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 AUTOMOTIVE UX 

Revolutionizing Automotive User Experience With In-Depth Research

 OUR APPROACH 

Elevate Your Automotive UX With Expert Research

Welcome to uintent, your trusted partner in automotive UX research!

 

In the fast-evolving world of automotive technology, creating an intuitive and engaging user experience is crucial. Our comprehensive research services provide the insights you need to innovate and excel. Discover how we can help you enhance user satisfaction, boost brand loyalty, and stay ahead of the competition.

We combine research methodologies with deep industry expertise to deliver actionable insights. Our approach includes:

  • User Interviews and Surveys: Gather detailed feedback directly from your target audience

  • Usability Testing: Identify usability issues and areas for improvement

  • Contextual Inquiry: Observe users in their natural environment to uncover hidden needs

  • Competitive Analysis: Benchmark against competitors to identify opportunities for differentiation

  • Expert Reviews: Leverage our team’s expertise to receive informed recommendations

 OUR EXPERIENCE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET 

  • Proof of concept

  • Low fidelity prototypen

  • Lab based UX testing

  • Static UX testing

  • Dynamic UX testing

  • Test track UX testing

  • Setup of results databases

  • Best & worst practice collection

  • Design guidelines

  • Individual metrics design

  • Implementation and execution

  • Success prognosis

  • AAM & NHTSA driver distraction testing

  • Simulator testing

  • Occlusion testing

  • Agile UX testing

  • International research programs

PROTOTYPING

CAR CLINICS

BEST PRACTICE DATABASES

BENCHMARKING

DRIVER DISTRACTION TESTING

APP & WEBSITE UX

 OUR AUTOMOTIVE CASE STUDIES 

Close up view of african american woman's hands inside of new modern car

Software Excellence: Bridging the Gap Between Car OEMs & Dealerships

Industry

Automotive

Method

User Management / Panel

Duration

12 months

Background

A German automotive OEM sought to enhance the quality of its dealership software. Recognizing the challenge posed by a lack of compre-hensive understanding of internal dealership processes, developers faced difficulties optimizing the software.

Our task was the establishment and coordination of a dealership panel, along with managing research requests from developers and facilitating communication between developers and dealers.

Approach

The project called for a close collaboration between developers and users.

Therefore, we recruited a group of dealers who were willing to participate in long-term market research activities; and set up an exclusive, qualitative panel.

Outcome

Implementing a streamlined user research approach, developers efficiently engaged with dealerships through on-site UX tests and virtual discussions, minimizing recruitment efforts. The simplified initiation process, often started with an email, facilitated increased collabo-ration. This low-barrier strategy successfully integrated user research within the company, transforming the panel into a primary channel for addressing UX concerns and strategic decisions.

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Close up view of african american woman's hands inside of new modern car

Reimagining In-Car Voice Assistants: A Global User Evaluation

Industry

Automotive

Method

Explorative Interviews

Duration

2 months

Background

Our automotive client had developed a concept for a novel interaction model for their in-car voice assistants.

Our task was to evaluate the new interaction model, and to learn more about which interactions users would appreciate. We were also tasked with determining differences between users from Germany and China.

Approach

  • Development of mock interactions and creation of visual stimuli.

  • 1:1 explorative interviews (N=15 per country) in a simulated automotive environment.

Outcome

We discovered significant differences between the perception of the new interaction model in China and Germany.

In addition, we gathered several suggestions for improvement of the concept and also gained fundamental insight into specific user needs.

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Close up view of african american woman's hands inside of new modern car

Unlocking Potential: Maximizing Idle Time in Autonomous Cars

Industry

Automotive

Method

Co-creation workshop, Results workshop

Duration

1 month

Background

Vehicles parked inside the city often have no added value. An OEM wanted to find out for what services the inactive time could be used through remote control of different vehicle functions.

Our task was to identify current problems faced by people in a large city and to discuss additional use in parked autonomous vehicles during idle time.

Approach

uintent moderated N=6 co-creation workshops with potential users of autonomous vehicles (3 workshops in Germany (Hamburg) and 3 in China (Shanghai).

Outcome

Results from the six co-creation workshops were presented and discussed with the client in a results workshop.

The study resulted in  numerous novel concepts for utilizing parked autonomous vehicles. Some of them would only benefit the vehicles owner, while other would also have benefits for third parties.

automotive icon
Close up view of african american woman's hands inside of new modern car

UX Training & Enabling for Volkswagen

Industry

Automotive

Method

Online courses, UX certification, Project support

Duration

24 months and running

Background

Volkswagen identified the need to instill a UX culture within the company. Our collaboration with Volkswagen aimed to develop tailored formats and strategies to nurture a UX mindset across the organization.

This transformative journey encompassed education, practical application and cultural change. Through this partnership, we sought to equip Volkswagen's employees with the tools and mindset required to integrate UX principles into their daily work

Approach

  • Volkswagen employees were trained using 60+ video clips (5 to 20 minutes) covering UX basics and the whole UCD cycle.

  • to validate the effectiveness of this training, a UX certification program was conducted. In this program participants actively engaged in a UX project and received comprehensive feedback from uintent throughout the entire process.

Outcome

  • The training program successfully achieved its goal of integrating UX into the company processes.

  • This was realized through a multifaceted approach including offering direct project support, combining training with practical project execution and others. The result is a workforce well-equipped to prioritize and implement UX principles, ensuring a culture of user-centric design and enhancing the overall UX.

