Jo - Build trust, step by step
overview
During our final Design Studio, in partnership with @Italdesign, the challenge for my team and I was to improve the user experience in future cars of 2030.
Our solution is Jo: a digital system, that can be integrated in level 3 autonomous cars, designed to help people gradually build trust in autonomous driving.
Goal
Helping people build confidence in autonomous driving.
My Role
I developed the high-fidelity prototype in ProtoPie and led the user testing phase, acting as the facilitator during sessions.
Team
Paolo Lunardon, Martina Ricca, Jacopo Bartoli, Simone De Marchi, Agostino Sanna
Timeline
4 months
The problem
In a world pushing towards autonomous driving, many people are still uncomfortable about giving up control of their cars. This isn't just about technology, it's a (big) UX challenge!
Our solution
Trust is built gradually
In a scenario where users are still driving manually, Jo monitors their arousal levels to understand when they're calm, in order to gently nudges them to try autonomous features, starting small and building up to full autonomy over time.
Along the way, users can experience a new driving mode we designed: Supervised Autonomous — a unique intermediate step that lets them experiment with self-driving, while still feeling some levels of control.
(It's easier to see than to explain)
↓ Dive deeper into the project 🤓 ↓
our process
How to get valuable insights in such a complex scenario?
Working on such a complex topic with just four months with was a BIG challenge. Initially, we were a little (actually a lot) lost, but by focusing on qualitative insights from contextual interviews and multiple iterative tests, we finally came up with Jo!
The hardest part? To get valuable insights, tests had to feel as immersive and believable as possible. That meant building a super high-fidelity prototype that could cover as many edge cases as possible.
So yes… countless hours on ProtoPie and a bit of Wizard of Oz magic was required!
Working on such a complex topic within just four months was a BIG challenge. Initially, we were a little (actually a lot) lost, but by focusing on qualitative insights from contextual interviews and multiple iterative tests, we finally came up with Jo!
The hardest part? To get valuable insights, tests had to feel as immersive and believable as possible. That meant building a super high-fidelity prototype that could cover as many edge cases as possible.
So yes… countless hours on ProtoPie and a bit of Wizard of Oz magic was required!
Initial in-context interview
We ran 3 in-depth contextual interviews to uncover key user concerns around self-driving cars.
First MVP testing
24 people tested our prototype during the first open demo day
Final prototype showcase
We had the chance to present our project to dozens of people at Polimi and during Milan Design Week 2025!
The prototype
Takeaways
Test it until you make it!
This project really showed me how important testing is when designing for complex scenarios like automotive. At first it was really hard to know which direction to take, but seeing how people reacted to our initial ideas helped us find the right path and create something meaningful!
It also taught me how important it is to balance advanced technology with real user needs, fears, and everyday experiences. As designers, we should guide innovation to truly make people’s lives easier.
Big thanks to my amazing team!
(Well… Simone was in Erasmus 👀)
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