HMI Division | FD Group Engineering and industrial design

Design of digital in-car experience

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Our main purpose is of to enable a better, more meaningful and sustainable experience for the many people inside and outside of a car. We are on a mission to explore and design new ways of interacting with car.

A NEW CHALLENGE

Today’s economies are dramatically changing, triggered by development in emerging markets, the accelerated rise of new technologies, sustainability policies, and changing consumer preferences around ownership. Digitization and new business models have revolutionized other industries, and automotive will be no exception.

Digital transformation concerns all companies: new services and expanded business models are developing at light speed.

This presents new challenges and in future, simply building the best cars will no longer be enough. That is why FD Group is creating a new focal point – digital interface laboratory to Design digital in-car experience. Our main goal to drive future digital transformation from variety automobile manufacturer to various mobility service provider using the most advanced techniques.

HMI DESIGN COMPONENTS

STRATEGIC DESIGN

Reference values, trends and market researches:
The HMI Team has developed excellent comparison techniques and platforms for market research. In evaluating the customer’s product we take into consideration all aspects such as complexity, costs, advantages and disadvantages. Our goal is to support the customer, providing an external analysis of its products or those of competitors, with the aim of helping to define the best positioning of products on the market.

INTERACTION DESIGN

We design user experience strategy through multi-stage testing, according to user needs and brand trends. Interaction is a very broad concept that takes into account each level of design related to user interaction with the products and services we design, with notions of visual design architecture.
In the vehicle design context, the interaction ranges from the traditional Man-Machine Interface (physical affordances) to digital design (in the form of video, voice, sensors, tactile technology, augmented reality or mixed reality).

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

We are happy to openly share our key element: an experimental and ambitious approach.
We are aware of how the management of project design is fundamental in the life cycle of a project, as it identifies the elements and defines their tone. However, it is often overlooked or hastily addressed. To have a successful project, first of all we identify the steps involved in the project design and the way to document them accurately. Creating a project design can help us avoid problems in development and identify an appropriate budget right from the start. One of our strengths is our ability to organize quickly and with limited resources; an aspect that we are happy to share with you!

HELPFUL CENTERS FOR CENTERS OF VIRTUAL AND INCREASED REALITY

The development of technology has led to the creation of many new tools that give us a more realistic understanding of products related to mobility. In collaboration with our partner company, InPlanner, we can accompany you in a world of Virtual Reality where you can view Automobiles or other products in a realistic environment, so as to better understand their dimensions and surfaces before developing a physical model or prototype. It is a great way to avoid and correct errors in the early stages of a project, which is incredibly simpler and less expensive than resolution in advanced stages. This also allows the customer to interact directly with the car before the product is finalized.

DIGITAL TOUCHPOINT FOR WHICH WE DESIGN

The development of technology has led to the creation of many new tools for a better understanding of cars and related products. In collaboration with our partner company, InPlanner, we can accompany you in a world of Virtual Reality where you can view Automobiles or other products in a realistic environment, so as to better understand their dimensions and surfaces before developing a physical model or prototype. It is a great way to avoid and correct errors in the early stages of a project, which is incredibly simpler and less expensive than resolution in advanced stages. This also allows the customer to interact directly with the car before the product is finalized.

CLUSTER INSTRUMENTS

INFORMATION SYSTEM AND ENTERTAINMENT

PASSENGER DISPLAY

BYD

PHASES OF THE DESIGN PROCESS OF THE DIGITAL INTERFACE

Step 1.

RESEARCH, TEST, BRAND EVALUATION to collect as much information as possible in order to prepare for the next step

Step 2.

BRAINSTORMING multiple ideation sessions with exchange of proposals and thoughts

Step 3.

CONCEPTUAL PHASE bring to the table all the possible concepts and ideas to confront the customer and select a limited series of solutions among those deemed successful

Step 4.

PRE PRODUCTION preparation phase for the implementation of technical evaluations, and the design of future platforms for production assets

Step 5.

PRODUCTION AND QUALITY GUARANTEE implementation of the design to ensure that the final product meets the requirements

PRODUCTION

Visual Design

Step 1.

Visual exploration

Bandwidth
Exploration of potential visual directions
Evaluate and eliminate visual themes

Step 2.

Definition of style

Definire un numero limitato di temi
Get a definition of style

Step 3.

Production of visual assets

Preparation for the implementation phase

Concept Design

Step 1.

Content analysis

Functions
Contextually relevant information
User requirements

Step 2.

Information architecture and system model

Step 3.

Content and classification inventory

Menu contents
Selectable content (assisted driving systems, navigation, media, etc.)

Step 4.

Wireframe / Definition of technical specifications

High and low precision wireframe
Selectable content (assisted driving systems, navigation, media, etc.)

Step 5.

Quality assurance