In-Vehicle Education

2024

Ford Hands-Free Driving Feature

In-Vehicle Education

Problem

Customers have low trust and adoption of Ford's hands-free driving feature, known as BlueCruise.

Customers and dealerships both struggle to understand the technology. Dealerships have difficulty explaining BlueCruise, while customers often rely on manuals or trial and error.

Solution

We created a 0-1 in-vehicle learning experience that guides drivers on how and when to use hands-free driving.

This solution combines audo and navigation design, helping customers learn and try vehicle features while driving.

Impact

We secured buy-in to integrate the experience into FordPass by 2025, reaching 1.5+ million users.

Key Metrics & Targets

Target and launch to customers who have BlueCruise equipped vehicles, but have used it fewer than 5 times.
Track customers who purchase BlueCruise subscriptions after use.

User Types

Credit Union Card Services Member

Has access to one Credit Union’s data

Co-op Contact Center Agents

Has access to all Credit Unions that a customer may be a part of but has limits on what tasks they can perform for a Credit Union

My Role

Lead Designer

Led design efforts across the in-vehicle tour experience

Including designing the iOS app from 0-1, conducting internal testing and iterating from feedback

Wrote the onboarding script with Copywriter

Wrote initial drafts, selected a voiceover actor, and edited and organized recordings for a dynamic audio tour

Executive presentations to socialize progress

Provided demonstrations of the prototype with executives trying it for themselves on the highway

iOS development and QA support

Worked with Engineering to develop and QA prototype for internal testing

My Team

Collaboration

The Experience Design team is organized as an empowered product team. We shared progress and collaborated with the Ford BlueCruise Business team on a biweekly cadence.

Design

Beginning with a scrappy prototype

We got early signals on the product by learning how dealers demo BlueCruise through a Spotify podcast we drafted and recorded ourselves.

This approach allowed us to collect feedback and gain insights into the challenges dealers face when explaining BlueCruise technology.

Design

Key Learnings

Synchronize navigation and audio instructions

The experience should be a guided journey, ensuring audio cues and navigation are intertwined for a successful experience.

Contextual instructions are crucial

Customers need clear guidance on where BlueCruise can be used for hands-free driving. We determined integrating BlueCruise Map Data was a must-have for the success of this experience.

Design

Technical Challenges

BlueCruise Map Data Integration

Due to limited access to current BlueCruise map data, we implemented manual routes with geotriggers for our iterative design and testing process.

Speed

Given a tight two-month timeline for prototype development, we created a mobile app to test core features (primarily the audio tour). The product was designed with the intention to later integrate into the Ford App or In-Vehicle Display.

Design

Storyboarding

Given this product's use in various settings of the physical world—from home to in-vehicle—storyboarding proved helpful. It provided crucial context when sharing designs, facilitating feedback and alignment.

Design

Prototype Flow

I collaborated with my team to create an iOS prototype for testing the in-learning experience in a real vehicle on a BlueCruise highway. We kept the app design streamlined, focusing on making the audio guide conversational and friendly.

Development

iOS App

We created custom routes for folks to test out the tour for themselves on their local BlueCruise highway.

Iterate

Usability Testing

Transitioning from Home-Based Learning to In-Vehicle Use

Ensuring a smooth shift from home-based learning to in-vehicle use is crucial. We addressed this by adding a clear transition point for moving from home-based learning to using CarPlay.

Iterate

Usability Testing

Divided Attention

Designing for drivers involves managing their divided attention. Over the course refining our audio script, our team drove the route countless times to ensure there was enough space between each audio instruction for comfortable processing, and incorporated an 8-second pause between separate instructions.

Iterate

Usability Testing

Learning Styles

I included visual references for key buttons alongside the audio guide to cater to different learning styles.

[data-wf-bgvideo-fallback-img] { display: none; } @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { [data-wf-bgvideo-fallback-img] { position: absolute; z-index: -100; display: inline-block; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; } }

Impact

Secured buy-in from executive leadership and met with the FordPass Digital Product manager to integrate our solution into the education section.

This was a big deal! It's on the roadmap to launch on FordPass in 2025 to over 1.5 million users.

Next Steps

Key Metrics & Targets

Launch to FordPass: Target customers who are in BlueCruise Demo Mode.

Target and launch to customers who have BlueCruise equipped vehicles, but have used it fewer than 5 times.
Iteratively test with customers who are geographically located in densely BlueCruise available highways.
Track customers who purchase BlueCruise subscriptions after use.