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 AXS - OUR UX BENCHMARK 

The Automotive Experience Score (AXS) Is a Holistic Automotive Benchmark

Together with our global partners from ReSight Global we developed the Automotive Experience Score (AXS), a holistic and nuanced toolkit for evaluating automotive user experience. It is based on objective performance measures and subjective user feedback and thus represents a unique basis for making confident user-centered design decisions.

 WHY INVEST? 

To Stay Ahead of Changing User Demands

Today's drivers demand more than just a mode of transportation—they seek an intuitive, seamless, and engaging experience. In the competitive automotive industry, user experience is a key differentiator. Our UX research services help you understand the needs, preferences, and pain points of your users, ensuring your products are user-friendly and ahead of the curve. With our research, you can:

 

  • Improve driver and passenger satisfaction

  • Enhance safety and usability

  • Increase brand loyalty and customer retention

 MORE AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS ON OUR BLOG 

plastic toy car with toy passengers

In-Car-Gamification: What Do We Actually Do When the Car Drives Itself?

AUTOMOTIVE UX, AUTONOMOUS DRIVING, GAMIFICATION

Woman using her phone while driving

The Future of My Car: My Smartphone on Wheels

AUTOMOTIVE UX, CONNECTIVITY, DIGITISATION

man driving a car at sunset

Digital Companion or Minimalist Assistant - How Much Is Too Much for German Drivers?

AUTOMOTIVE UX, VOICE ASSISTANTS, TRENDS

A modern car from the outside

Revolutionizing Vehicle Interactions: Exploring the Future of HMIs at the 2023 car.HMI Conference

HMI, CAR.HMI CONFERENCE, TRENDS

 GET IN TOUCH 

Ready to Improve Your Automotive UX?

Reach out to our automotive expert Jan and learn more about our services and how we can help you create a superior automotive user experience.

Jan Panhoff, automotive expert

 JAN PANHOFF 

 OUR COMMITMENT TO QUALITY 

Part of Our DNA

Just like our clients, we also have high standards. We comply to the question catalogue of information security of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA ISA) and have implemented an ISMS to protect the confidentiality, availability and integrity of information. The assessment was conducted by the TISAX® audit provider DEKRA. The result is exclusively retrievable over the ENX portal. (Scope ID: SX7HT0 – Assessment level 3). TISAX® and TISAX® results are not intended for general public. TISAX® is governed by ENX Association.

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MEASURE & VALIDATE

Over the past years we have developed ourselves into experts in auto UX benchmarking. We have established several validated benchmarking approaches that take all measures of user experience into account. They measure what they are meant to measure, allow comparison with historical data and will even provide prognosis on the improvements of a tested vehicle.

  • We make use of the full suite of subjective and objective UX endpoints and create a custom made benchmarking concept that reports exactly the KPIs you need to communicate in your organization.

  • We calculate complex statistical correlations to ensure the benchmarking approach measures what it is supposed to and that it is not vulnerable to criticism in your company.

  • We have earned ourselves a reputation for solid and precise execution and analysis of driver distraction testing, both according to AAM or NHTSA guidelines. We use both approaches, eye-tracking and occlusion glasses.

Custom made UX models and KPIs

Driver distraction testing

Eye tracking

Occlusion glasses

UX benchmarking

UX tracking

EXPLORE & UNDERSTAND

The automotive industry goes through an epic disruption with challenges galore. Autonomous driving, the sharing economy and electric motorization require to renew the understanding of car users and their needs.

  • Autonomous driving creates completely new user groups (passengers, pedestrians etc.) with new needs towards entertainment, functionalities and communication.

  • Inform your new concepts by early user research data to understand how your products can better face future challenges and needs.

  • Understand and compare competitor features to learn what works and what not.

Ethnography

Focus groups

Comparative usability testing

Concept assessments

Contextual Inquiries

DESIGN & ITERATE

We don’t claim to be a dedicated design agency but some of us carry designer torches in our hearts. Add to this the fun you can have with Axure, an Arduino board and some duct tape and you’ll find a happy bunch of creative people to deal with.

  • Outsource the building of functional test prototypes that work in connection with driving simulator software (i.e. for change lane tasks).

  • Test low fidelity prototypes and concepts in a lab based setting for a quick and cost efficient turnaround.

  • Test your new car’s holistic user experience in the only realistic setting – the road. Leverage from our long term experience in executing static, dynamic or test track UX clinics.

  • Run your static UX test right at our rooftop parking deck and make use of these logistic advantages for observers, participants and tech setup.

Car clinics

Card sorting & Tree testing

Expert review

Prototypes / wireframes / wireflows

Rapid iterative testing (RITE)

Usability / UX testing

MANAGEMENT & STRATEGY

Only few organizations collect, store and provide access to research results in a structured way, resulting in an unfortunate loss of information. The same topics tend to get researched over and over again.

  • To solve this problem, we have implemented results databases for several clients. Every study we now carry out for them is automatically filed into that system where contents can be searched for by keyword or navigated for by topic.

  • Certain automotive target groups are hard to reach. We set up private panels for you that allow fast and easy access to the right users.

  • We are happy to consult you how to ideally coordinate your research, align your teams and transfer knowledge into your organization.

Knowledge transfer

Private panels

Results database

Team alignment

UX coordination & management

UX infrastructure

 OUR AUTOMOTIVE TOOLS & SERVICES 

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