REDMOND, Wash. — June 12, 2013 — Nothing
epitomizes the American car experience like the road trip. For many
Americans, the image of a two-lane highway stretching toward the horizon
evokes a certain sense of adventure and longing for the open road, to
pack your bags and head out with no itinerary or timeline. The opposite
is true in Asia, where the adventure stems more from the perpetual
traffic jams and unpredictable driver behavior in mega-cities like
Bangkok, Beijing and Seoul.
In-car technology has already changed how drivers and passengers interact with their vehicles. The Windows Embedded Automotive
team has a vision for helping the car and driver respond more quickly
to what’s around them, whether its miles of open road or kilometers of
brake lights.
Harnessing technologies such as voice and touch interaction, machine
learning, and big data, the team is working toward a solution that can
learn drivers’ habits, adjust to their needs automatically, and provide
assistance and insight wherever it’s needed — whether helping drivers
negotiate tight parking spots or gridlock traffic on the way home.
Microsoft's
John Hendricks believes that a successful artist is someone who is not
afraid to fail and who creates regardless of setbacks. As director of
User Experience, he uses his creativity, lab testing and rigorous
research to design driver-centric solutions that people will enjoy.
Striking the balance between creativity and usability
The Windows Embedded Automotive team is coalescing all of this
information into a set of guidelines that will help them design
technology for the car of the future. Leading the effort is John
Hendricks, the director of User Experience for Windows Embedded.
Hendricks essentially helps envision how the user experience could
evolve over time, which is fitting given his longstanding fascination
with what the future holds.
Whether with Disney, Paramount or elsewhere, Hendricks’ career has
largely been focused on imagining and developing new products or
services. And because of his particular skill set, he’s been responsible
for balancing the blue-sky thinking of what’s possible against the
reality of what’s feasible.
This is especially relevant within the automotive industry, where
carmakers are looking for in-car technology that’s reliable, safe and
sets it apart from the competition. Windows Embedded has developed a reputation
for providing a healthy balance between those two requirements, and
it’s up to Hendricks and his team to constantly be on the lookout for
the latest breakthroughs and to anticipate how they could impact the
driving experience.
“Our team spends much of its time listening and talking to people,
essentially to find out how they use current technologies that are
either parallel or wildly divergent to what were currently working on,”
says Hendricks. “And part of my job is to find where these different
patterns of what people expect, what they know and what they're familiar
with converge with where business and technology patterns are heading.”
Microsoft
designer Melissa Quintanilha combines technical savvy, an artist's
passion for design, and a global perspective to create cars that learn
who you are and anticipate your needs.
Creating better designs by putting yourself in another driver’s seat
Rather than drawing on their own perspectives, Hendricks and his
colleagues wanted their solution to reflect the needs and preferences of
drivers the world over. With that in mind, they set out to conduct
extensive research centered on a series of surveys, diary studies and
ride-a-long observations with drivers from key locations around the
world: China, South Korea, Brazil, Germany and the U.S.
The focus was twofold: to assess current driving practices and, apart
from driving, to identify the most important tasks that people are
trying to do in the car.
What the team learned is that although there are certain necessities
that all drivers share — such as the need to know where they’re going
and the desire to get up-to-date information — there are also many
differences in attitudes about what’s considered safe behavior and
whether a person is more or less inclined to do something other than
drive.
For example, people in China don’t relate to the idea of a road trip
in the same way as people in the U.S., instead choosing the shortest
route between two cities rather than one that’s more circuitous or
scenic. And although radio is the primary source of entertainment and
information for many drivers in America, the preferred source for many
people in China is digital media such as the music stored on a
smartphone.
Another interesting nuance in China, as in many other parts of the
world, is that a significant percentage of the car-owning population is
made up of business executives and government officials who don’t
actually drive their own car. Instead, they are chauffeured everywhere,
which expands the possibilities of in-car technology designed for the
passengers.
In Germany, the same precision and intensity that characterizes its
automobiles is apparent in how people drive. It’s something that people
take very seriously, so behavior such as talking on the phone is
unthinkable. Drivers have a sense of responsibility to keep the traffic
flowing, and expect others to do the same. Germany also has one of the
densest road systems in the world, with 650,000 kilometers of pavement.
To help drivers navigate all of those roads, the German government set
up a radio network that’s dedicated to providing real-time traffic
updates.
A designer’s informed perspective
Working alongside Hendricks is a team of user experience designers,
including Melissa Quintanilha and David Walker. Much of their time is
spent observing people, taking note of how they interact with the things
around them and applying those observations to their prototypes.
For Quintanilha, it’s almost second nature. Growing up in Brazil gave
her keen insight into the culture of that country, but she also traveled
extensively as a child, which increased her awareness of other
cultures. After earning a degree in computer science, Quitanilha
completed post-graduate work in design, with a focus on interactivity
outside the traditional mouse-keyboard paradigm.
Collectively, Quintanilha leverages her perceptions of human behavior
to develop culturally relevant experiences for users with limited
abilities to interact, while grounding her designs in a solid foundation
of technical expertise.
“With every challenge, the first thing I do is to observe people in
their own environments and see how they adapt technology to fit their
needs,” says Quintanilha. “I use my own experiences as a starting point,
but going to observe people in multiple countries and multiple
different environments helps me to understand other folks and how they
use technology.”
Microsoft's
David Walker knows what's at stake when it comes to driver distraction.
As a designer, he’s committed to creating in-car technology that
reduces the need for drivers to take their eyes off the road.
Focusing attention on what matters most
Quintanilha’s colleague Walker arrived in his designer role by a very
different route and provides invaluable expertise and perspective in
what’s certainly the most vital aspect of in-car technology: the safety
and attention of the driver.
Before working at Microsoft, Walker was a pilot for Air Canada, during
which time he also served as an accident investigator. In this role he
developed an appreciation for the importance of ergonomics in cockpit
design, and ensuring that dashboard displays can be perceived with a
momentary glance.
Walker applies these same principles and a passion for safety to his
work on Windows Embedded Automotive. An area of particular focus is
designing heads-up displays that project the instrument cluster on the
windshield, within the peripheral view of the driver.
Walker is so ardent in his passion that he’s built what he calls a
“wood car” in his living room. After a leisurely dinner, he can retire
to the living room for a few minutes, or few hours, of tweaking or
troubleshooting.
The wood car is also used in the design labs to conduct usability
studies of various prototypes. Using measurements, such as eye tracking
and actual feedback on the look and feel of the experience, helps
Quintanilha, Walker and their colleagues identify where adjustments are
needed.
“Our No. 1 goal is to design a solution that keeps the driver in
control. Meeting that goal sometimes requires the humility to reduce the
amount of information we deliver to the driver,” says Walker. “The
whole design process can take several months, but when we improve the
safety of the driver, make the driver’s life easier and ultimately
provide a delightful experience, that’s when we know we’ve achieved
success.”
About Unknown
0 comentarii:
Post a Comment