Team with Edwin D’Mello, Roselinde Loeffen, Pinar Kesenci
Introduction
In this project we focused on designing an interface for the Royal Dutch Touring Club ANWB with the aim of delivering real time information to drivers regardless of what they drive. ANWB is the largest club in Netherlands consisting of 4.4 million members (2018) providing roadside assistance and real-time traffic information through desktop and mobile applications. In the span of 20 weeks the team explored three different concepts, two placed in today and one placed in the future. The final deliverable product is a smartwatch application which enables daily commuters receive and ask real-time information about their routine routes. The idea encapsulates the strongest insights from all concepts including unobtrusiveness, omnipresence, safety and trust.
Process
User research with 2 online surveys
Lab research; Observe and measure driver distractions while navigating
Speculative design, as a tool generate insights for the present
Concept and Design (Pen & Paper)
Prototyping (Illustrator, Sketch, Figma, Marvel, Foam and a 3D printer)
Design Validation with 9 users
Design Iteration (Illustrator, Android Studio)
Outcomes presented & discussed with CX experts from ANWB every two weeks
Lab Research
We used eye tracking software, a driving simulator (TDU), and an action camera to stream the map navigation instructions on a smartphone app. The smartphone was fixed on a car phone holder on the right side of the wheel to simulate the placement of the phone or GPS instrument while driving in the real world. We tested both scenarios: visual only navigations and audio-only instructions. This research validated that visual instructions are effective in reaching the desired destination but significantly more distracting from the driving experience. Meanwhile audio-only instructions were as effective reaching the destination but created a constant sense of mistrust to the system.
Design prototyping
Our design decision was to focus on commuters, who know their typical driving routine but seek critical information such as: traffic jams ahead, unexpected delays and the reason behind, alternative routes. This we ideated on systems that would enable users for easy access to critical information at-a-glance without taking the eyes off the road. We created concepts for tactile physical devices that would attach on the handlebars of your bicycle, and ended up with a smartwatch MVP due to similar form factor. The solution proved to be effective while driving, with high satisfaction and minimal distraction. A smartphone app was also designed for before and after driving to understand today's conditions.
Field research with prototype
Form factor alternatives rapid prototyping
Android prototyping
The team explored different form factors, hardware devices and software applications and validated though user research to iterate on the designs. The ANWB Commute concept is focused on smartwatch interactions for while driving requiring absolutely no touch input. Flick-up your wrist to select upper command, flick-down to select lower command. By using wrist-flick gesture provided by Android, we made human-computer interaction safer and easier to reach any time while being on the road on your foot, car, bike, motorcycle, skateboard or even broomstick.
