GENERAL MOTORS
general motors
A luxury vehicle experience integrating advanced personalization, AI-driven features, and ergonomic design to seamlessly connect in-vehicle systems with a mobile app, enhancing comfort, convenience, and safety.
ROLE
UX Researcher
TIMELINE
tEAM
Hrithik Sanyal
METHODS & SKILLS
Personas
Prototyping
Wireframing
TOOLS
Screens Studio
Overview / Summary
We designed a luxury vehicle experience for General Motors, integrating advanced in-vehicle systems with a mobile app to redefine comfort, convenience, and safety. Focusing on the 2024 Cadillac Escalade-V, our design caters to the luxury segment, incorporating customizable themes, AI-driven voice assistants, and an ergonomic heads-up display (HUD) for distraction-free driving. With a focus on personalization and seamless cross-channel integration, the project leveraged Figma for prototyping and insights from user research to deliver an innovative solution that enhances the driving experience while maintaining the highest safety standards.
What's the Problem?
Literature Review
We conducted a literature review to understand the priorities and expectations of luxury vehicle users.
Key insights include:
Comfort: Users expect personalized features like adjustable seating, climate control, and ambient lighting to enhance comfort.
Advanced Technology:
- AI-driven assistants, augmented reality dashboards, and gesture controls are highly valued
Convenience:
- Seamless integration between in-vehicle systems and mobile apps allows users to control functions remotely and access real-time information
Safety:
- Robust driver assistance systems (ADAS) and distraction-free interfaces are non-negotiable for luxury users
Summary of Insights:
- Luxury users prioritize comfort, cutting-edge technology, convenience, and safety
- Our design decisions, such as theme customization, AI-powered assistants, and ergonomic HUDs, align with these insights
Who is the Target Audience?
Our target audience for this project includes luxury vehicle users with high expectations for comfort, advanced technology, and seamless integration. These users seek personalized driving experiences, intuitive interfaces, and innovative features tailored to their needs.
Personas
Amy Vaughn:
- Focused on tech integration, Amy values seamless connections between her vehicle and devices, as well as advanced personalization and intuitive interfaces
Frank Johnson:
- Prioritizes family-friendly features and safety, seeking distraction-free driving and profiles that adapt to different users
Evelyn Matthews:
- Emphasizes luxury, personalization, and seamless connectivity, requiring a highly customizable system that aligns with her lifestyle
Design Decisions
Decision 1 - Theme Customization
Decision: Enable users to personalize the vehicle’s aesthetic and sensory environment, including interface colors, ambient lighting, and music
Feature: Various themes for the user to pick from. For example, the “Vice Theme,” inspired by the vibrant 80s aesthetic of “Miami Vice,” offers a nostalgic blend of neon colors and the iconic series’ theme song, enhancing the ambiance with corresponding lighting colors.
Research Basis: Personalization is a top priority for luxury users
Literature Review Sources:
Decision 2 - AI & Personalization: Enhancing Driver-Vehicle Interaction
Decision: Integrated an AI-powered assistant for natural language commands, contextual suggestions, and tailored interactions
Feature: Users can customize AI personalities to match chosen themes and preferences
Research Basis: Advanced technology enhances convenience and interaction for luxury users
Literature Review Sources:
Decision 3 - Heads-Up Display (HUD): A Paradigm of Safety and Convenience
Decision: Developed a heads-up display (HUD) with intuitive, distraction-free interfaces for vital information
Feature: The HUD provides vital information at a glance without overwhelming the driver, maintaining high safety standards and enhancing convenience
Research Basis: Minimizing driver distraction is critical for safety
Literature Review Sources:
Prototype
Prototype can be found on Figma by using the following link:
Mobile Application
Our mobile app extends the in-vehicle experience, allowing users to:
- Remotely control vehicle functions such as climate, seat settings, and lighting
- Access real-time vehicle information and notifications
- Synchronize with AI-driven assistants for seamless integration between mobile and in-vehicle systems
Reflection
This project provided invaluable learning experiences in two key areas:
Designing for a Luxury Vehicle:
I gained a deep understanding of the unique expectations and challenges of creating a luxury user experience. Balancing advanced features with simplicity and ensuring that personalization enhances rather than overwhelms the user was critical to the success of this project.
Designing a Multi-Screen System:
Working on a system that spanned both in-vehicle interfaces and a mobile application taught me the importance of maintaining consistency and seamless integration across platforms. Ensuring that users could transition between the screens without confusion required careful attention to detail in interaction design and visual hierarchy.