WHEELE

A concept for the future of Urban Mobility

Time

June 2024

Client

Model 5

Project type

Automotive UX Design

Role

Lead Designer

Tools

Figma,  After Effects,  VRED

Context and problem outline

Urban mobility faces critical challenges as cities grapple with congestion, pollution, and accessibility issues. Existing solutions often cater to private vehicles or public transit, leaving a gap for affordable, compact, and inclusive transportation options. The market has largely overlooked vehicles designed for diverse user needs, such as those with limited physical mobility, while remaining economically viable for mass production. This deficiency hinders equitable urban movement and exacerbates social disparities. A low-cost, compact vehicle designed with inclusivity at its core could address this gap, transforming how cities approach sustainable and accessible mobility solutions.

Challenge and my role

In this project, my role has been to oversee and design the entire user experience (UX) and interface (UI), ensuring the vehicle meets the needs of diverse users while remaining intuitive and functional. From initial concept sketches to detailed prototypes, I have focused on creating a seamless and inclusive experience, emphasizing accessibility, ease of use, and aesthetic appeal.

The process

Discover

The Design process for the vehicle experience began with thorough desk research to uncover unmet user needs and opportunities for innovation. This included employing the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework to define the tasks users aim to achieve, creating an empathy map to understand their emotions, thoughts, and challenges, and conducting a benchmark analysis to evaluate existing solutions and identify gaps.

Develop

The UI design process leveraged innovative technology that transformed the vehicle's internal doors into full-height interactive surfaces, ensuring accessibility for users of all physical abilities. This feature allowed the interface to adapt to the most comfortable height for each individual. Building on this flexibility, we adopted a modular collapsible widget solution, enabling users to customize their interface to suit specific needs such as business productivity, tourism guidance, entertainment, or enhanced comfort. This adaptable design ensures a personalized, user-centric experience, catering to diverse use cases while maintaining an intuitive and aesthetically cohesive interface.