As part of an experiential learning course, “Research, Design, Build” (RDB), I worked with a large automobile brand to research user needs and develop an AI system to meet them.

The Challenge: How can our brand create a holistic, AI-powered system that adapts various in-car functionalities to individual driver profiles?

Step 1 - Research Objectives: The first step of any good research project is defining what exactly you want to learn. My team and I developed a research framework to gain a holistic view of customers' car experiences.

Step 1 - Research Objectives: The first step of any good research project is defining what exactly you want to learn. My team and I developed a research framework to gain a holistic view of customers' car experiences.

Step 2 - Secondary Research: Here at RDB, we love boards and sticky notes! They're a quick and flexible way to communicate and organize ideas. We used the Social, Economy, Technology (SET) framework to shape our secondary research and findings.

Step 2 - Secondary Research: Here at RDB, we love boards and sticky notes! They're a quick and flexible way to communicate and organize ideas. We used the Social, Economy, Technology (SET) framework to shape our secondary research and findings.

Step 3 - Primary Research: The best way to learn about your customer is to talk to them! Our mixed-method research approach included in-car interviews, personal immersion, and customer journey diaries.

Step 3 - Primary Research: The best way to learn about your customer is to talk to them! Our mixed-method research approach included in-car interviews, personal immersion, and customer journey diaries.

Step 4 - Insight Development: We synthesized our research data into insights that were interesting, relevant, and actionable. Then we developed frameworks to organize our insights and generated "How might we..." statements to drive our ideation.

Step 4 - Insight Development: We synthesized our research data into insights that were interesting, relevant, and actionable. Then we developed frameworks to organize our insights and generated "How might we..." statements to drive our ideation.

Step 5 - Now comes the fun part - ideation! Using rapid visualization and brainstorming techniques, we brainstormed ideas to meet the user needs we identified earlier.

Step 5 - Now comes the fun part - ideation! Using rapid visualization and brainstorming techniques, we brainstormed ideas to meet the user needs we identified earlier.

Step 6 - Focusing In: We organized, consolidated, and narrowed down our ideas until we came to a team consensus on a singular concept (made up of multiple ideas).

Step 6 - Focusing In: We organized, consolidated, and narrowed down our ideas until we came to a team consensus on a singular concept (made up of multiple ideas).

Step 7 - Concept Development: Once we decided on our path forward, we built out our final concept and defined how it would fit into the customer journey.

Step 7 - Concept Development: Once we decided on our path forward, we built out our final concept and defined how it would fit into the customer journey.

Step 8 - Bringing our Idea to Life: In order to effectively communicate our idea and its benefits to our client, we developed a storyboard that showcased an example in-car customer journey.

Step 8 - Bringing our Idea to Life: In order to effectively communicate our idea and its benefits to our client, we developed a storyboard that showcased an example in-car customer journey.

Step 9 - Business Strategy: To complete the "desirability, feasibility, viability" framework, we built out the business model canvas to express our concept's value proposition, costs and revenues, customer segments, key activities, and future roadmap

Step 9 - Business Strategy: To complete the "desirability, feasibility, viability" framework, we built out the business model canvas to express our concept's value proposition, costs and revenues, customer segments, key activities, and future roadmap.

Skills Applied

Ethnographic Research

From defining our research objectives and approach to conducting customer interviews and diary studies, ethnographic research was the crux of this project.

Insight Generation

Using frameworks and ideation techniques, research data was synthesized into insights that were interesting, relevant, and actionable.

Storyboarding

By developing a storyboard using rapid visualization techniques, our client was able to envision the product and how customers would use it.

Next

LifeQuest