Revolution

Revolution is a car dealership test driving experience that builds user acceptance for AVs up to level 4. Using a personalised set up process and a curated simulation, Revolution builds users’ confidence by addressing their fears of how the AV handles difficult driving situations.

My role

UX Researcher, UI and Prototype designer.

Duration

Mar - May 2021
10 weeks

Course

Information Architecture IACT 370
Professor Sung Park
Professor Ascanio Di Paliano

Team

Project Lead Quint Bailey →
Research Lead Alejandro Marques →
Visual Lead Arjun Gupta →
Interaction Design Lead Nandika Gupta →

Revolution was awarded a finalist position in the 2021 Rookies Awards.

Rookies Award →

Revolution also received 4 Silver and 1 Bronze Indigo Design Award.

Indigo Award →

Topic of Interest

Building a sense of comfort and control for the passengers & drivers of AVs with the help of emotional recognition technology.

Inside a vehicle, the amount, quality, and delivery of information is essential not only for a good experience, but protecting the lives of users and their passengers.

We want to rework the pain points users feel in their experience interfacing with the vehicle by utilizing emotional recognition technologies to keep our passengers informed, entertained, and safe.

Initial Problem Statement

AVs with highly intelligent emotional recognition technology are the future. However, most people do not completely understand how this technology works, leading to a lack of trust with autonomous vehicles.

Target Audience

United States residents

Millenials Age Range:
25-45

Current or future drivers of Level 4 Autonomous vehicles

While this space is working with advanced technology that is not yet widely accepted or understood by the population, our expected outcomes for this project is grow Autonomous empathy, a sense of trust and safety in AVs, leading toward building a higher acceptance for AVs.

Section 1

Research

Our goals were to understand how to build trust, confidence, control and a sense of safety for the passengers riding Autonomous Vehicles.

Every year, 37,000 people die in car crashes in the United States.
94% of serious crashes are due to human error.

Risks of an AV

Uncertain responsibility in the case of an accident

Distrust and lack of understanding in automation and technology

The AV technology is still imperfect and needs time to mature

Benefits of an AV

Help in decreasing road accidents in comparison to human-driven vehicles

Road traffic can be reduced with fully connected autonomous vehicles

Help in reducing road pollution & making the environment greener

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.”

What people expect

Knowledge

Comfort

Safety

Emotional Recognition Technology in AVs

Multimodal Models are a combination of each of these methods to get a clearer picture of the emotional state of a driver.

Radio waves

Speech Recognition

Thermal Imaging

Facial Expression

Eye Gaze

After doing secondary research on different types of emotional recognition, we decided to focus on facial expression, eye gaze, as well as heart rate in our concept moving forward.

Competitors, or enablers?

Who is already out there and what are they doing?

Level 3, Personal Vehicle
Steering Wheel and 15” touchscreen

Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
Camera and sensors
Autopark, Auto Lane Change

Level 5 - Fully driverless, Ride Share Service
Steering Wheel and Live Video Feed to see what Waymo sees

Ride Share Service
LiDAR, camera, Radar
Live rider support agent

Level 5 - Fully driverless, Ride Share Service

LiDAR, camera, Radar
Origin - No driver seat

Level 5 - Fully driverless, Ride Share Service

LiDAR, camera, Radar
Predetermined mapped routes
“Carriage style” car

Primary Research Methods

Experience-based Observation

Tesla Model Y Test Drive

10 Interviews

7 users, 3 experts

Cultural Probe (N = 32)

“Is Self-Driving the Future?”

Cultural Probe Results

Need for Control in AVs

Drivers want to feel in control and responsible for the actions of the car, especially in high risk situations

Riders want the ability to override the AV to take back control in difficult scenarios

Riders want “just enough” transparent communication from their AV to compensate for the lack of control of the vehicle

Fear Surrounding AVs

Users have concerns about edge cases that may throw off the AV

There is considerable technophobia that a computer could never be on the same level as a human brain

Users are aware based on prior experience that software and technology can be fallible at times

Driving Behaviour, Styles & Pleasure

Some users want AVs to emulate human driving style and retain the same judgement calls as they do (passive vs. aggressive)

People enjoy the sensory aspects of driving (feeling the car run, speed, views)

Results in a unique set of emotions that drivers experience with their vehicles

Design Questions

HMW foster users’ sense of control and inspire confidence with an AVs ability to handle any scenario it may encounter?

