and getting quick feedback, we realized that to get accurate feedback for an automotive interface, we needed more just a laptop screen. We needed a fully immersive experience so that users would be able to interact with the IVI in actual edge-case situations.
The problem was, our team didn't have access to $400k to purchase a cutting edge automotive simulator. So, we decided do the impossible and to build one ourselves.
Revised Interaction Model
How does this simulation work?
Underneath is an illustration of our revised interaction model for our simulation. To create our simulation, we looked at it from 2 sides. Firstly the actual simulation - this was run through an interactive environment made on Unity where the user could drive an AV which would interact with edge cases and switch to autonomous mode based on interaction with the IVI. The simulation was visualized on a triple display setup, and was tied to a steering wheel and pedals, along with another instrument cluster display behind the wheel for added realism and interactivity.
The second would be the User Interactions - these would be primarily facilitated through the IVI display prototype which we created on Figma. This would be tied directly into the simulator.
Our Mission
MP3 is an AI platform that drives connection within an organization, and serves as a community to engage employees to learn, grow and share knowledge within the organization.
With the power of AI, MP3 offers a quick, real-time and data-driven approach for HR to manage and retain the organization’s workforce in a modern way.
Driving connection to build a high-performing organization
Building the sim
Our process
Building
Along with working on the UI for the IVI, I was also in charge of spearheading the Product Design aspects of the simulation in terms of how we would encase our components and present them to our users.
Coding
Team members Alejandro and Quint worked on building the environments in Unity and writing the code in C# to tie everything in together and make the simulator functional.
Combining
After the individual tasks were done, we combined our displays, IVI, Unity and technology components with our casing and created our final simulator.
And voila!
It works!
The end result was a fully interactive, fully functional AV simulator with full driving capabilities, a functioning autonomous mode, multiple displays, interactive IVI and Instrument Cluster and edge case scenarios for users to experience. With this, we were ready and excited to test for round 2!
User Test Round 2
Testing the Mid-Fi + Simulation
Our user testing tasks were as followed :-
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Users would start off the onboarding process, and then proceed to set up their driver profile, customizing screen layout, ERT preferences and AV performance settings.
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Users would drive around the simulation environment to get an understanding of the environment, the AV's controls and abilities and the IVI.
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Users would then navigate to the Homepage, set a location and begin their journey.
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Users would experience the edge case scenario, IVI would prompt them for AV handoff and then they would experience the AV's capabilities in autonomous mode.
After we finished building our simulator, iterated on our lo-fi screens based on the previous round's feedback, and integrated this into our simulator. We used our functional simulator to test with 6 participants. Our objectives were:-
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Testing our revised onboarding flow, ERT and driving style configurations. Also testing out the instrument cluster behind the wheel.
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Testing simulation environment, driving experience, realism, and edge case scenarios.
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Testing our IVI interactions, visual design, iconography, layouts, edge case communications with users and AV handoff.
Final Changes
Our final sitemaps and sim changes
Based on the feedback from our 2 rounds of user testing, we iterated on our sitemaps to create our final sitemap for the IVI display and the Instrument Cluster as shown below. We made a lot of key changes to the information architecture. The following changes were made to create the final iteration of Revolution:-
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Instrument cluster has navigation notifications and AV driving symbology on it
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Notification design changed to make notifications more informative and visually more appealing
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Journey confirmation flow added for easier route-setting
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Reworded copy on IVI screens for easier absorption
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Different kinds of notifications - in-car (emotional recognition) and out-of-car (safety) notifications
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Adding tellates to behind wheel instrument cluster
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Creating a more detailed, immersive environment in Unity
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Adding signage in environment to aid direction
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Adding better driving feedback, i.e. braking
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Adding more scenarios to add to the immersive feel of the simulator
The Final Product
The End Result
After all of this testing, feedback, iteration and addition, Revolution is finally ready.
Revolution addresses the pre-purchase touchpoint for potential AV users who hold a number of fears: how the AV handles edge cases, what the car feels like to drive, and how to interact with it. It offers a solution for customers who are curious about the technology but don't quite feel ready to take it onto the real road, where they may be involved in an accident.
