New Vehicle Device Integration, Key Fob Replacement
PROJECT SUMMARY
I helped integrate the new software capabilities of digital keys and key cards into existing legacy systems for Ford and Lincoln vehicles; allowing customers additional options to unlock/lock their vehicles and to identify themselves by linking the keys to a personal profile.
I also worked on adding the new software into the new profiles end to end experience in the Google Automotive Services (GAS) system, enhancing the profile experience by loading the drivers settings on unlock of vehicle with the associated key.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The use of key fobs has been a consistent method of locking and unlocking vehicles for the last 10+ years. With the introduction of Phones as a Key, customers are able to move away from having to carry around a large key fob. Ford wanted to expand further on that ideology and explore having digital key (e.g watches, phones, etc.) and key card access to continue to remove the burden of items carried to get into their vehicle.
Making digital keys easy to understand and integrate into users lives
Ford’s target users were the early technology adopters that want to move away from using key fobs and keys. Users that have already started to integrate the Phone as a Key as their access method for their vehicles, but want to continue keeping up with technology trends and utilize their digital keys that already have on their person.
My role in the project
As the Lead UX Designer, I collaborated with our feature owner and front-end developer to iterate on and test possible solutions for integrating the education of the new key types into the profile creation process.
We each had specific responsibilities; my job was to collaborate with the feature owner to understand the feature requirements and how the feature is setup and used.
Once I gathered all the requirements, to create wireframes for the new screens and update the existing feature specification. I created initial user flows and wireframes to convey the new design direction our stakeholders.
The mandate: integrate two new access methods and educate usage
Our feature owners were excited at the prospect of offering two new ways for users to unlock and access their vehicle. The biggest issue was how we were going to educate the users on the difference between these two new identification methods, as opposed to the current key and bluetooth connections.
We started by understanding the setup and connection flows between the devices and how they were similar or ways they differentiated for the customers. Once we understood the different setup processes and what users would need to do once they got in the vehicle, I started creating wireframes to visualize the new flow within the system.
Once the teams aligned on the flow from the prototypes, I integrated the new designs into the existing specification and we worked with the UI designer to heighten the fidelity of the wireframes into final renders that matched the systems design system.
