Project_Automotive UX 2043

This project explores the evolution of automotive UX in 2043. Inspired by Elon Musk's innovative ecosystem (including Tesla, Neuralink, OpenAI, and SpaceX, etc), our team chose Tesla for this project. In 2043, when autonomous driving is fully integrated into Tesla vehicles, how will Tesla drivers interact with their cars?

MY ROLE WAS

- 100% of 3D Animating

- 100% of Video Editing

- 50% of Storyboarding

- 50% of Persona Design

- 50% of Idea Sketch

- 50% of Research

tool

- Cinema 4D

- After Effect

- DALL-E

I WORKED WITH

- Mihir Sharma

YEAR

- SEP 2023 ~ DEC 2023

Why tesla?

We were inspired by the innovative worlds created by Elon Musk. From Tesla to Neuralink, he is an icon of innovation in various fields. Because he owns not just impressive companies, but those that contribute to humanity.

Especially when it comes to Tesla, Neuralink, and OpenAI, they all have exciting potential and capabilities that could benefit humanity. I and my team wanted to incorporate this vision and innovation into our project. This is why we chose Tesla.

Tesla’s Brand Language

To further develop our ideas, I analyzed Tesla's brand language. Tesla focuses on technology, safety, and enjoyment. Tesla's vision involves ensuring driver safety through autonomous driving technology, leading to more enjoyable experiences inside the car, such as playing games or watching movies.

Latest technologies

Next, I researched and shared the latest technologies currently being used and studied in the market and academia with team members. This research helped me to predict how these technologies might evolve in the future and how they could be applied to the user experience (UX) in future automobiles.

idea sketches

My team and I sketched how the latest technologies could be utilized in Tesla by 2043.
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The cars of the future will offer more than just transportation from point A to B; Once autonomous driving technology is fully implemented, drivers will have a productive, fun and valuable experience inside.

Thus, in our idea sketches, Tesla's future interface either lacks a steering wheel or offers it as an optional feature for those who wish to drive. We wanted to express through sketches how people will spend their time in cars when these changes occur.

persona

My team and I then developed two personas to take into account the technologies our future users would use.

01. Dorian: a high school math teacher with a disability of missing one arm. Dorian uses brain interface technology to communicate with his Tesla and engages in virtual communication with his students from within the car.

02. Mia: a typical office worker. She uses the magic table and hologram features in her Tesla for work purposes.

Feedbacks
from midterm

On the day of our midterm presentation, we presented our research and concept sketches. The story of Dorian, a disabled person using a brain interface, received the highest praise for its strength. However, the story of Dorian interacting with robots was considered the weakest and criticized for the ordinariness of the concept, suggesting a need for reconsideration.

Final design concept

We embraced the feedback from our midterm presentation and finalized Dorian using brain interface technology as our ultimate concept, proceeding to create a 3D prototype.

However, we didn't want to give up on Mia's idea of utilizing holograms with a 'Magic Table'. Therefore, we chose to merge these two ideas. In essence, our project was finalized with the concept of Dorian using the Magic Table through brain interface technology.

[ In 2043, drivers in Tesla can use Neuralink to operate the Magic Table. They can interact with Tesla through the holograms produced by the Magic Table.]

Final PROTOTYPING

final presentation &
feedbacks

On December 13th we had our final class where we presented and received feedback from industry experts from the automotive industry.

Feedbacks
01. The presentation was highly immersive, particularly the scene where a student appeared to ask a question, causing a rise in stress levels. The overall storytelling made it feel as though one was the main character of the situation.

02. The overall story was good, but it would have been better to focus on one strong feature. And from a user journey perspective, it might have been more effective to focus on one feature and address the other features in turn.

What I've learned

1) I realized the importance of storytelling. Strong storytelling can deeply engage the audience in my presentations, playing a crucial role in maximizing their effectiveness.
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2) I researched the latest technologies and contemplated how their evolution could impact UX. In this process, it was a great opportunity to consider what new possibilities these advanced technologies could offer for the current and future user experience.

3) Representing the UX of a Tesla in 2043 was a new challenge for me, for which I had just over a month. This project pushed me to learn Cinema 4D and After Effects, expanding my skills from a primarily 2D domain in UX/UI design to expressing ideas in the 3D world. It was a significant leap in my design capabilities.

Automotive UX design in the year of 2043