HMW utilize our technology both non-invasively and consensually so it doesn’t feel creepy?

HMW overcome users' initial apprehension and conditioned fears concerning AVs?

HMW communicate the AVs actions and system state to users without overwhelming them with too much information?

Section 2

Develop

By defining the core problems clearly and identifying our target audience, we shifted into ideating a concept that would cater to fulfilling their emotions and our business goals.

Concept 1

Test Drive Experience

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.

Concept 1 Expected Outcome

Feature Function Task

Concept 1 Rationale

By exposing people to an immersive test drive, it provides them with the knowledge of how an AV works and how it is keeping them safe, reducing their fear and building confidence in the AVs.

Concept 2

Redesigned AV Ecosystem

A redesigned AV ecosystem that creates a seamless in- and out-of-car experience to build a sense of control and confidence in AVs.

Emotional Recognition Technology

In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI)

Voice User Interface (VUI)

Smart Key Fob

Concept 2 Interaction Model

Feature Function Task

Concept 2 Rationale

Users have a negative bias and fear towards AVs because of misinformation and lack of knowledge. Users feel unsettled and anxious in an AV due to the lack of control and human presence in the car. This can also be an isolating experience that induces further anxiety in a user.

While both concepts emerged to be strong ideas, we primarily chose to move forward with concept 1 as the base, then to push the innovation of it as far as our timeline and technical skill and understanding would allow us. Our next step was to build out the scenarios, task flows, screens and visuals for the test drive route and experience.

User Scenarios for the test drive

User goes through the AV settings and customizes the display layouts, emotional recognition and AV driving style to match their preferences.

User interacts with the IVI, navigates to a destination and the AV helps the user switch lanes when there is a construction site on the road.

User interacts with the IVI, navigates to a destination and the AV helps the user pull over for an emergency vehicle passing by.

Task Flow Scenario 1

Set Up

Task Flow Scenario 2

Construction Site

Revised Interaction Model

User Testing Overview

User Testing Objectives

Testing onboarding interactions and user comprehension of copy and technical settings.

Testing homepage layouts, placement of information and labels.

General questions on written copy, setup, Emotion Recognition Technology, homepage, iconography and alerts/notifications.

User Testing Tasks

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.

Users would then navigate to the Homepage, set a location and begin experiencing the IVI interactions.

User Testing Round 1

7 Participants

Closed & Open Card sorting

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

Users prefer to have seat adjustment, windshield wipers, blinkers and lighting to be controlled via tactile buttons in the car

User Testing Round 2

5 Participants

Wizard of Oz

Lo-Fi Wireframes - Set Up Screens

Set up process was easy to follow

Offer a layout with a bigger map when not in self-driving mode

Make driving style preferences more accessible through the landing page

Provide more context to how Emotion Recognition Technology is used within the AV

Differentiate between in-car (emotional recognition) and out-of-car (safety) notifications

Mid-Fi Wireframes - Set Up Screens in Light Mode

Appreciated different layout choices

Less text is good

Lo-Fi Wireframes - Navigation & Alerts

Users want the physical experience of the static tactile buttons

Navigation was easy to follow

Need more control over alerts and notifications

Notifications need to be more visible

Mid-Fi Wireframes - Navigation & Alerts in Light Mode

Visual elements

Some of the copy and terms aren’t clear.

Some features need better explanation, suggested through visuals to easily absorb info.

Too much copy on certain screens, it is hard to digest.

Some greys are too light, not enough contrast.

Final Site Map

After further evaluation by users and an expert, Prof. Ascanio Paliano, we were able to define the site map of the car IVI center display, behind the wheel display, and tactile buttons.

User Testing Round 3

6 Participants

Wizard of Oz

Driving

Driving felt natural and very realistic

The speed felt natural and speedometer readings felt accurate

Braking needs to be more powerful

Environment

Users got lost a few times and didn’t know where to go

Environment felt very bland and empty

Add more relatable environments like city areas

Add signage for directions

Scenarios

Construction scenario works well to make users feel more confident an the AV’s capabilities

Add more scenarios so that people can get a feel for the range of the AV’s capabilities