Worldwide Automotive: The Ownership Experience

In the last decade we have seen a change in the way we use and interact with transportation. Ride sharing services, such as Uber and Bolt, have become more common in the modern, digital world. However, digitalisation is not the only driver of change. Sustainability also plays a major role in the changes we see. More and more people decide to not own cars of their own because of the pollution it comes with. But for those who still require a personal vehicle, there are a growing number of vehicle membership services.

Membership Services

These services, such as Zipcar and Lynk & Co offer an alternative to traditional ownership or leasing. Users are able to ‘rent’ a vehicle for the duration of their choosing whether, by the hour, for the weekend or on a month-to-month subscription. These cars often have designated parking spots around cities, making the driving process easier for the users, as they save time from looking for an available parking spot. All fees, including insurance, maintenance and city charges are included to make things easy. Additionally, the vehicles offered by these companies are PHEV hybrid or electric, making them a sustainable option.

“These services offer a flexible and convenient solution to mobility without the stress that comes with traditional ownership. The role of UX is vital as any friction or pain points would compromise the convenient offering” – Jonny Andrews

Vehicle Management

Developments in technology are leading to a shift in the way we use and interact with vehicles. Brands like Tesla offer live video monitoring for security, and BMW, who are leaders in connected tech, offer transferable digital keys and unlocking with wearables.

Additional features allow for the management of several vehicle systems including comfort preferences, each associated with different driver profiles. This adds a considerable amount of convenience to the normal ownership experience

“UX plays a crucial role in managing these features and ensuring a seamless interaction experience. These add security and convenience, however if the solution doesn’t function well then users will revert to traditional methods of interaction” – Jonny Andrews

The Future of Automotive – Concept App

Our consultants at UX Connections conducted a research and design project into the future of the automotive experience. The result of this is an automotive concept app that demonstrates several features creating a more connected and convenient experience. These add value for the owner in managing and using their vehicle. This was created using insights gathered from an industry investigation, especially a review of existing connected applications:

• Monitor Security: Un/lock the vehicle using a mobile device, view vehicle cameras remotely and locate the vehicle easily with tracking.
• Manage Range/Charging Status: Reduce range anxiety by knowing how much charge you have at all times and easily find charging stations on route. Have visibility over your payments and usage.
• Vehicle Preferences: The vehicle will recognise your unique driver profile to ensure everything is set up just how you like it with no more manual adjustment after the last driver. Also allows the climate control to be set remotely, useful for hot locations or icy conditions.
• Maintenance/Breakdown: Find and schedule the vehicle into local approved garages for vehicle maintenance. Raise and get targeted breakdown assistance with telemetry transfer and recovery tracking.
• Documentation: Easily access ownership, legal and insurance documents on the go.

“UX plays an important role when developing this kind of product/solution, as there is a complex array of interlinking systems that must be seamless and convenient when in use.” – Jonny Andrews

The automotive industry constantly changes. Now with digitalisation and sustainability leading the development of transportation. Traditional ownership is slowly changing to shared ownership, apps are becoming more prominent in the driving experience and customisation is soon something everyone can expect. As UX is such an important aspect for a seamless driver experience, we at UX Connections play a part in creating the best user experiences.

To learn more about how automotive brands are shaping the customer experience, read our article on the dealership experience if you haven’t already!