Case Study

Advanced Automotive UX - Designing for a future with humans at the center.


Overview
At Volkswagen I worked on multiple concepts for the next generation of vehicles within the VW Brands. We focused on concepts for both human driven and autonomous vehicles, with an emphasis on human-centered processes. Our main topics of interest were looking at the interaction of Advanced Driver Assistance systems (ADAS), and the integration of AI in vehicle infotainment.
Role
Design Lead, UX/UI Designer, QT/QML Prototyping, Design Research, Framer.js, Electronics prototyping
Timeline
2017-2018

My work on this project is largely confidential, so I can't share any shiny details publicly. Please contact me directly if you'd like to learn more about the project. I'm at smithvisual@gmail.com

 

R&D Design Process — RITE Testing with the Wizard

During my time working at VW, my teammates and I developed a modified version of RITE testing using a remote research observation system called the Wizard of Oz system.

 
 

RITE stands for rapid iterative testing and evaluation. It is a method of usability testing derived from the gaming division at Microsoft. The idea for this method is that usability issues are identified and solved as quickly as possible. – Source

The WoZ system uses live video, audio, car data, and Wizard of Oz speech and inter-faces to enable remote observation and interaction prototyping on the road & in a car. – Source

 
 

A breakdown of how to run a RITE test can be seen in the image below. Over the course of my time at Volkswagen we setup, and ran many variations on this testing method. We’ve developed variations of this test that aim to capture concept acceptance more than usability, and versions that test A/B prototypes. It’s a favorite research/prototyping method for me at the moment 🙂