Download to read offline
Uploaded byUXPA International
UXPA 2023: Redesigning An Automotive Feature from Gasoline to Electric Vehicles: A Case Study in Innovation, Branding, Passion, and Perseverance
This document summarizes the redesign of the Pro Power Onboard feature for electric vehicles from Ford. It discusses how the original gasoline-powered version used a radial dial interface but this would not work for an electric truck with more circuits. User research found the need for increased power and outlets in more locations. An iterative design process involved brainstorming, paper prototyping, and usability testing to create a horizontal gauge interface with on/off and range preservation settings. The final design was validated through testing truck prototypes up to production. Lessons included considering the user experience first and proactive stakeholder involvement.
More Related Content
Similar to UXPA 2023: Redesigning An Automotive Feature from Gasoline to Electric Vehicles: A Case Study in Innovation, Branding, Passion, and Perseverance
UXPA 2023: Redesigning An Automotive Feature from Gasoline to Electric Vehicles: A Case Study in Innovation, Branding, Passion, and Perseverance
- 1. Redesigning an AutomotiveFeature from Gasoline to Electric Vehicles: Innovation, branding, passion, and perseverance Timothy Keirnan, (former) Interaction Engineer, HMI Center Stack Team, Ford Product Development Vyas Shenoy, Core Feature Owner, System Engineering and Validation, Ford Product Development June 21, 2023
- 2.
- 3. 3 Vyas Shenoy Core FeatureOwner, System Engineering and Validation, Ford Product Development Timothy Keirnan Producer, Design Critique: Products for People podcast and (former) Interaction Engineer, HMI Center Stack Team, Ford Product Development
- 4.
- 5. 5 • Overview ofPro Power Onboard 1.0 Human-Machine Interface (HMI) • Changes requested for F150 Lightning battery electric vehicle (BEV) • Response when faced with new requirements in a new domain • Testing HMI in vehicle prototypes before production began • Take-aways • Q&A with audience (15 minutes) Agenda
- 6. 2021 F150 ProPower Onboard (v1.0) 6
- 7. Pro Power Onboard Industry-firstfeature that turns Ford's pickup trucks and vans into a mobile generator. Pro Power Onboard brings a new level of convenience to work sites, outdoor activities, and everyday situations by sending energy from a running engine or battery pack (HEV/BEV) to outlets in the cabin and truck bed and, on BEV, front trunk (“frunk”).
- 8. Pro Power OnboardActivities Pro Power Onboard (PPO) allows customers to power a wide range of devices from phone chargers to welders with enhanced HMI and safety vs other onboard electrical sockets on the market. Gameday Tailgating Camping off the Grid Jobsite Power Power Outage Backup Quieter and easier to use than a portable Generator. Supplies for cooking and cleaning appliances as well as personal electronics. Provides power for one tool or the whole worksite. Runs longer than a portable generator on a full battery or tank of gas. + 400W 2.0kW / 2.4kW / 7.2kW 9.6kW
- 9. Interior (infotainment screen)HMI Two Modes: Default = 0-400W, low engine idle Generator = 401W to Max rating, higher engine idle https://youtu.be/70oSEV9H0Pw?t=423
- 10.
- 11. Good Technical CommunicationIs Crucial
- 12.
- 13. 13 2022 F150 LightningPro Power Onboard (v2.0)
- 14. ● Strategy and Planningwanted more circuits and more power for the electric F150’s Pro Power Onboard. • As EVs do not have an engine, they have a front trunk (“frunk”) with space for cargo and other features such as electrical outlets :-) • Program engineers asked us if we would be carrying over the radial dials HMI from the ICE and hybrid versions of the 2021 F150-- a very sensible question! Should we? 14 Changes Requested for Pro Power Onboard on F150 Lighting Electric Truck
- 15. 15 Pros and Consof Carry-over PPO 1.0 for BEV Carry-over Pros Carry-over Cons Save program budget by re-use of existing HMI interaction design, UI design, and code. Number of radial dials >2 may not fit into center stack touch screens resolutions. No single glance of all circuits status. Consistent user experience for Ford customers in the showroom, at home, and at work among all truck and van models. If >2 circuits could fit into touch screens resolutions, would the radial dial design still have the same ease of use? I don’t have to think, just implement the prior solution, and use my time on other projects that need attention, too. Does Pro Power Onboard for a BEV vs ICE vehicle afford us opportunities to improve the UX or the technical implementation or both? Temptation is to comply with a reasonable request that may not be the best path for customer experience and business long term, but is easier to “go along to get along” and stick to existing schedule and not make waves. Electric vehicles have some different capabilities from internal combustion vehicles. We don’t know what we don’t know at this moment to answer the carry-over question with confidence. It will take time to learn what we don’t know.
