Tesla M3 Dashboard + Service Design

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Problem

In its current state the Tesla Model 3 dashboard has three big issues that contribute to long task times when glancing away from the road to the screen.

  • low contrast

  • implicit affordances

  • icons too small (1cm x 1cm at the smallest) 1mm = 3.4px
48px x 48px is the recommended touch target size

How might we reduce the length of attention required for essential tasks?

Solution

The app will have a main landing page with a virtual bulletin board showing announcements and event cards updated weekly. There will be an integrated school calendar so parents don’t have to find the document with all the school dates on the website, and a links page with things that get updated often like lunch order forms.


Role

UX / UI Designer, UX Research


Tools

  • Figma

  • FigJam

  • Zoom

  • Google Docs


Duration

10 weeks

Discovery & Research: 2 weeks

Design & iterations: 8 weeks

Process

  • User Stories

  • User Flows

  • Wireframes

  • HiFi Screens

  • Style Guide

  • Dev Handover


Company

ArtCenter College of Design

Process


Discovery

statistics

Tesla safety

18%

Only 18% of consumers aged 18+ perceive Tesla to be a safe auto brand.


23.54 accidents / 1,000 drivers

2+ seconds

22%

of glancing away from the road doubles the risk of a crash

of 22% of glances exceed 2s with Auto Pilot enabled

Current State

task analysis

statistics

what users want

87%

85%

78%

76%

advanced hazard warning

traffic and safety camera warnings

remote vehicle command functions

predictive maintenance functions


Define

How might we reduce the length of attention required for essential tasks?


Ideation


Delivery

user testing takeaways

Some users preferred the original interface because that is what they were accustomed to. Others with no experience using the Tesla dashboard, liked the accessibility the new one allowed.

volume

One user initially thought you would tap the mic to adjust the volume, until he saw the volume knob present. He liked the idea of a quick and tactile solution, but recommended arrows.

glovebox

There was some hesitation present in multiple users before making a decision here. It is possible that the glovebox icon Tesla uses just isn’t universal enough, and adding the word “glovebox” could be useful.

navigation

Because the quick navigation shortcuts do not sit directly under the navigation search bar, some disconnect was present and additional time was taken before two users made a decision here, but overall users found this task easy to accomplish in one step.


Service Design

text explaining project here

blueprint

customer journey map

Current State

In the current app experience there is no where to schedule service, but there is a schedule tab for scheduling departures and charging.

Redesign

references

https://www.ranzlaw.com/why-are-tesla-car-accident-rates-so-high/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3999409/

https://clients-mintel-com.artcenter.idm.oclc.org/report/perceptions-of-auto-brands-us-2024?fromSearch=%3Ffreetext%3Dtesla%26resultPosition%3D7



https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/how-do-consumers-perceive-in-car-connectivity-and-digital-services