UX Design Project

Design Proposal

Problem: I hate driving. I hate the effort that I have to put into the task as a driver, and, to be honest, I don't always feel safe or comfortable being driven. It's a dangerous and annoying activity that requires 100% of your attention for the duration of your trip, and I think that this can all be fixed (theoretically).

Who does it affect: For the sake of this hypothetical, I will use the population of a hypothetical city in which to implement my new system. As such, this would affect just about every resident of said city, whether they are regular drivers or not.

Solution: To solve my initial problem, I will be designing a system of personal, driverless vehicles in which will become the exclusive system of a hypothetical city. The use of driverless vehicles will significantly reduce accidents, as well as allow the riders extended free time to do literally anything else other than have to drive.

Idea Tiles

Competitive Analysis

Personas

Design Defense

Problem Statement:

Driving has a plethora of problems: According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, 94-96% of all motor vehicle accidents are caused by human error. The Association for Safe International Road Travel states that 1.25 million people die from car accidents globally per year, with an additional 20-50 million injured. If that wasn’t enough, road crashes cost $518 billion per year. The average U.S. commuter spends 16.6 - 33.4 min for a one-way trip to work, 23.7 - 60.7 min for those who use public transportation, and that time could be used much more efficiently.

Target Audience:

The target audience for this proposal would essentially be everyone. Literally anyone who will ever use a vehicle on the road at some point in their life would be affected by this.

Target Solution:

My solution to the problem would be getting rid of manual driving altogether and making all vehicles autonomous. This would be significantly safer, more cost efficient, and more beneficial to riders. Ideally, this wouldn’t necessarily be the product of any one company, but more of a public transportation system/service to be led by the appropriate government in charge.

Critical Feature:

A mass system of autonomous cars to replace manual driving and become the new standard public transportation system.

Scenarios:

Scenario 1: Blind Man Jenkins

Blind Man Jenkins wants to take a ride, alone, to his grandchildren’s

1. A caretaker orders a ride for him

2. Once the vehicle arrives, Jenkins gets inside and says aloud, “[Brand Name], take me to my grandchildren at [address]”

3. The vehicle saves this information for his future rides and begins its route

4. After arriving, the door opens, and Jenkins can exit the vehicle, where he is greeted by his grandchildren.

Scenario 2: Chad

Chad and his bros want to hit up all the local clubs tonight

1. Chad uses the app to order a ride for him and the boys with all his favorite clubs

2. The nearest vehicle arrives, with the first destination he chose ready to go

3. After dropping them off at the club, the vehicle leaves to pick up other passengers

4. When they’re ready for round 2, a new vehicle picks them up, with their next destination ready to go…

Scenario 3: Barack Obama

Barack wants a car ready for him in the morning every day for work

1. Barack uses the app to set a schedule, Monday-Friday at 8am

2. A vehicle will show up at his home address before 8am, Monday-Friday

3. When Barack leaves his home in the morning, a vehicle will always be waiting for him outside, with his work address ready to go

Scenario 4: Mrs. Puff

Mrs. Puff wants to keep her 3 kids entertained on their way to school

1. Their scheduled vehicle arrives, and the family gets in

2. Mrs. Puff folds up the collapsible table inside the car, and turns on the tv screen, playing a movie from her library

3. Bobby watches the movie, Patrick eats his breakfast on the table, and Sandy uses the table to do homework, while Mrs. Puff takes a nap in the recliner

4. The vehicle arrives at school, and lets the busy family know, as the door opens and everyone gets out

Final Decision:

My Final Decision (as of now called “Project VadeCar”), is to implement a system of exclusively autonomous vehicles as the replacement for all public forms of road transportation. Autonomous electric cars will eliminate the need for traffic lights and stops, speed limits, gas stations, unnecessary parking lots, traffic, etc., as well as significantly prevent auto accidents. These new vehicles, build for comfort and luxury, are all run through artificial intelligence and work under a single “hive mind” collective. In the age of the internet, peoples’ riding habits, history, etc. are used to further streamline the commuting experience. All vehicles literally work together to create the most efficient driving system ever thought possible.