Diamler Truck
Mirrorless Camera System
Role
-
Lead UX Designer
-
UX Researcher
Team
-
PM
-
Visual Designer
-
Engineers​
-
Dev Team (Prototype)
Duration
-
3 months
Duties
-
Competitive Analysis
-
Heuristic Analysis
-
User Research
-
Concept Ideation
-
UI Design
-
Prototyping
Product Overview
With standard mirror in the transportation industry comes blind sports and air drag causing greater fuel consumption. We needed to stream line the vehicle profiles while giving an innovative approach to outdated equipment. Not only do we need to remove the mirrors and replace them with cameras but the drivers need to be able to interact with them through out interfaces.
Problem Statement
Create a product that has a low learning curve but can improve safety for the driver and other people on the road. All while keeping the brands innovation standard at the forefront of this problem.
Goals
Review and design the best solution for this challenging task. We have to keep in mind that we can't re-manufacture parts so we need to utilize the current system and see if this is a viable solution then a discussion down the road about parts manufacturing. So that in mind I want to create a intuitive design for the audience that won't be a frustration.
Products
Within the Frieghtliner and Western Star line up we currently offer two different gauge clusters. The ICUC which is a smaller unit between traditional gauges. Then the ICC5 which is the premium all digital display paired with a infotainment deck in the center console.
ICUC
This was the base product offered to the trucks mostly analog with a digital 5”x7” display. I was in charge of all UX interaction that went on in this device. I had to think through breaking issues and how a driver would be notified and need to respond to the simple set up of the truck.
ICC5
This was the premium product offered to the trucks completely digital display. Again I was in charge of all UX interaction that went on with this device. Here we bring more visual indicators to the forefront but have to limit driver distraction.
Design Process
Define
-
Project Timeline
-
Competitor Analysis
-
User Persona
-
User Interview
Ideate
-
User Flow
-
Information Architecture
-
Style Guide
Design
-
Wireframe
-
HiFi Designs
-
Digital Prototype
Test
-
Feedback
-
Conclusions
-
Future Concepts
While the target audience would be commonly the driver which at the end of the day is the user of this product, we had an additional audience of fleet operators. With fleet operators they are the ones purchasing large quantities of trucks and having there drivers operate them. They look for more safety products in the vehicle to assure drivers safety as well as insurance deductions. So we had to make this work for both audiences and functionality was the key element.
Target Audience
Stakeholder Alignment
Outside of the UX/UI for this product we had to align with our stakeholders. From internal engineers to outside vendors all need to be involved in order for the product to reach maximum potential for the user.
User Research
Research isn't any different then any other project. The value any project can obtain from research is invaluable. Data drives design and without data ones design has a high probability to fail. For this project we had a dedicated researcher as well I ran several testing sessions and made interviews a priority in order to discover needs for solutions.
User Flow
The user flow is unique in the instance as we are making different pieces work in harmony to direct the driver in the best use case. I have identified the black filled boxes as the visual display either the ICCU or the ICC5. The grey boxes are the manual controls either on the steering wheel or the door control module.
User Interviews
The user interviews was a delightful experience. I had the opportunity to speak with several of our on staff drivers as well as going to some of the local truck stops. What I was able to discover was the excitement for this product. Drivers liked the idea of modernizing mirrors but they really did want it to be easy to use. They liked the idea of reduction in cost if this was to increase fuel mileage as that that is the biggest expense to drivers. There seemed to be two different drivers with some crossover. The younger drivers (21-45) were into innovation and technology while the older drivers (45-65) seemed hesitant. Regardless of the separation of age category they did mix the reviews but the overall feel was positive.
Pain Points
01
Multiple pieces of equipment for one interaction
02
The operations that have to be done in the driver set up aren't clearly labeled or de
03
Over stimulation visually and physically causing fatigue.
Competitive Analysis
Looking at the competitors in the US and across the globe it was clear to see we are the first ot be operating in this space within the US market. While in Europe it appears there bus systems have this system installed but the system isn't an integrated system yet a self contained system. the self containg adds more devices the driver has to interact with and more clutter within the drivers space.
Sketches
Sketching is my quick way of starting to flush out ideas and iterating. It is a lot quicker to draw something out then to try and build it. We can also have quick feedback from stakeholders if they see value and then we can push that concept further into creation. Here are a few of the sketches for this project.
Testing
Testing leads to real insight what is working and what isn't working. We have the luxury of having many different mediums we get to test in. We have a simulation system we build and modify our prototypes in. We have a VR system that we can take in the field and get quick accurate data and feedback from. Lastly we can modify and set up some of our test trucks with the products and the latest interface and take these on the road to get drivers feedback. In the grid below I utilized all avenues to assist with testing. Being this product meant so much to stakeholders a lot of people wanted to be involved.
HiFi Prototype
I would meet a few times a week with my coworkers in India give them the design layout. They would then take that information and build this mock-up that we can then plug into our simulator and with minor adjustments the VR devices as well. We do this quickly in order to get the actual functionality and then feedback instantly so we can constantly work to improve.
Delivery
Delivery for DTNA is a walk through blueprint. We take each problem we stated in the requirements and make sure we have a blue print solution for each. Afterwards I would work closely with the engineers and assign signals from the ECU to make sure everything is getting the power it needs.
This is the deliverable blueprint for the ICUC unit.
This is the deliverable blueprint for the ICC5 unit.
Signals
As stated earlier when we get the design and flows finalized we then have to make sure all items get the appropriate signal in order to function correctly. The approach to this is collaborating with some of the engineers and sorting out functionality and how we can make that work.
Impact
Mirror Camera System will revolutionize what we think is standard and good enough. With auto adjustment we will target blind spots reducing accidents by half. While giving a 3% fuel increase with weight reduction and aerodynamic
Next Steps
Ideally I would have loved to streamline this the best way for the user. However in any situation you have many elements that could divert from the optimal path. This was a good growth opportunity to learn from outside sources and internal how to cohesively make the best product for todays market with eyes on how to continually improve it and to eventually get to that ideal version. I was also in constant communication and collaboration with entities from all over the world which just showed me the power of technology.