App Design for Future Self-driving Car
Existing mobile applications that facilitate interaction between users and their vehicles are insufficient for the evolving era of level 5 autonomous vehicles.
A solo thesis project explore forthcoming requirements and resolutions for the management of self-driving cars, and develop and test a prototype designed for overseeing and controlling autonomous vehicles within shared user settings.
My Role
Solo Designer​
Duration
14 weeks
Challenge
To address the changes in user needs between the current state of driving and the advent of Level 5 self-driving cars, it's essential to consider how these shifts impact the design and functionality of a mobile app for users.
User Centered Design Process
Research and Discovery
Methodology
Paper Research
Paper Research
User Interview
Competitor Analysis
Paper Research
A total of 12 papers on fully autonomous vehicles were reviewed to gain an overview of existing research on how autonomous cars would change people's driving behaviors together with the benefits and challenges that smartphone apps bring to the use of autonomous cars.
1. Increased Engagement in Non-Driving Tasks with Higher Levels of Autonomous Cars.
(Ataya et al., 2021; Zmud et al., 2016)
2. Mobile apps will play a key role for autonomous vehicles, providing convenience and potentially in building trust.
​(Oliveira et al., 2018)
3. The current market lacks research on app design for fully autonomous cars.
User Interview
After the initial research on the academic papers, I wanted to get ideas from targeted audience to see their needs and expectations towards the product, which in service of formulating the design and the functionality of the mobile app.
10 participants were selected from the screener survey and were queried with a total of 11 questions.
Common Scenarios
1
Users tend to focus on Non-driving Related Tasks instead of driving
2
The demand for taxi services and self-parking features.
3
Willingness to share the car with trusted people
Competitor Analysis
？
Define
Persona
Journey Map
User Experience Flow
Design Conceptual Grammar
User Stories
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I want schedule my car to pick up my kids/friends by itself, so I can save some driving time.
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I wish to send my car to drive my children to school, so I don’t need t to drive myself.
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I would like to know who is in my car by real time, so I can make sure the person in my car is safe.
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I wish the car can drive me to work/travel, so I don’t need t to drive myself.
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I can schedule the car to drop me off at airport and go home, so I save some parking fee.
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I hope the car can pick me up within a short time, so I won’t need to wait too long.
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I should know my car’s schedules and real-time status, so I can know what my car is doing/plan my trips.
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I hope the car can arrange my trips based on a routine schedule, so I don't need to set it up every day.
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I could send my car to pick up grocery (any kind of delivery service), so I don’t need to go by myself.
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I hope the car can refill energy by itself when it’s free, so that I don’t need to worry about fuel/electricity.
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I wish the car can park itself, so I don’t need to go find parking.
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I wish the parking cost can be manageable, so it won’t be too expensive.
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I want my car can schedule and go maintenance automatically.
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I wish to book trips/request rides through the app, so I can plan my trips in advance.
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I hope the car can combine/optimize my family members’ schedule if there is a conflict, so I don’t need to replan trips.
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I wish the car could notify me of any conflicts in driving tasks, allowing me to decide how the car should be used.
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I wish the car can notify me once it can’t function, so I could get it fixed asap.
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I wish the car can keep me updated when the car is doing automatic tasks.
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I wish to communicate with the shared people through the car.
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I wish to see the inside and outside of the car when I'm not there, so I can ensure its safety.
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I want the car can pay fees (parking/bridge) both by itself and manually.
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I hope the car can calculate travel time and pick me up to ensure I arrive at a specific time.
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I hope the car can provide options/suggestions of use based on my calendar. (ex. Lunch places)
Action-Object Matrix
Trips
Cars
Objects
Users
Expense
View
Actions
CRUD
Park
Pay
Prioritization Matrix
More Visible
By Many User
By Few User
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Book a trip
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Check car's status
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View car's schedule (Trips)
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Send the car for maintenance and delivery services
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Check car's energy level
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Modify trips
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Combine trips
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Edit parking setting
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Edit notification setting
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Set payment info
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Contact for emergency
Frequent
Rare
Fewer Clicks
Wireframe Sketches
Mid-fi Prototype
Usability Testing on Prototype
A sample size of 10 individuals participated in a 60-minute remote usability testing session. Both Qualitative and Quantitative Data were collected for a total of 8 tasks performed.
Recruitment was carried out via social media platforms.
Participants who met inclusion criteria were selected.
Materials included laptops with camera, phone, Zoom app.
Study Procedure from obtaining consent to post-session interviews.
Test Result for analysis and improvements.
In summary, the test results indicated that the mid-fidelity prototype showed strong usability, with an average score of 7.7 for intuitiveness and 8.4 for usefulness. Additionally, the average success rate for all eight tasks was 95%.
​
However, during the test a couple of identified usability issues were also observed and addressed in design iterations to improve the overall user experience of the interface.
Design improvements
​Home Page
Before
After
Real-time Car Status
When landing on the home page, details about the status and progress in car tasks would provide users with the confidence, especially when the car is in use.
​Main Menu Bar
Based on participants' feedback, the button for adding a new trip could be more prominent and descriptive.
Create a Self-driving Schedule
Before
After
Trip Type Selection
Confusion arose between the trip type designated as "user" and "service." Thus the trip type definition were refined for clarity.
​
The use of trip priority level was minimized since users can communicate directly with each other in case of conflicts
Half of the subjects failed to include a return journey at first, focusing solely on the first part.
The addition of the selection between "one way" and "round trip" provides convenience for trip planning.
Before
After
Trip Segments
Relocating the time selection feature closer to the starting point/destination and displaying an estimated time to the other location.
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Using colors to promote the desired planned time with estimated start/arrival time of each ride.
Conflicting Message
Before
After
Notice Window
Visually showing time slots for the planned trip and the affected trip instead of text information.
Before
After
Highlighting Suggested Trip Segment
Help users to better understand the adjustments made by the system to their planned trips.
AI Suggestions
New AI Suggestions ​
Facilitating quick and convenient access for potential use by integrating historical data and frequent locations, streamlining trip planning processes.
Final Design
Home Page
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Displaying essential information through visual elements as well as written explanations.
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Promote the most desired info “when I can use the car” in home page.
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In cooperation AI-based suggestions for easy trip planning.
Schedule a Routine Trip
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Provide the option to set most recent and frequent destinations.
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Efficient trip planning hinges on considering location, time, and parking options.
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Users can adjust additional settings, review and edit trip details as needed.
Conflicting Trip Planning
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In the event of a potential conflict, a notification window will appear offering suggestions.
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Highlight the modified trip segment proposed by the system to enhance user comprehension.
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Users can forward trip alteration requests to others, ensuring all shared participants are on the same page.
If I Had More Time...
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Explore situations for multiple shared autonomous vehicles.
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Smart scheduling maintenance events to avoid disruptions to the user experience.
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Consider safety issues including how to adapt to supporting facilities such as battery charging, grocery pick-ups, and cybersecurity risks.
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Conduct second round of usability testing on mobile devices.
