Topic > Automotive design

IndexNew technologies and digital trendsThe role of emotionThe role of context research questionsThesis structureAt the beginning of the 20th century, the evolution of automotive design had begun to reshape human mobility needs in terms of practicality and comfort (Damiani, Deregibus and Andreone, 2009; Spinney, Reimer and Pinch, 2017). With the production of the Ford Model T in 1908, standardized, affordable automobiles became widely available to more people (Eckermann, 2001). From the late 1920s onwards, automotive design began to develop as a separate discipline from general industrial design, which is the process of designing and producing a product in quantity (Sparke, 2002). Automotive design has evolved alongside the interaction between different parts of the car, such as engineering, performance and shape (Sparke, 2002). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIn the 20th century, as automobiles became symbolic icons of upper-class status, elegant design, style, and aesthetics became key aspects of the automotive design process (Inserra, 2017). This was reflected in experimentation with multicolored exteriors in the 1950s. In the 1980s, interior design and ergonomics began to be taken more seriously, as did new concerns related to safety and fuel efficiency (Inserra, 2017). Technical specifications of new car models, which improve their performance, have also been a primary focus of competition among automotive manufacturers (Spinney, Reimer, & Pinch, 2017). This is also reflected in the change in words used to describe the most important attributes of automobiles in the 20th century, from words such as "distinctive", "elegant" and "sporty" to "safe", "friendly" and "environmental". compatibility' (Damiani, Deregibus and Andreone, 2009). In the early 21st century, the proliferation of computing and digital technology has accelerated the growth of the Internet and mobile technology (Digital Preservation Management, 2015). With the evolution of advanced digital capabilities in the automobile, the concept of “in-car connectivity” was introduced in the 21st century (Damiani, Deregibus, & Andreone, 2009). The focus of automotive research has also begun to shift, requiring interdisciplinary approaches toward the driving experience (Spinney, Reimer, & Pinch, 2017). New technologies and digital trends The automotive industry, triggered by new digital technologies, has transformed rapidly (Barra, 2016). Thanks to the advantage of GPS technologies, the introduction of GM's OnStar system in 1996, which allowed cars to be connected to information flows and services, opened up the new concept of connected cars to improve the driving experience (Nobel, 2013). Security services, such as live concierge services in emergency situations, began to be available over the phone, with sensors built into the vehicle (Grabianowski, 2009). By the mid-2000s, the rapid growth of smartphones expanded connectivity capabilities, introducing in-car infotainment applications (Massy, ​​2007). Accessing any entertainment content via the phone "carried" by the driver inside the car has amplified the experience of drivers in the vehicle (Microsoft News Center, 2012). Connected vehicles have evolved beyond the advanced integration of digital technologies into automobiles: they can now communicate and share data not only with smart devices but also with infrastructures in which multiple sensors are embedded (Ninan et al., 2015). McKinsey (2013) predicted that the number of automobilesconnected to the Internet will increase on average 30% per year through 2020, while the number of traditional cars will increase on average only 4% per year over the same period. One in five cars will connect wirelessly to the network by 2020 (Davidson, 2015), so that various network-based services, such as Internet radio, information, entertainment and driver assistance applications will be available within cars. With the growth of in-car connectivity, automated driving is considered one of the biggest potential changes in the automotive industry, due to its enormous estimated impact on the economy and society, as well as on automotive technological developments themselves (Milakis, Arem, & Wee, 2017) . The annual economic and social benefit of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) could be around £51 billion, generating over 30,000 jobs by 2030 (KPMG, 2015) (Figure 1). It could impact GDP growth and prevent major accidents in the UK. The UK CAV market is estimated to be worth £28 billion by 2035, capturing 3% of the £907 billion global market (Transport Systems Catapult, 2017). Furthermore, recent forecasts have estimated that, by 2027, all vehicles produced in the UK will have at least conditional automated technologies, and this is estimated to progressively reach 25% penetration of full automation by 2030 (KPMG, 2015 ). Figure 1 Economic and social impact of connected and autonomous vehicles (adapted from KPMG, 2015). The evolution of the connected car and the rapid developments in automated driving have shaped the role of the car from that of a "passive transport machine" for moving from point A to B, to that of an "intelligent object" (Eichler, Schroth and Eberspächer, 2006). The concept of “car” is said to have moved from hardware to software and from object to experience (Rousseau, 2015). Research argues that advances in digital devices have improved mobility, adding multiple purposes such as communication, entertainment, leisure, and business (Moore, 2012). As a result, people's attitudes toward car ownership and travel have changed (Moore, 2012; McKinsey & Company, 2013). Due to the frequent use of digital devices while traveling, cars no longer seem to be perceived as a remote space in people's lives (Gellatly et al., 2010). The term “automotive habitat” has occasionally been used to refer to the role of the modern automobile as a socially