Volkswagen ID4 Dashboard Redesign
Fall/Winter 2024
ArtCenter
The Project
My first project during my graduate studies at ArtCenter was taking a current vehicle dashboard and conducting a redesign. For this project I chose to redesign the Volkswagen 2021 ID4 dashboard, an interface I knew well and one that I felt could use improvement.
But before I could begin I needed to find the answer to a few questions. How does one effectively design an interface that can't hold a users full attention? What kind of changes need to be made to this specific interface to make it more user friendly? And perhaps most importantly, what do users say about this current interface and what do they find most important within car dashboards? These were all questions I'd need to dive into before I even booted up Figma to start my wireframes.
What is an ID4?
1 / Electric SUV
The Volkswagen ID4 is an electric SUV introduced in 2021. It was the first generation of electric SUVs from Volkswagen.
2 / Popular within the U.S
The ID4 is very popular within the United States with over 75,000 of them being on the road today.
3 / Modern Design
The car sports a very modern interior and exterior design featuring a sleek and simple control system.
Problems
The current iteration of the ID4's dashboard is difficult to use while driving, making users feel uncomfortable and unsafe. This particularly represents a problem for individuals trying to drive and use the dashboard simultaneously.
Users become overwhelmed by a number of options and images presented, causing confusion and annoyance at having to sift through numerous pages to find the correct products.
The controls scheme of a dashboard is very important. Having the most used buttons readily available at a moments notice is important for generating a positive user experience. The ID4's dashboard lacks easy access to some of these controls, causing a frustrating experience for users.
How can we fix this?
We need to find a blend between having a modern dashboard that users can enjoy and have a luxury experience, while also maintaining safety features that allow users to be more comfortable while operating the vehicle. We can do this through creating a dashboard that is easier to use through the introduction of readily available buttons buttons and a redesign of the user flow and screens to simplify the dashboard and make it less frustrating for the user.
Concept Sketches and Notes
To start trending in the direction of developing a solution, I needed to make an effort to better understand the current ID4 Dashboard. This involved actually interfacing with the dashboard to discover what kinds of flaws it had firsthand. In addition, I sought to brainstorm potential solutions to those problems. I started doing this by extensively documenting the current dashboard and user flows and seeking for ways I could minimize the information overload and ease user navigation. Pictured below is some of my rather messy (but productive!) notes which were taken during this process.
After developing an understanding of the current dashboard, I now needed to get an understanding of my users.
User Research
What matters most to users?
Viewing what users find most important in vehicle dashboards.
51%
Safety
32%
Navigation
25%
Phone Syncing
18%
Heated Seats
Based on data pulled from previous user research studies on Mintel there are a number of things users prioritize in the vehicle interior. In particular, safety, navigation, and mobile phone syncing are at the top of the list. With this in mind we can get a better picture of what a typical user would look like.
User Persona
Understanding what my average user's wants and needs were I created a user persona to help me identify specific goals of an example user. In this case, my user persona, Jacob, prioritized safety and drives often with his family. He also has a mild tendency to get lost since he is new to the area he is living in. Based off of these more specific scenarios I could think deeper about how the design of the ID4's dashboard would impact a daily user like Jacob. This was critical for later steps in the project when I started to create wireframes of the dashboard.
Wireframes
While developing wireframes I kept in mind the previous research I'd done. Prioritizing safety, ease of access and navigational features. In addition, I kept notes about future plans and my idea while developing rough wireframes.
Home
Map
AC v.1
I also received some usability feedback during this stage and made adjustments accordingly. In one example (wireframes AC v.1 & AC v.2) I changed how temperature was controlled in the dashboard from a slider to a simple button, as usability testers found it difficult to use a slider while driving.
AC v.2
Initial Mockups
After taking in more feedback and making adjustments I created some higher fidelity mockups and made more adjustments to colors, buttons, visual cues and other features based on feedback. A major step in this phase was developing solutions for easier navigation for users that would cut down on button presses and make for a more comfortable and safer driving experience.
Initial Mockup
Figma Prototyping
These mockups, while an improvement over the wireframes, weren't perfect. Thankfully I had a large amount of user feedback to sort through in order to help find where the design remained flawed.
User Feedback
"Buttons for defrosting both the front and back windows should be considered a priority and place on the main menu, especially for those living in areas that get very cold. These could be placed on the left and right hand lower sides of the display to keep things symmetrical and be easy to access"
"The iconography for the seat heaters should show some color, perhaps using red to dictate the heating on/off and strength"
"Some of the buttons, particularly the ones controlling the temperature and fan speed could be changed to be larger to make it easier for a driver to hit them and be less distracted."
"Instead of numbers displayed the climate in the car instead use temperature to give a more exact understanding of the climate."
High Fidelity Mockups
Figma High Fidelity Mockups
Render Gallery
Conclusions
1 / Research
Overall in creating this companion application and dashboard I learned a lot about developing a project through user research, what users want within a car dashboard, what user pain points are, and how they can be addressed. Creating a user persona, building upon it with the construction of a user journey and service design blueprint helped me develop a product that I believe will help make the experience of using the ID4 dashboard safer and less frustrating for the user.
2 / Learning
From this project I learned so much. Being a class project a learned a ton from my wonderful peers at ArtCenter who really helped showcase the value of user research and how getting an opinion on a design from a user can help shape the decision making behind the final product. In addition, the aspect of designing something that isn't intended to maintain a users full focus was a fascinating challenge. I found I learned a lot about what users focus on, what helps users be able to multitask effectively, and how to better prepare in the future for products that need to allow users to keep their attention elsewhere while still being effective. I also made strides in becoming more proficient in using Figma, making design systems, and conducting user testing and research.
3 / Future
Going forward I will continue to explore the possibilities of further customizability for the user. On top of that, I hope to increase the connectivity between the car dashboard and the mobile application to give users more options to interface with their vehicle.
Thanks for checking out my project!