case
Ford Transit Infotainment System
The Project
After seven years of interruption of imports, Ford needed to resume its activities in the Brazilian and South American market of vans with a new strategy focused on commercial vehicles, Ford opted for the production of the new global version of Transit in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The commercial vehicle market is an extremely rational area and works differently from our well-known passenger car market. Choosing a van or truck largely depends on operating costs and what the manufacturer has to offer in terms of service.
Ford Transit returned to Brazil bringing strong arguments to conquer space in fleets and offering connectivity resources for a “light” commercial model (Manufacturers that offer commercial models from 3.5 to 74 tons offer connectivity resources only for their heaviest vehicles , leaving light commercial models without access to these features).
Info
Role: UI Designer
Plataform: HMI
Tools: Figma, Miro, Photoshop
Timeline: 5 months
Client: Ford
Year: 2021
Location: South America
Objective
Develop the connectivity and infotainment system in line with global visual communication standards with a customized experience for our market. The center brings Android Auto and Apple Car Play connectivity, voice commands (A.I.), app store and can receive online updates. But it is not just a center for entertainment and GPS, it brings useful functions for the driver and the company, such as the possibility of being a source of recurring revenue through microservices.
Transit's new hub can be connected to the Ford Pass app, which can be used to run a diagnostic. This speeds up the service, since it is not necessary to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer to pass the scanner and find out what happened.
The biggest challenge was creating the system in half the standard development time for a vehicle infotainment system.
Benchmarking e research
In the segment of medium commercial vehicles, the vehicle was designed to compete with brands such as Mercedes, Iveco, Peugeot-Citroën, and Volkswagen, relying on connectivity as a differential thanks to the infotainment experience and super fleet management apps.
We used the functionalities of the European and American versions of the vehicle as reference during the UX development. We conducted research with testing communities and client voice teams to adjust the deliverables, combining usability and objectivity, considering the target audience as users of work fleets.
Personas
MERCHANT
Companies that need a Van to improve the speed and quality of goods delivery
FLEET OWNER
Companies that own one or more vehicles purchased under their own company
SERVICE PROVIDER
Professionals who need a robust Van to perform their activities
The solution
The solution includes a connected infotainment that offers features such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, supported by the Android operating system, with embedded apps and data management. Additionally, an AI-based voice concierge and integrations with mobile apps are part of the product.
Time was the biggest challenge even with the styleguide provided by FORD, but it was overcome in the UI design by converting everything to Atomic Design method, which allowed for faster management of changes throughout the process and alignment with the Ford Global branding book and visual communication.
The development of screen flows and assets was heavily worked on and validated along with Ford USA and the client's studio teams
High-fidelity UI Design
Conclusion
The project was successful and deliveries met expectations, aligned with Ford's global branding and lineup and with the same identity. The 'tailoring' process allowed for the delivery of specific features for the main managers and owners of commercial fleets in Brazil and Argentina, especially regarding integrated microservice integrations.
The '1-time login' integrations with the Ford mobile app were included in the road map to further enhance the customer experience.