Subaru In-Vehicle Technoloy

Company: Subaru
Product: 2017 In-Vehcile Infotainment
Role: User Experience Consultant

In 2015 was contracted as a UX Consultant through Harman Becker (now Samsung) to help out with the launch of the 2017 Subaru in vehicle infotainment system. I came in during the home stretch of the design phase to weigh in on interface design, help with testing, and deliver some last minute assets. My main focus was insuring that designs met customer needs while keeping the design phase on-target.

Process

Executive Review

While on the Subaru project, I met with company leaders from Subaru Japan. We went over the existing design, highlighting weaknesses that could be revisited in the timeframe. Because there were conflicting subjective opinions regarding design decisions, we were able to secure funding for design testing and validation.

Product Design

Based on our review with the Subaru executives, I was involved in redesigning some UX and UI elements utilized in the infotainment system. Some things I redesigned were icons that tested poorly for recognizability, feature flows, and button placement. My deliveries included wireframes, logic flows, updates to the prototype, and UI assets.

Testing

While on the Subaru project I was a part of a moderated A/B test and an unmoderated competitor test. Both of these tests utilized a group of participants that were provided by third-party resource. I was involved in script writing, facilitation/moderation, and writing the end analysis.

Results

Key Accomplishments

• Working with an international team to wrap up a huge project while maintaining a focus on usability.
• Delivering design assets on time despite changes in scope and requirements.

Challenges Met

• The Subaru executives were focused on style over usability, so presenting research and testing our designs was paramount.
• Improving on my ability to ‘sell’ my work to an audience that was not focused on the end user.