Autonomous mobility
I led the team through an ethnographic research study in two Chinese cities and generated concepts using mixed reality in self-driving cars.
Role
Design & Research lead
Responsibilities
User research
Product strategy
UI UX design
Timeline
Nov 2018 - Mar 2019
Problem
We needed to understand the Chinese consumer more deeply to design experiences for them.
NIO is an EV manufacturer in China. I worked at their San Francisco studio, in charge of developing advanced experience concepts for Electric Vehicles and autonomous. The main target market for the cars were Chinese consumers, but we needed to deeply understand their user needs before designing for them. We aimed to complement the research and trends we know of the West for autonomous cars. Starting with ethnographic research in China, we ultimately explored concepts aimed at enhancing the experience of riding in an autonomous car, making it more enjoyable, thoughtful, and engaging.
Research & Insights
Education: arm's race
Chinese parents want their children to start out ahead of the pack and stay there. There’s a lot at stake for one-child parents and they are always on the alert for new resources or tools to give them a competitive advantage.
"My son has liked Legos since he was two. When I allowed him to learn Legos, I just wanted him to be able to learn while doing something that he is interested in. He must like it, as the child has a lot of pressure."
YZ, 35, Hangzhou
Mother to 5 y.o. ZX
A peek into their world
Parents have an unquenched appetite for information about their kids. Our respondents expressed a desire to learn about their children’s preferences and tastes and to track progress toward their children’s goals.
"On weekend afternoons, I sometimes go along to watch him [at tutoring]. I watch him in the classroom. I will know if he doesn’t understand the classwork."
L, 31, Shanghai
Mother to 5 y.o. ZX
Goals
The team brainstormed a number of conceptual ideas, from creation of inherent surfaces to "Bring-your-own" devices
Inspiration for "bring your own" devices - Lego collection from a participant's home
Solution
Mixed reality experiences
We explored concepts aimed at enhancing the experience of riding in an autonomous car, making it more enjoyable, thoughtful, and engaging. We decided that we would allow for a playful way for car riders to convert nearby cars to sea creatures. These visualizations prompted considerations about the positioning and transition speed of these creatures, as well as defining the boundaries of human perception to avoid the uncanny valley.
With this concept, individuals can elevate their in-car experience, applying learning and educational elements as desired, whether they are in the office, at home, or on the road.
We also considered a retractable smart surface "Contextual control Surface" that we could use as a dual surface - both as a touchscreen as well as a playing surface.
Impact
Conclusion
Overall I got to learn about designing for autonomy and a 0 -> 1 product. There are more explorations and projects that I was a part of, designing and researching experiences, services hardware and digital prototypes, tangible user interfaces at NIO that is not mentioned here. More details upon request.