interactive environment (Gkatzidou, Giacomin, & Skrypchuk, 2016). The rise of new target groups in the automotive market has massively influenced changes in the automotive industry ( Koushik and Mehl, 2015 ). Millennials, born between 1977 and 1994 (Williams and Page, 2011), have become the fastest growing segment of shoppers (Kurylko, 2017). According to data from J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network, 4.1 million vehicles were sold to millennials in the United States last year and are expected to likely account for about 40% of the U.S. new vehicle market by 2020 ( Kurylko, 2017). There is a big difference in attitudes toward cars between baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 (Williams and Page, 2011) and millennials. While for the baby boomer generation, owning a car was considered a symbol of identity that expressed status, millennials have more pragmatic perspectives on consumption (Warton, 2017). This is demonstrated in the phrase “Rent, Stream, and Experience” (Bradshaw, 2014), which encapsulates the preferences of millennials: the ability to experience in a way that satisfies their desires is important tomillennials rather than owning assets (Niewiadomski and Anderson, 2017). The shift towards human experience from functional needs in automotive design (see Figure 2) suggests a direction for future automotive design. Figure 2 Evolution of automotive design (adapted from UVM, 2011). As expressed in the phrase: 'We don't just use technology; we live with it' (McCarthy and Wright, 2004), an automobile is deeply, emotionally and intellectually embedded in everyday life. A deep understanding of the human experience is required (Norman, 2013) to capture how positively people remember their engagement with cars Since it is impossible to design the experience itself, which is a subjective value, the focus should be on designing experiential scaffolds on which people can experience theirs. pleasant experience in the automotive context. Due to its personal and dependent nature (Kim, 2015), the experience can only be designed through a deep understanding of a story shaped by the individual's emotions, thoughts and actions within a context (Dewey, 1980; Desmet and Hekkert, 2007; Hesserehl, 2010). The role of emotionsTo design a pleasant experience, understanding human emotions is one of the most significant components (McCarthy and Wright (2004; Desmet and Hekkert, 2007). Emotion plays a fundamental role in various aspects of human experience that interconnects human thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors (Gomez, Popovic, & Blackler, 2011; Hanington, 2017). According to Epstein (1994), while the rational information processing system in humans is driven by logic, the experiential information processing system is driven by emotions they have shown that, when humans have an experience, their emotional system triggers their thoughts and actions (Nass et al., 2005), therefore, it is impossible to see emotion as an entity independent of cognitive processing or physical interaction (Hanington, ). 2017). The consideration of emotions is therefore fundamental to creating pleasant and positive experiences for people (Gkouskos, Chen, 2012). In the 1980s, emotion appeared implicitly in research on aspects of product meaning, semantics, and pleasant experiences (Csikszentmihalyi 1981; Krippendorff and Butter, 1984). The holistic human view of design and emotion recognition gradually became evident in the field of "user experience", a term first coined by Norman in 1995. Subsequently, the emergence of complex consumer electronics technology has shifted primary focus to the early years of humanity. field of computer interaction (HCI), from functional views of technology to the emotional impact of interacting with technological products (Hanington, 2017). Emotional experience has continuously been perceived and accepted as a critical aspect for designs to successfully take into account human needs and desires (Jordan 2000; Picard and Wexelblat, 2002; Hanington, 2017). Previous design studies have highlighted the importance of emotions by suggesting the main elements that can impact the emotional experience. Jordan (2000) proposes four pleasures – physical, psychological, sociological and ideological – that can contribute to emotional experience. According to his theory (Jordan, 2000), the emotional benefits derived from the four pleasures can be satisfied based on both functionality and functionality. usability, which represent people's most basic expectations of a product. Gomez, Popovic, and Bucolo (2004) suggest the critical factors that can compose the emotional experience: user, artifact, activity, and context. Figure 4 illustrates thatthe interaction between a human being and a product is mediated by context, which constitutes the overall experience. It also suggests that emotions related to each activity or task performed by the individual within a context can influence the overall experience. Figure 4 User-artifact activity within the context shapes the experience (adapted from Gomez, Popovic, & Bucolo, 2004). The significance of emotional experience has been demonstrated in the complex context of car driving through the use of advanced digital technologies. Drivers are likely to be influenced by various information from digital technologies, which influences their emotional state, with possible impacts on behavior and safety (Foen 2012). Research (Lajunen and Parker 2001; Foen 2012) suggests that drivers are more likely to make risky decisions when they are negatively affected by emotions such as anger or frustration, potentially leading to accidents. Beyond issues of driving performance and driving safety, Sheller (2003) argues for the importance of emotional responses in determining an individual's car purchases, driving habits, and lifestyle choices. In order to build a strong relationship with new