IM Motors (Zhiji) - UXD (Dec. 2020 - Jun. 2021)
User Experience Design
And Research For IM L7
OVERVIEW
IM Motors (Chinese: 智己汽车, Zhiji Motors), December 2020, is an electric vehicle joint venture between SAIC Motor, Alibaba Group, and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech.
During my 6 months at IM Motors, I was responsible for the IM L7, which is the first model of IM Motors.
Official Website: https://www.immotors.com/index.html
MY ROLE
User Experience Designer
> Interaction Design,
> Prototyping & Testing,
> User Research,
> Design System
OUTCOMES
As a UX designer, I closely collaborated with product managers, visual designers, and development engineers to ensure a user-centered design. The experience concept and prototype I designed are novel, creative, and supported by research. For confidentiality reasons, I'm not allowed to present the full user interfaces, but you can contact me for more details.
CONSOLE FACE
The console screen locates between the primary and secondary drivers and is the hub for the entire cockpit system. In the center of the screen is the digital twin model of the L7, surrounded by function control buttons. Users can define themes and functions based on their daily needs.
Digital Twin Model
The user can control the actual vehicle by pressing the interaction points on the digital twin model. These controls include opening/closing the door and the trunk, etc. Additionally, the car faults can also be displayed on the model, giving the user a more intuitive view of the fault area.
We use faintly flashing dots, which imitate the breath frequency, to indicate interactivity. When the user presses a dot, it would transform into a lock icon which needs the user to perform an obvious dragging operation to trigger the command, which is to prevent accidental touch.
Function Control Buttons
The function control buttons are not an app list, but a shortcut that can trigger commands just with one click. Users can customize the commands they need to the desired location for easy operation. Putting a button in four corners reduces the learning cost and makes it more convenient for blind operation.
Fun Theme
We wanted the console screen to bring a fun and fresh experience to our users, which is essential for the motion design of L7.
I designed several themes, in which the car model would transform into different objects such as a boat or a cat, and change dynamically according to the acceleration and/or the direction of the car.
Among these alternatives, our favorite is the particle theme, which put the car model in the infinite universe and visualizes the state of the car (also including the volume inside the car), presenting an amazing interstellar journey.
Edit, Save, and Manage
All console faces would be stored in the Face Library. Users can add, delete, and edit faces, as well as change function control buttons. We want to give users the maximum freedom to make their own faces.
HMI Design Engineering File (Blurred for Confidentiality)
ELECTRONIC FRAGRANCE
L7 is equipped with three fragrance slots, so users can choose a suitable scent according to scenario and mood to relieve fatigue and refresh their minds.
Immersive Experience
For the fragrance project, I want all the interfaces to be simple but exquisite, in order to provide an immersive experience for the user while simplifying the operation that needs.
So when the fragrance is activated, the card representing the fragrance becomes dynamic, for example, the leaves would sway like being blown by the wind, or the dew drops would roll along the leaf......
Combing dynamic cards and the scents, we hope the car could be the most convenient space for users to take a break.
HMI Design Engineering File (Blurred for Confidentiality)
HUMAN FACTORS TEST
Due to hardware limitations, designers need to know the optimal area for touch and see, in order to design solutions that could maximally reduce the risk of accidents caused by distractions. To accomplish this, human factors tests are indispensable.
HF Test
I supported human factors research and revised the user interface based on the results.
Main modifications:
1) Placing functional control buttons only in the four corners of the console screen and
2) Setting the default function in the upper left corner to be the most commonly used one.
UX DESIGN SYSTEM
To achieve the best practices of user experience design, a UX design system designated for L7 is crucial. A good guideline helps to unify the design, optimize the user experience, and reduce useless operations for designers.
HF Test
I compiled sizes, shapes and resolutions of all three screens, all interaction points of the car including hard buttons and screens, and human factors test results, to assist the UX designers to ensure usability. (The image below presents part of it.)
This is all about IM-L7 project, now you can