Made with the adventurers in mind, the new Pioneer OS is a powerful operating system that is perfect for drivers who want to explore the great outdoors in their 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness. With advanced elevation and terrain warnings, as well as comprehensive mapping, drivers can feel more confident and prepared when taking their vehicle off-road.
Context:
The 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness is a rugged and capable SUV that is specifically designed for adventure seekers who enjoy off-road excursions and outdoor activities. The Outback Wilderness is designed for off-road use, which means that drivers will often encounter steep inclines, declines, rocky terrain, and other obstacles. The terrain warning system will provide drivers with real-time information about the terrain they are navigating, warning them of potential hazards and allowing them to adjust their driving accordingly.
Hypothesis:
We believe that by creating a UI car dashboard for the Subaru Outback Wilderness that warns drivers of changes in elevation, terrain obstacles, and precise weather warnings, we will help the users keep the roads safe and feel informed on their backcountry and off-road ventures.
We will know this to be true when we see people purchasing more Subaru Outback Wilderness’ and when we have positive customer feedback from those who utilize these features.
Personas
Based on our research, we created two personas from our qualitative interviews. These two personas are representative of two people having trouble finding a vehicle that encompasses all of their needs and our team will use these personas to inspire and drive us forward towards conceptualizing a car dashboard system that meets all of their needs.
Lauren is an avid adventurer and uses her cars to trek through different kinds of terrain all around the country. She frequently drives up into the mountains and off-roads with her friends. Because of this, Lauren is on the lookout for a new car that can handle the changes in elements seamlessly and with a clear warning.
Lauren A.
“Knowing the terrain to come is important to keeping my car in good shape. Having a dashboard that can tell me what’s ahead could help me take better care of my car overall.”
Needs:
Dark and light modes to help with glare
Terrain mapping for outdoor travel
Pain Points:
Not knowing the road conditions ahead
Glare during different times of day on dashboard
Ben just got a new job in Los Angeles that requires a lot of driving and a lot of time on the phone. With his current vehicle, Ben often worries when clicking through the different dashboard options to answer and complete calls and switch between music and podcasts. The buttons can be too small and complicated to find, and he feels his eyes are off the road for too long.
“I always worry when I’m swapping through the apps on my other cars dashboards. Having a phone call come in is always a source of stress!”
Ben B.
Needs:
Clean and simple design
Easy to access phone buttons
Dashboard customization for fav apps
Pain Points:
Complicated screens
LA Traffic
Lack of customization
Style Tile
Next, I created a style guide that represents Subaru’s unique style and personality. I used cool blue tones for the color palette to match their logo, as well as the specific Outback Wilderness emblem.
In order to maintain brand consistency, I stuck with Subaru’s iconic font OPTIEdgarBold for the heading typography, and paired it with variations of Helvetica Neue for body text.
High-Fidelity
The high-fidelity screens depict Subaru’s vision and concept in action. Taking note of and incorporating what our users asked for, I formulated a car dashboard OS system that fulfills their wants and needs. Currently, we have the fundamental pages with confidence that as we continue our research and exploration, of the UI dashboard, more pages and features will be built in.
Welcome Screen
When the driver first turns on their Subaru Outback Wilderness, the welcome screen will appear. Simply tap the screen and you will be taken to the home page!
Vehicle Information Screen
On the vehicle information screen, the driver is able to view, add and disable connected devices, see tire pressure settings, car stats such as mileage, miles until empty, and internal temperature which they can also adjust to their liking by clicking the button.
Home Screen
The home screen which is fully customizable to the drivers personal preferences through widget technology can include navigation, weather and terrain warning buttons, 3-D mapping, car details / speedometer and tire pressure settings, and music.
Terrain Screen
Within the terrain scree, drivers can navigate through a 3-D map depicting a scale rendering of their environmental surroundings and elevations, as well as a topographical map of their location and navigation as well. Tire pressure is also emphasized on this page, showing real time changes die to elevation and road conditions. Climate and vehicle speed are also included for reassurance and safety.
Terrain Light Mode Screen
Keeping accessibility in mind, there is also the option for drivers to switch to the light mode of each screen, which features new colors and can be customizable to the users liking.
Prototype
While creating the Subaru Outback Wilderness’ new OS dashboard system, I made a prototype to show our dedicated drivers and developers a digital replica of how the dashboard will look and flow, as well as what features it are included. Give the prototype a go and see if the Pioneer OS is right for you!
