There's a lot of digital experiences that can be put in our cars. But what SHOULD go in our cars is a matter not only of what's technically possible but what's meaningful to the driver and passengers...and safe. Contextual factors (speed, distractions, etc.) in automotives demands a hard look at the direction design should take in this space, and it's up to OEMs to design around the experience, not the technology.

1. MAY 2014
CAN VS. SHOULD
BALANCING USER NEEDS AND ENGINEERING
POSSIBILITIES TO CREATE MEANINGFUL AND
USER-CENTERED AUTOMOTIVE EXPERIENCES
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

2. FIRST, THANK YOU.
I’M EXCITED TO BE HERE.
2
I HAVE A CONFESSION:
I’M NOT AN ENGINEER.
IT GETS WORSE:
I’M A RECOVERING MBA.

3. APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE:
MY JOB IS TO PROVOKE.
(AND SOLVE)
3

4. 4
OUR HISTORY:
40+ YEARS OF INNOVATION

5. 5
“Man had landed on the moon and young people wanted to change the world; we
all wanted to make a difference. I wanted to make people smile.”
— Hartmut Esslinger, 1969

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WHAT WE DO
TODAY
We bring together a unique combination of
strategy, design and technology to deliver
an incredibly diverse range of
breakthrough products and services to the
market.

7. The
Walmart has
144,000 items.

8. Section title text
The world
is more mobile
than ever before.

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And more platforms
has made it harder to
find a coherent voice.
MS L XL
retail

10. More data
doesn’t necessarily equal
more insight.

11. As organizations grow,
maturity often drives
risk aversion.

12. As a result, we’ve
lost sight of the
user and what’s
meaningful.

14. Just because we
can doesn’t mean
we should.

15. It’s not just in
high-profile
gaffes, either.

16. Initial Quality Problems Increase as Automakers
Struggle to Launch Vehicles with Technology That
Consumers Find Easy to Use(J.D. Power, June 2014)
It’s affecting IQS

17. But it’s not about
simply asking consumers
what they want.

18. And it’s not about
creating solutions
to problems that
don’t exist.

19. being a problem-solver = good thing
being a solver of the wrong problem = bad thing

20. Average time
in a McDonald’s
drive-thru?1-2 / 2-3 / 3-5 / 5-7 / 7+

21. it requires a balanced perspective
What PROBLEM
are we trying to
solve?

22. ethnography
journaling
shop-alongs
needs clustering
product tear-downs
film-making
workshops
storyboarding
prototyping
concept labs
experience designs
animations / visualizations
…
research, strategy, design, + tech
present throughout
it requires new methods and skills

23. research + strategy + design + engineering
it requires breaking down old silos

24. this blending is evident in some excellent examples

25. this blending is evident in some excellent examples

26. and its absence is evident in…other examples

27. and its absence is evident in…other examples

28. Honda Link for
iPhoneA new telematics service that redefines the experience of Honda car
ownership using mobile technology.
an example

30. Interviews Desktop Research Comparative Analysis
frog conducted research across Asia,
Europe and the U.S. - and asked questions
about what content and services car
drivers want, and what their expectations
are. Research was broad enough to
include interviewees who owned Hondas
frog also looked at more than 50 popular
applications that Honda’s competitors
introduced into the market, and identified
what car owners would like to see in a
smart phone app linked to their cars..
The team also looked at content and
services that may not necessarily be
directly related to the driving experience
but were identified as having the potential
to significantly impact the expectations
that people have with their devices and
frog conducted research across 4 continents within a
short 1-week period.
Rapid, global ethnographic and strategic research

31. Infographics usage
HONDA LINK

32. HONDA LINK
Humanized and approachable
Humanized and
approachable
HONDA LINK
The new visual language promotes a human
connection between man and machine, without
being overly cute. A simple, graphic main screen
shows the car come to life and begin to express
itself with human-like emotions.
Big, bold, and skinny typography based on the
Honda corporate brand makes the app instantly
recognizable, regardless of device or platform.
45

33. I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING:
THAT’S SILLY.
33
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT CREATES AN EMOTIONAL
CONNECTION TO A TECH ASSET.*
*WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.

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tech sophistication have more emotional
Our research shows that drivers with the highest
connections with their cars.

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emotional about technology.
This isn’t the first time that consumers have gotten

36. 36
emotional about technology.
This isn’t the first time that consumers have gotten

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Arguably, a lack of emotional connection has been
the downfall of some truly exceptional cars.

