This is an HMI design challenge I completed at New York University, where my research centered around designing for self-driving systems future vision. However, I still wanted to inform my visual decisions with user-centered methodology.

RESEARCH

What is the self-driving experience we’re tackling?

This design question is very vague, so I first started dissecting it. There are so many self-driving experiences out there, so what is the specific scenario we’re tackling? I started with conducting user surveys and interviews, asking “What comes to mind when I talk about self-driving cars?”
Interestingly, people often think about full-automation vehicles, the more futuristic, sometimes even scifi perception of it. I’d like to highlight the interesting findings I received. Many users report feeling reluctant about adopting self-driving features due to safety concerns.

CONVERGE

Defining the Problem Space

With that research, I centered this project around a more North Star area: aiming for Level 5 full automation system because that’s an area that requires the most UX support and user advocacy. Imagine we have that for the future. As a UXD, my role now is to identify how we could facilitate the transition into a fully autonomous era so that users feel safe and more trust toward the system.

RESEARCH

What HMI medium are we leveraging?

Now, the next piece of the design question: There are so many HMI options. What is the specific medium we need?
I researched into existing HMI methods, and that’s when I started looking at AR heads-up display (HUD). I noticed that many companies currently use AR HUD in GPS or ways to alert users of road conditions.

There are many constraints of AR HUD that make it challenging to design, but also advantages that make it great for this use case.

EXPERT INTERVIEW

Key Themes to Explore in the Design

Now, the next piece of the design question: There are so many HMI options. What is the specific medium we need?
To help me decide on how to move to the design stage, I conducted expert interviews with 2 experts who have worked with self-driving vehicles extensively. Here are some key insights they offered.

CONVERGE

Defining the Scope

DEVELOP

My Design Decisions

TESTING

How Do I Test a Future Vision Feature?

Now how do I bring this design to a group of audience? How do I test a future-vision project? I did not have much support at NYU in this area, so I had to come up with alternatives myself.

I did not have

However, I did have... Virtual Reality!

TESTING

Great Feedback but Need More Realistic Next Steps

The main feedback I got were just it looks cool, it’s interesting to see, great idea. Ultimately, users still know it’s a VR headset so they are absolutely safe, but it’s a first step of testing I could do with the limited resources.

NEXT STEPS

Bringing Back to the Present

Ultimately, I’m still designing for a North Star vision, so I need to pull it back and think about the present. How do we implement changes to the current reality, or 2-5 years into the future?

Some Lingering Thoughts...

This project was my attempt at an HMI visual challenge that tackles a problem space I’m very passionate about, and informing my visual decisions with user-centered thinking, exploring how we could continue serving the users in a future that’s heavily directed by technology.