UPDATE March 2013: It took almost 10 years, but it’s finally here! Keep reading below.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is one of many partner companies of FH Joanneum University, my alma mater, and as such, they offer a possibility for students to apply for an intern position or a full time job, to write their thesis or to present their ideas and solutions.
In 2004 we were given such a task – to design a digital dashboard for future BMW series. The designs were then sent to Munich and the winning team was invited to the BMW Headquarters to present their work.
After initial research on the product and target groups, my two colleagues and I started working on drawings and sketches of what was to become an all digital UI for future cars. We developed imaginary personas and throughout the process, we made design decisions to fit their needs. Having an all digital display, driver(s) could customize them whichever way they see fit; they could choose between presets or even download new layouts from the internet.
At that time, Aaron Marcus was our guest lecturer and I must say that I was still under the spell of his visionary ideas and information representation and visualization. He inspired me to drop all standardized data visualization, numbers and gauges and to come up with something completely different, better and, in this case, safer.
Since I’m not at liberty of disclosing the final designs, I’ll include two designs from the early stages of the project. The first concept, the “Classic”, was a high-contrast design that was based on the premise that everything important should be dynamically highlighted or enlarged.
The second concept, the “Dynamic”, was more about RPMs than actual speed.
The other concepts featured elements that would change in shape, size or color. There were gauges that would adjust themselves depending on the type of road the car was on. Also, there were GPS-linked gauges that would communicate the recommended speed.
All submitted concepts were designed so they can (also) transmit information using the peripheral vision, so the driver would never have to take his/her eyes off the road. This safety feature, I believe, was the “extra mile” that got my team the chance to visit BMW HQ.
UPDATE Mar-2013: BMW is shipping the LCD gauges, and there are two modes of operation:
“Comfort Mode” – image by BMW
I like the implementation of the concept where the current speed/RPM number gets enlarged and highlighted, while the remainder of the scale is dimmed.
“Sport Mode” – image by BMW
There are no subdivisions on the radial scale in Sport Mode on the speedometer, only RPMs are clearly marked for functionality. The size of the circular segment on the speed gauge is representative of the top speed percentage, while the subdivisions on the scale equate to 20km/h.
I can’t wait to see this in real life; although someone else will do the driving while I’m assessing the UI 🙂
