As autonomous cars arrive in major cities, new measures in transportation planning and traffic enforcement will be implemented. Additionally, a broad adaptation of autonomous vehicles by the public will be crucial in making the new mode of transport more efficient, the road safer, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. How may we maximize the benefits of self-driving technology and improve the automobile experience while making the autonomous vehicle a viable and desirable option?
En Route was one of the results of the Automotive Experience 2020 collaboration project with Nytec Inc. at Cornish College of the Arts in 2016. Yachun was part of the UX design student groups that participated in joint research and ideation phases in exploring the future of autonomous vehicles; each student was then encouraged to devise a design solution individually.
Design Solution
EnRoute app allows users to create a personalized fleet that best meets their needs. Users will be able to customize their individual plan according to their daily schedule, destinations, or needs. In-car experience can also be tailored through the app — the interface is reminiscent of the in-car augmented reality functions, allowing similar user experience to eliminate confusion while on the road.
The EnRoute Promise
Relieve the burden of your daily commute. Instead, it is time well spent. Enjoy the ride.
Brand Personality
Approachable: Friendly, easy to talk to.
Responsive: Readily reacting to user suggestions or resolving difficulties.
Efficient: Aim to create an effortless user experience in the app, in the car, and via service.
Responsive: Readily reacting to user suggestions or resolving difficulties.
Efficient: Aim to create an effortless user experience in the app, in the car, and via service.
Logo, Typography, and Color Palette
App Schematic
Customizing Individual Plan (preliminary concept)
Customizing In-Car Experience (preliminary concept)
Prototype
Research
“Self-driving cars [has the potential to] dramatically reduce the number of cars on the street, 80% of which have people driving alone in them, and also a household's cost of transportation, which is 18% of their income—around $9,000 a year—for an asset that they use only 5% of the time.”
— Robin Chase, the founder, and CEO of Buzzcar; co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar
According to data from Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) of the US Department of Transportation, and the UK National Travel Survey (NTS), the average car is parked 95% and 96.5% of the time.
Car-sharing Market Trends in the U.S.: member growth since 2010
Since 1994, 83 car-sharing programs have been deployed in the Americas — 45 are operational and 38 defunct. As of January 1, 2015, there were 20 active programs in Canada, 23 in the United States (U.S.), and the three largest car-sharing operators support 95.9% and 83.2% of the total membership. Member–vehicle ratios are an important metric, which can be used to assess how many customers are being served per vehicle and the relative usage level of car-sharing members. As of January 2015, U.S. member-vehicle ratios were 71:1, representing a 1% decline over the previous year. In Canada, the ratio was 64:1, which was a 19% increase over the previous year.
Car-sharing Survey: at a glance
Ideation