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the downfall of some truly exceptional cars.
Arguably, a lack of emotional connection has been

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Consumers expect to have an emotional
connection with their products and services;
emotional resonance, not a collection of features
or tech, becomes the competitive differentiator.
This is as true for automotives as anywhere.

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how do you achieve emotional resonance?
no yes

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how do you achieve emotional resonance?
yes

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what we’re seeing: bifurcation

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what we’re seeing: invisible technology

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what we’re seeing: insane luxury

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what we’re seeing: insane luxury

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what we’re seeing: consumer expectations increasing
software’s role as a big touchpointrelationship with software

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what we’re seeing: data privacy concerns

48. 48
what we’re seeing: silos breaking down
R&D Mktg Prod Mgmt Design Eng

49. 49
what we’re seeing: silos breaking down
R&D
Mktg
Prod Mgmt
Design
Eng

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what we’re seeing: more holistic journey-mapping
purchase
process
out of
box
experience
pre-drive drive
ownership
+
maintenance
historically
where
innovation
happens
where it
WILL
happen

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what we’re seeing: different development timelines

52. 52
we’re at an inflection point
can
vs.
should
center stack | instrument panel | HUD | mobile app | in-store experience | maintenance | fob | data exhaust | services

53. 53
how map out your futures?
can
vs.
should
strategy
ethnography
prototyping
roadmapping
collaboration
exploration

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finally: please don’t do THIS
can
vs.
should

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Contact:
Teaque Lenahan

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THOUGHTS
I’M NOT HERE TO TALK ENGINEERING. WHY SHOLD IEEE CARE ABOUT MY TALK?BECAUSE SUCCESSFUL INNOVATION IS A BALANCE - OF USER NEEDS, TECH, MARKET REALITIES,
BRAND,
AM I HERE TO TELL YOU THAT MARKET RESEARCH SHOUDL DRIVE ENGINEERING? (SHOW STONE AND STONE VIDEO)
WHY OPEN WITH THAT? BC YOU’RE PEOPLE FIRST, ENGINEERS SECOND. THAT’S A LESSONS OFTEN FORGOTTEN BY MBA’S AND ENGINEERS…WHO CREATE WHAT THEY CAN, GIVEN
TECHNOLOGIES OR CORE COMPETENCIES
LET ME GIVE AN EXAMPLE: POLL AUDIENCE RE MCDONALD’S DRIVE-THRU. ENGINEERS SOLVING FOR THE WRONG PROBLEM. DESIGNERS CAN DO THIS, TOO.
SO WHERE TO START? IN OUR WORLD, WITH THE USER. WE DID THIS WITH APPLE BACK IN THE DAY…BUT NOW WE BALANCE THOSE ELEMENTS IN FINDING MEANINGFUL
INNOVATION
ASK AUDIENCE ABOUT ELEVATORS AND MIRRORS - NOT AN ENGINEERING SOLUTION, BUT ONE THAT IMPACTS QUANT MEASURES
BUT CARS ARE EMOTIONAL OBJECTS, AND REFLECT THEIR OWNERS’ IDENTITIES, VALUES ETC., AND CULTURAL CUES
DESIGN + ENGINEERING SUCCESSES AND FAILURES: AUDI VENT, M-B SEAT CONTROLS (VS JAGUAR ONE THAT APES LATTER BUT FAILS)
WHAT IS FROG SEEING:
INVISIBLE TECH - NOT IN YOUR FACE (IMPLICIT GESTURES?0
CONNECTED CARS…BEYOND THE CAR (MOBILE APPS TO MONITOR CAR HEALTH, IFTT CONNECTIONS OT CONNECTED HOME
INSANE LUXURY T TH E TOP (RR’S CONSTELLATION CEILINGS)
BIFURCATION: CARS AS APPLIANCES W/O PASSION, OR CARS AS IDENTITY
CARMAKERS ARE SILO-ED BY MODEL AND HAVE DIFFERENT DESIGN & DEV TEAMS WORKING ON DIGITAL EXPERIENCES = FRAGMENTATION
TIME TO MARKET VASTLY DIFFERENT IN OTHER PRODUCTS CONSUMERS EXPERIENCE = PARALLAX EFFECT.
THE RISE OF BROAD QUALITY - NO BAD CARS ANYMORE, BUT PLENTY OF BAD INTERFACES. (JD POWER IQS QUOTE RE THE TECH IS DRAWING DOWN CUST SAT SCORES FOR
OEMS)
DISNEY FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION VIDEO?

57. FROG ON AUTOMOTIVES