CAPSTONE PROJECT 2014 I694 Thesis Project Human-Computer Interaction Design Program School of Informatics & Computing Indiana University at Bloomington |
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INTRODUCTION | |||||||
Preventing maintenance neglect can increase the length of time in which a cars can live along with increasing the value of the car by correlating maintenance records over time onto this device. Devices can now be curated to meet themajority of the humans needs specific to how that person wants it to be done. Most devices help with harnessing the capabilities of our devises that exist today and applying them to aid in meaningful interactions around the vehicle. This opportunity has allowed me to develop as a designer around integrating technologies and objects can give a better sense of emotional ownership. This way of thinking also starts to enhance the sense of automobile connectedness through concepts and rapid prototyping. | |||||||
PREDISPOSITIONS | |||||||
The key fob plays a vital role in the ownership of a vehicle. This object plays a big part on how someone owns, accesses, and thinks about their vehicle. Without this object the owner of the vehicle is put in a place to think about how disconnected they can become from their vehicle. When the owner has possession of the key fob an ease of mind is created knowing they have complete access to their vehicle. Everyone wants to have a small sense of luxury in their lives, and the motor vehicle is one channel of achieving a certain social status. People customize their car in numerous ways in order to gain a better sense of personalized ownership. Majority of people want to have the latest and greatest technology, and are curious about the future. |
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RESEARCH | |||||||
OBSERVATION & INTERVIEW This primary research method took place at the Chicago Auto Show February 10 & 11, 2014, in Chicago Illinois. The show was open to the public and showcased the latest models from an array of manufactures. Concept cars were also being displayed to show the public what is in the near future. When attending the auto show and throughout the design process, I talked to many individuals about their emotional connection to their vehicles. The main topic of these conversations were directed toward maintenance. How maintaining your vehicle effectively can increase its value over time. I also spoke with numerous manufacturer representatives about their individual perspectives on the automotive space. Email interviews were sent to four people around the country. These people included a VP of Marketing at Mojio, a Designer at Local Motors, Senior Applications Engineer at Linx Technologies, and an Elio Motors Representative. ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS & ONLINE ARTICLES The secondary research that took place during my design process involved reading academic publication revolving around user experience within the vehicle, current car trends, emotional design, and designing for personalization. Don Seader aided my concept in the direction of maintenance neglect on how it plays a vital role in increasing the lifespan of a person’s vehicle. Heiko Maiwand also provided some insights within the automotive field and was available throughout the design process to bounce ideas off of. Communicating my ideas out loud to as many people as possible narrowed my focus. |
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INSIGHTS | |||||||
COMMON KEY FOB DESIGN Simple, black, circular, rectangular, very structured, and brand specific. Little personalization is taken into consideration when designing the key fob for the owner. UNIVERSAL FUNCTIONALITY There is a theme amongst how key fobs work. When you approach your vehicle with the assigned fob, it will unlock. When leaving your vehicle with fob, the car will lock. When inside the vehicle, some models allow for a push to start feature, this feature will only work when the fob is located within the cabin of the vehicle. Panic / Alarm button. Limitations on blue-tooth connectivity and distance from the vehicle for appropriate usage. Passing the fob along to friends or family members is simple and easy. Each key fob needs a battery to run. KEY FOB HARDLY LEAVES POCKET Personalization and Ownership. The key fob is a mobile piece of the car that always goes with you. This artifact ties you back to the ownership of the object and sometimes never seems to leave your pocket throughout the day. MAINTENANCE NEGLECT IS ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF VEHICLE BREAKDOWNS When people acknowledge a dashboard light once it comes on, they are then put in a place to make a decision to act upon the light or to ignore it. People neglect the maintenance of their car over time when up keep on a car is very vital for the longevity of its life span. |
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“According to recent studies, 5 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities are clearly caused by automobile maintenance neglect.” | |||||||
PROTOTYPE | |||||||
TAKING THE HEART OF YOUR CAR WITH YOU This concept revolves around the idea of enhancing the emotional connection between people and their cars. This concept was created utilizing the key fob as a device or separate entity of the car. This concept extends the relationship between the person and their car when the person is no longer in the general area of the car. The key fob concept will try to aid in re-establishing or creating new emotional connections between the owner and their vehicle, through anthropomorphism, to help prevent maintenance neglect over time. The device will act as the soul or heart of the car. Whenever you are not around your car you will be able to access any sort of data that is available to you while engaged in the driving experience or when inside the cabin of the car. The key fob concept will help keep track of maintenance records over time, allow for people to realize when their car is getting “sick” even before it gets sick, track how efficient they are driving with miles per gallon in relation to the environment, as well as displaying the “health” of the vehicle in a new innovative way through the key fob’s display. |
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CONCEPT USER INTERFACE | |||||||
DESIGN GOALS Enhance the role of the key fob in people’s life as an informational tool, Play a major role in the car buying experience, Enhance people’s pride in the key fob, Make the key fob a precious item to someone. It’s about creating a relationship with your car. |
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“Many people haven’t adjusted their thinking to keep pace with new car maintenance schedules.” | |||||||
STRATEGIES | |||||||
CAR : FOB The key fob will have the ability to remotely analyze specific vital signs within the data that is created in the OBD port ( On-board Diagnostics ). Those vital signs will then be sent to the fob to be visualized. |
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CAR : FOB : SHOP |
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CAR : FOB : SHOP : CLOUD All internal diagnostics are communicated to the cloud, car, and fob in real time continuously allowing the owner to be updated. Every maintenance shop the owner and vehicle attend will have access to these live vital signs as well. |
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