Software Over the Air
The CX vision and strategy for empowering owners with over-the-air software updates.
Problem
A vehicle software update can take up to 30 minutes and renders the vehicle inoperable. How and when do we communicate with customers about a pending update?
Opportunity
Re-envision a holistic digital portal giving owners complete control over the software downloading cadence. Provide creative direction and interactive demonstrations for the channel-agnostic platform.
Outcome
Prototypes and presentation assets for driving a customer-first dialogue with vehicle engineering leads for model year 2022 JLR vehicle lines.
Background
This project was in collaboration with the Global Customer Experience team based in the UK. With vehicle lines capable of over-the-air updates going into production, they asked us to design an omni-channel owners platform for managing vehicle software.
starting with our customers
Before considering how we might solve problems for our customers, we needed to get a sense for who they are and what motivates them. I set out to lead a research project to provide designers with relevant customer information that could be designed for.
After some digging, I discovered Target Customer Booklets and ethnographic videos made by our Global Consumer Insights team. Although they were marketing-focused, I gathered a lot of relevant observations about real customers. Next, I turned to quarterly marketing figures that provided valuable demographic data.
I gathered all of the observations and grouped them in a spreadsheet with four main categories; needs, goals, behaviors, and habits. I also collected quotes from actual customers from previous usability testing sessions. Patterns emerged from the grouped content which gave shape to the 3 archetypes.
Several designers didn’t see the relevance in having personas. Knowing this, I shared a questionnaire with the team to get a sense for how we could make our personas meaningful. The fact that personas weren’t real people drew a lot of criticism. To some, that meant they weren’t relatable.
JLR’s first personas
Paul, Emma, and Li emerged from our data collection and sorting. The three personas highlight the different perspectives toward mobile technology, automation, and emerging digital trends. I curated the content of them to focus on informational that was relatable and actionable.
Paul
Paul’s a well-educated family man from California. He makes good income and feels indifferent about most technology he doesn’t already know how to use. He’s not afraid to pull out the manual or ask his oldest son when it comes to troubleshooting a digital novelty.
Emma
Emma’s an interior designer with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. She’s interested in new technology, but not if feeling overwhelmed is the outcome. Her strong sense of independence and adaptability leads her to troubleshoot most tech issues, typically by trial and error.
Li
Li is a young CEO who lives in Shanghai with his family. Entertaining his clients and staying abreast new digital trends are just two of his strong suits. Li is someone who actively seeks out ways that emerging technology can fit into his busy lifestyle.
putting personas to use
To explore the impact of a vehicle software update we created scenarios and let our personas tell the story. We nicknamed these Contextual Journey Maps. Their purpose was to expose the service gaps, tech limitations and brand opportunities that result from new vehicle lines capable of over-the-air updates.
Using InVision, we made an interactive deck that details the brand experience for 4 different customers. Update success, download failure, and dealership reliance were all realistic aspects we folded into the journey maps.
All notification touchpoints within the journey maps were interactive. This allowed the vehicle program engineers and other stakeholders to dive into the details of any stage within the experience.
We concluded each customer journey with a successful outcome. This helped reinforce the shared understanding of how the brand benefits from an experience that’s centered around the user.
GLOBAL EXPOSURE
The Contextual Journey Maps helped our CX colleagues engage engineering groups and retail managers in all our markets to prepare JLR for vehicles with SOTA capability. These resources facilitated a rich dialogue with stakeholders on the challenges needed to overcome to deliver a premium experience. The feedback solicited by the journey maps was critical to aligning a viable, shared product strategy.
deciding what to prototype
Next, we were tasked with creating interactive prototypes that walked stakeholders through a realistic, on-brand experience with SOTA. Over a couple of days, we sketched out the flows that would make the most sense to demonstrate for key stakeholders. We focused on key brand opportunities like downloading vehicle upgrades, linking mobile device apps and looking at experiences both on and off the vehicle.
Pencils before pixels
The team sketched several flows to highlight the strengths and pitfalls of SOTA under all conditions. The goal was to provide a realistic vision for what success looks like for all of the brands.
knowing what to prototype
Before building any prototypes, we mapped out simple storyboards that touch on the various aspects of the experience that needed consideration.
Prototyping for demonstration
I used Proto.io to create 3 high fidelity prototypes that introduce the JLR Portal: an all-in-one customer platform for downloading Vehicle Upgrades and linking Mobile Apps to a vehicle. The purpose was to demonstrate to stakeholders the customer value of an omni-channel platform that empowers users while creating revenue-generating opportunities.
download manager
Emma’s going to explore the Download Manager App from the infotainment touchscreen.
She’s going to notice that the app is divided into 2 main content areas: Mobile Apps that can be hosted on the vehicle and mirror her mobile device and Vehicle Upgrades which can be downloaded via over-the-air technology.
She’s going to demonstrate downloading one of each in this video.
A System Update
Li gets an in-vehicle notification for a pending system update. He reads it and chooses the option to install now.
Once installed, Li goes into the My Apps section of the Download Manager to see the details.
Facebook Ad
To take full advantage of over-the-air download capability, we included an off-board demonstration of the JLR Portal.
While surfing on his iPad, Li is going to discover a targeted ad that redirects him to the web view of the JLR Portal. While there, he’s going to purchase a vehicle upgrade and have it downloaded to both of his vehicles.
prototyping for learning
How do people react to a System Update notification for a vehicle? I built a prototype with the 3 possible outcomes to find out. I then walked people through it and listened to the way they described what they were thinking.
Accept default
In the happy path, Li receives a System Update notification and chooses to accept the default install time of 2:00 AM tomorrow.
Change default install time
Upon seeing the notification, Li decides to ‘Set another time.’ He takes that opportunity to also change the default install time from Thursdays to Sundays.
install now
Li sees the notification and figures now is a better time than ever. After selecting ‘Install now,’ he’s prompted through some steps before the install can begin. Once the install begins, he can see the progress and knows how much time until complete.
Digital Transformation
A company-wide commitment to making impactful digital customer experiences.
Infotainment design system
The launch of Jaguar Land Rover’s first-ever shared design system for the infotainment platform.
Rear Seat Interface
The research and design of a shared, rear seat climate and comfort touchscreen interface.