I want to go over everything I've come across in terms of the topic of driving and personal mobility. By doing this it might help categorize some of my problem areas as well better define the space I'm working in. I plan to speak about each of these individually and in more detail as I explore their implication in my design.
HMI - Or human machine interface is the design and engineering of the human experience while operating the vehicle. This accounts for the relationship of the internal conversation between the car and the driver as well as the external relationships between the outside world, the car and the driver. This is really where I'm starting because this deals the most with distraction problem facing drivers and car makers. This is also where the most legacy lives in the car design which I'm looking to disrupt.
Ownership - Car ownership is becoming more common within the conversation of personal mobility. Younger people are less interested in buying a car, and with the sharing culture no longer just a grassroots idea, but a main stream practice, carmakers are looking to services to sell that re-frame ownership and their brand. A interesting example of this is Volvo's approach, whom created a stand alone service you subscribe to, and can be adapted to any car you drive.
Self-Driving - The futurist vision of self-driving cars is one that may soon be a reality. Google, the most famous tech company to approach this idea, is on the cusp of making this technology a reality. This idea poses many questions from what a user might do with the space that no longer needs an active driver to what is the services that may come out a network of these cars. This may also have a huge influence on the infrastructure since calculated driving could be come much more systemic and reduce the need for long strips of roadway designed for human error.
IoT - The connected car is already a reality for many drivers. Ford has sync. BMW and Mercedes have robust connected hardware within their vehicles. What seems to be the issue here is the experience has yet to be nailed down very well. Mostly because the current design process of car manufacturing is siloed and fragmented until the end. Being that the phone is one of the most pressing distractions for drivers, I look forward to the ways in which my test drivers will deal with their phones during the prototype testing.
Legacy - The topic of legacy is a restraint within the field that has continued to influence many of the behaviors drivers are used to. An example would be the speedometer, the circular shaped tool that tells the speed of the car. This has not changed since its introduction in the early 1900's. I'm really interested in re-framing much of the feedback patterns in the driving experience,specifically this one, but I'd like to be careful that I keep in mind the positives of the semiotic language many of these tools use.