It acclimates customers to driving with an AV, and prepares them for driving the real thing should they choose to do so at a later time. It offers valuable experiences that users most certainly have questions about but would not experience in a normal, real-world test drive. Most importantly, it retrains users' common knowledge with experiential knowledge, which is the gateway to their acceptance later down the line. Revolution isn't the only part of the AV Revolution, but it's a new angle we're excited to explore.
My Reflection
Looking back
This project was an enormous learning experience for me. The topic space we decided to tackle was very complex and deep, and the approach we took was innovative but very intense. We as a team worked harder than any of us had ever before, and we had quite a few moments when we felt lost or aimless, for example - building a whole simulation from scratch in 2 weeks. What united us as a team was the love for this project and a passion for creating memorable and beautiful experiences that help people. I am really proud of the final outcome, and I also learnt a few things along the way:
1) It's not just the inside experience after purchase - a large part of the fear was pre-purchase, which we only realized and decided to tackle later as a team.
2) It's good to be a specialist, but multi-disciplinary collaboration can do wonders - Task delegation played a key role in this project. There were many responsibilities and roles, and all of us needed to be diverse in our skillsets to achieve the outcomes we needed.
3) Some projects need multiple avenues of testing - We realized that testing our IVI on a laptop screen was definitely not enough, and that we needed to create an actual immersive experience to get accurate user feedback.
The Final Product
IVI Prototype
Want more?
Check out some of my other projects.
The Final Product
Behind Wheel Display
The final instrumental cluster is compliant with the heuristics of automotive UX design today, while providing a fresh visual take on the potential cluster for an autonomous vehicle, as well as embodying aspects of communication and interface from the IVI.
Our Mission
MP3 is an AI platform that drives connection within an organization, and serves as a community to engage employees to learn, grow and share knowledge within the organization.
With the power of AI, MP3 offers a quick, real-time and data-driven approach for HR to manage and retain the organization’s workforce in a modern way.
Driving connection to build a high-performing organization
Round 2 Feedback
IVI Display
Onboarding + Nav
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Set up process was easy to follow
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Appreciated different layout choices
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Less text is good
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Navigation was easy to follow
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Some copy needs reword (“Disclaimer”)
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Notifications need to be more visible
Instrument Cluster
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Speed limit indication is nice
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Add notifications to instrument cluster as well
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Add AV mode indicator
Emotional Rec. Tech.
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ERT and Driving Styles are contextualized well
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Differentiate between in-car (emotional recognition) and out-of-car (safety) notifications
Our Mission
MP3 is an AI platform that drives connection within an organization, and serves as a community to engage employees to learn, grow and share knowledge within the organization.
With the power of AI, MP3 offers a quick, real-time and data-driven approach for HR to manage and retain the organization’s workforce in a modern way.
Driving connection to build a high-performing organization
Round 2 Feedback
Simulator
Driving
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Driving felt natural and very realistic
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The speed felt natural and speedometer readings felt accurate
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Braking needs to be more powerful
Environment
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Users got lost a few times and didn’t know where to go
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Environment felt very bland and empty
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Add more relatable environments like city areas
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Add signage for directions
Scenario
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Construction scenario works well to make users feel more confident an the AV’s capabilities
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Add more scenarios so that people can get a feel for the range of the AV’s capabilities
Target Audience and Personnae
Jesse's Journey
We chose Jesse's journey because of his pain points - which showed that he was extremely uncomfortable with the idea of AVs, meant that he was the ideal customer for Revolution. It was people like Jesse that we wanted to get more acclimatized to the AV revolution.
What's the problem?
45+ Million Millenials
worry about roads with Autonomous Vehicles
Research
Define
Design
Deliver
The Indigo Awards 2022
It is also my pleasure to share that Revolution was submitted to The Indigo Awards 2022 in multiple categories, where it won multiple Silvers and 1 Bronze Award in every category it was submitted for!
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