TOPIC AND AIM

 

The current research is part of the course Project Research and Design from the course User Experience Design, which is taught at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. The project revolves around improving the services of TomTom, a company that is collaborating and evaluating our design direction and progress.

TomTom Curfer has been recently launched and the focus of the project is specifically on the app interface and
functionalities. The core functionality of the app is to deliver information about the driving style of the driver through colors from red to green showing the real-time performance. The end design and prototype should be entirely based on pure research data obtained through the interview we conduct with a recruited participant. The topic I work on is not headed towards improving on already existing services, but connecting them and using third-party services to increase the functionalities and presence of the Curfer app with a connection to these third-party services so as to create a ubiquitous experience for the user and make Curfer a ‘smarter’ app. Currently, TomTom navigation maps play key role in Uber, therefore the TomTom maps are already heavily connected to the third party’s API and because of the internal access they have obtained, functionalities like ridesharing, taxi-hailing and transportation network services, similar to the functionalities that Uber provides to its users, could be easier to implement in the Curfer app to lead to connect the app to functionalities crucial for delivering a holistic, feature-rich driving experience. For the interviewee’s insights to come to the surface, information concerning what applications they use when in the car should be derived from ethnographic interview and observation. Additionally, what navigation services they use and how well it responds to different devices and form factors should be obtained with the research. The connected car implemented technology as maintenance and car statistics all pave the path to a holistic car experience that stems from user research on features express to be crucial for purchasing a vehicle in the near future.

 

 

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1 What applications do people use when in the car and why?

1.1 Which are the applications that automate their driving experience by helping them keep

their eyes on the road and not on the device screen?

2. What devices do users connect to their car?

3. What do car drivers use voice assistant in the car for?

4. What services do car drivers make use of to discover information they need about their car?

 

 

RESEARCH DATA

The connected car – the main research topic of the current document and the way it is evolving could be described as a vehicle able to optimize its own operation and maintenance as well as the convenience and comfort of its passengers using onboard sensors and Internet connectivity. Important findings come to show that 28 percent of new car buyers prioritize car connectivity features over engine power or fuel efficiency, and 13 percent would not even buy a car that is not connected to the Internet today.

 

 

OBSERVATION DATA

Observing the in-car experience of my user took place after the interview. This order of conducting the research was chosen due to the liking of my user to first show their technology so that I first get to know the driving behavior and he has more time to remember all the applications he often subconsciously accesses. It did help my interviewee to later address the same applications.  

 

Observation insights:

My interviewee looked straight at the screen with every app opening, interacted with every screen while keeping eyes on the road and was still checking the obstacles in the Waze app ahead, all while driving on a highway. Later, he did reveal he considers this behavior of looking too much at the screen and not relying on voice assistance as dangerous.

When in the car and first describing the Waze application, Joel was talking with excitement about his colleagues and showed some of his connected friends in the car. For him, belonging to a community was a driving factor behind using the car.

The transponder was easy to reach by my interviewee, as it was placed on a visible place in the place next to the Hard Disc and the old navigation system, hinting at its frequent use.

The old navigation maps system was too much inside of the car and was not clearly visible to him, therefore he had to bend a little to check the large scale road ahead. This could be listed as one of the reason for the less usage of the system, besides the outdated maps.

My user had a phone holder for his iPhone and was using it with ease, therefore all apps could be conveniently used single-handed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The outdated map system, which the interviewee only uses to see the road on a bigger scale
so he can see 15 kilometers around him in order to position himself from a border or from a next city
or from a city, he is driving to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The transponder my interviewee uses to for driving through gateways for the payment that he is using the highway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Waze account page, where my interviewee has been given additional options like putting the route to his home address and work, and planned routes. My user pointed at the small notification area (Nieuwe Berichten), which he explained is important for keeping in touch with updates from his colleagues when on the road to a community experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interviewee is pointing at the function of Waze to show traffic jams ahead in the red bubble above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The picture above is from the Waze application, which my user mostly uses in his car as explained from the interview stage. He opens a description box to see more explanation of the symbols that inform him about difficulties on the road ahead, in this case, traffic jams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the picture above, the iPhone of most used as the device for accessing new maps and entertainment apps, the old maps in the device with the big navigation screen and the Hard Disc with Wi-Fi connection which is used by his children for access to video entertainment in the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Péago, the app that makes the journey to France more enjoyable and cheaper as explained by my interviewee. It guides to the least expensive entrance to a highway.

 

 

USER INSIGHTS

1. My user would like to connect his phone to his car and then read the engine statistics and combine it with navigation as it could help him to adjust his speed or adjust the route he is taking, but in combination with gas stations in order to optimize his driving and as desired drive more economic.

2. New and advanced drivers all make use of an application which shows real-time challenges and obstacles on the road (Waze).

3. A desire for automatic payment as you go.

 

 

END PROTOTYPE

The conducted research was rich in data from Waze, as the interviewee explicitly mentioned he made us of the application the most and on regular basis. In the face of Waze app, which delivers alerts about police, speed cameras, traffic jams, accidents and cheapest gas, I saw potential in integration with Curfer. Instead of switching between screens, by using the suggested design the user would be able to instantly receive eye-grabbing alerts about road obstacles and cheapest gas on the road. By following the cheapest gas location alerts, he would save a small amount in terms of the difference in price with more expensive gas refuel around. In his daily Road Story, he would be able to see the savings and as Immersion factor, he would have to collect bigger saving so as to "repay" the price of his car or an item.

 

DURATION

10 weeks, 2017