Design of the In-vehicle Experience

The in-vehicle experience, both physical and digital, is increasingly the differentiating factor between vehicles. Since touch displays, smart surfaces, and internet connectivity are present in most vehicle segments, the growing resemblance of in-vehicle experiences with mobile experiences leads to user expectations on par with smartphones. While manufacturers are faced with providing suitable service offerings that are safe to use, they must also identify services to exclude or limit, without encouraging drivers to resort back to their mobile devices. This increasingly complex in-vehicle experience design process is being shaped by new stakeholders, including operating system providers and application developers. Design of the In-vehicle Experience examines the challenging and changing relationships between manufacturers (that lack in software development and mobile experience design skills) and new stakeholders (that lack the decades of experience designing for the driving context). The report also discusses augmenting and expanding existing guidelines and best practices to address the challenges of modern in-vehicle experience design.