- 16. 16 Trusting Your DesignProcess From Org Design for Design Orgs by Merholz & Skinner We went back to the beginning of the process using an electric truck this time.
- 17. 17 User Research withPickup Truck Owners • Conducted user research with internal participants to learn about truck ownership domain. • Toward end of session, asked about outlet location possibility with the frunk as well as increased power rating uses. • One participant challenged version 1.0’s use of the classic “traffic light” color schema of green, yellow, red. Do we really need three colors? Good question!
- 18. 18 • Tim andHMI colleague whiteboarded ideas to support >2 circuits. • Horizontal power gauges would enable 3 circuits or more on one screen without breaking ergonomics guidelines for readability. • How to communicate impact of power outlets use on an electric vehicle’s range? • An electric vehicle’s Pro Power Onboard could be modeless! Just simple On and Off. ● Aside: Thomas Paine, American revolutionary, said this about simplicity in design: “...The more simple anything is, the less liable it is to be disordered, and the easier repaired when disordered…” Brainstorm Interaction Design for >2 Circuits
- 19. Meanwhile Feature Ownerwas brainstorming a Preserve Range setting 19 The major customer concerns while considering EVs always revolve around range: ●Can I reach my destination from my current location? ●Will Pro Power Onboard protect me for getting stranded? ●Can we set when we want Pro Power Onboard to turn off to save battery charge? Those questions led us to find a solution where customer can use features like Pro Power Onboard without having to worry about “Range Anxiety”. Tim sketched a concept with slider and radio buttons.
- 20. 20 Paper Prototypes forTruck Clinic with External Participants • Different circuit labeling and outlet zone ideas. • Brought both a top view of outlet zones and a side view to learn if participants expressed a strong preference for either. • What and how did they think this design communicated?
- 21. 21 Paper prototype truckto catalyze conversation of the HMI concept Tim prepared a paper prototype of a generic pickup truck to show where the outlets would be and the infotainment screen.
- 22. 22 Upgrade the CardboardTruck to Foam Core One of Tim’s HMI teammates offered to create a more portable, attractive, and detailed foam core model to guide discussion. Thank-you, M!
- 23. 23 Exploratory usability testat the truck owner clinic • Most participants understood the HMI concept of outlet zones on an image of a truck. • A clear preference emerged for the side view of the truck image. • A couple participants suggested improved division of circuits among front, cabin, and bed outlets that resulted in improvement of the UX and reduction of mechanical/electrical design complexity. Reductive design at its best!
- 24.
- 25. 25 Final HMI asrealized by our Visual Design Studio and Infotainment Developers Our design studio did a great job converting our wireframes into attractive screens for our HMI developers to code. We kept both teams in the loop so they knew what was coming and could make their own recommendations to improve the interactions and UI design from their own professional perspectives. Terrific developers, terrific visual designers! https://youtu.be/DXzu4tlLVNw?t=78 Removal of Generator Mode from Pro Power Onboard in Ford electric vehicles was approved by executives.
- 26. 26 Testing the truckprototypes up to Production and initial sales Feature owners do a lot of testing with vehicle prototype builds to ensure the HMI specification and all the technicalities of hardware and software work well together. Testing involves end-to-end user interaction and trouble shooting to make sure that a feature is working according to design intent. There must not be a gap between technical specification vs desired UX.
- 27.
- 28. 28 Take-aways • Relationships matter.See and be seen, don’t attend meetings 100% remotely. • The feature technical specification is more efficiently generated when the UX is defined first. • We had two technical communicators helping our HMI team in many ways; they are invaluable. • Vehicle design requires long lead times to arrange for physical parts to be made/assembled, and the integration of the digital with the physical involves many stakeholders. • This Winston Churchill paraphrased quote can be inspirational for feature owners and experience design professionals when trying to do what’s best for the user experience and the company’s business goals. It is worth the political finagling to re-think a successful design when drastic changes make sense: “...We must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough... You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Surely... this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.” https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/never-give-in-never-never-never.html ● But don’t become difficult! Let some things go in a spirit of compromise; if you’re winning every design debate you’re probably not a good teammate. Nobody wants to work with “difficult” and won’t go the extra mile for you.
- 29. 29 Doctor Rebecca Grieron Proactive Stakeholder Involvement
- 30. Thank you! Let’sdiscuss. Tim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothykeirnan/ Vyas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vdshenoy/