potential buyers - such as millennials who satisfy their needs and desires - this research focuses on systematically investigating and adapting an appropriate emotion-focused design approach. The role of contextual scenarios To ultimately discover meanings, desires and needs, this research was guided and is designed according to the principle of human-centered design – starting from the lowest levels of values ​​in the pyramid (Giacomin, 2014) – and then in a person's life in relation to the automotive experience. With respect to the suitability of the tools in this research, the following criteria were considered: Capturing human needs and requirements involving emotions, as well as physical, sociological and environmental aspects in an automobile Illustrating the human experience in the form of a story from the point of a person's view A design scenario is considered the most appropriate tool for this research. Using a scenario for design can provide more opportunities to investigate a person's daily life through a story that explores the experience of a product or service from a person's perspective (Goodwin, 2010). Because story illustrates an overall experience that can encompass events, situations, activities, and interaction between people and an artifact (Carroll, 2000), and emotions play a fundamental role in human experience (Gomez, Popovic, & Blackler, 2011; Hanington, 2017 ), can ultimately help reveal meanings and needs within various contexts involving emotional aspects. In the automotive industry, however, scenarios have often been used to test automotive systems, which perform highly functional tasks related to driver and vehicle performance (Burnett, 2009; Stevens and Burnett, 2014). Typical automotive scenarios provide traffic and environmental conditions and driving conditions context to evaluate the functions and performance of all specifications in a particular situation (Safespot, 2006). Numerous automotive studies have applied scenarios to test system performance, such as pre-collision systems (Chien et al., 2014) or embedded system integration (Davis, Patron, & Lane, 2007). However, concerns have been raised regarding whether existing automotive scenarios help answer questions about automotive design, which are emotional, psychological, or sociological in nature (Gkatzidou, Giacomin, & Skrypchuk, 2016). Furthermore, it has been noted (Gkouskos, Normark, & Lundgren, 2014) thatCurrent standardized automotive scenarios appear to be of little benefit to the design of automotive products, systems or services, due to their strong technical and task-based focus. Although consideration of emotional aspects has been highlighted as part of the success of any product and service design, including those of an automobile (Dupré et al., 2012; Gkouskos and Chen, 2012), such aspects have been considered less important. important in automotive scenarios. The standardized design scenarios available for automotive design involving various human emotional aspects do not adequately meet the expectations and growing demand for digital connectivity, nor handle the challenges of a complex automotive environment. Therefore, further research investigates people's life stories that trigger emotional responses in the automotive context is required. Awareness of the importance and current limitations of design scenarios in the field of automotive design motivates this research investigation. Through this research, the human-centered design approach will be able to better support the automotive industry, facilitate its adoption by automotive professionals to test or evaluate automotive products, system concepts and services, and inform the design of affective automotive scenarios. Research Questions The research described in this thesis was motivated by the belief that human-centered automotive scenarios can be used to answer automotive design questions involving emotional, psychological or sociological aspects. Some of the key research questions involved are: What are the key components of design scenarios? How can a scenario be developed comprehensively and rigorously? What are the affective scenarios that describe the emotional experience in various automotive contexts? How can automotive affective scenarios be implemented to test an automotive product, system or product concept? The aim of the research is to develop automotive design scenarios that engage the emotional responses of humans. In order to achieve the aim and answer the key research questions, the following research objectives were formulated: (OB1) Identify the key requirements of automotive scenarios by identifying human desires regarding the automotive experience in a complex digital environment; (OB2) Provide an operational scenario definition and scenario development process through analysis and synthesis of relevant scenario literature reviews; (OB3) Develop automotive affective scenarios related to current automotive contexts based on the analysis of emotional responses; (OB4) Evaluate the research results, using the proposed scenarios to test an automotive concept. Structure of the thesis The research in this thesis was designed and conducted in three phases: definition, development and evaluation. Each phase was the subject of an in-depth study. The first phase involves a literature review on the concept of scenarios and preliminary interviews on human desires in an automotive context. The second phase involves preliminary workshops on automotive scenarios and large-scale online and in-person investigations in a controlled simulation context. The third phase of the thesis contains an evaluation of the research results, discusses the limitations of the research and suggests potential applications for future automotive design. The thesis includes nine chapters describing the research process undertaken to formulate automotive affective design scenarios and their evaluation. Keep in mind:.