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Mark

Volume control in autonomous vehicles

A volume control that asks passengers in self-driving cars to be intentional in their interaction.
Role
Graduate Student
Interaction Design Studio with Raelynn O’Leary and Ashley Deal
Carnegie Mellon University
Duration
3 weeks - Spring 2020
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With the future of mobility upon us, how will we interact with our new environments and can they be more intentional?
CHALLENGE
For a studio course on interaction design, we were tasked with designing a context-specific control that has distinct input and outcome. The context I received was a car.  
OUTCOME

Through observational research and prototyping, I designed an analog volume control for an autonomous vehicle. The interaction requires users to place “pebbles” onto a “bowl” in order to increase volume and remove pebbles to decrease volume. This design relies heavily on the context of a self-driving car and the development of a new, yet accessible mental model for volume control.
PROCESS

iterate quickly but stay grounded

Tools
Foam core modeling
3D modeling
Photoshop
InDesign

Methods
contextual inquiry
interaction inventory
storyboarding
prototyping
Despite the short, 3-week time frame of this project, I iterated quickly but remained grounded in my research and interaction design principles. My process involved research, ideation, and prototyping (with each step fluidly informing my design decisions at every step of the process).