Product: AR Head-Up Display
Time: 12 Weeks
Role: Semester Project - Product Designer
Tools Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Encoder, OpenAI/ChatGPT
What is SagaSync?
SagaSync is a reimagining of the next generation of navigation systems. The navigation feature leverages advanced AI to optimize destination searches, intelligently comparing options and selecting the most suitable one based on the user's individual preferences.
Additionally, the system introduces an interactive feature that allows users to engage in a dynamic dialogue with the AI. This conversation unfolds into a storytelling experience, transforming into a visual reimagining of the city—depicting the urban landscape as if it were the setting of the narrative.
Note: This project aims to explore the multifaceted physical and emotional interactions people experience with their cars as spaces for solitude. Rather than being constrained by practicality, it focuses on exploring a futuristic possibility of how the responsive system of your car can initiate a conversation with you.
What was the problem I was trying to solve?
Do you ever give your friends the wrong directions while they’re driving, causing you to miss the exit—and now everyone’s mad? Me too.
This led me to wonder — why not display the map directly on the windshield?
But also...
There's an emotional relationship between people and their car. After a long day, their car becomes a personal sanctuary—a space to disconnect from the outside world.
This made me think: What if the system could engage in a dialogue with users, allowing them to immerse themselves in a world shaped by their imagination?
{ Final Solution }
1. Story Telling
Music: Surrender - Armando Trovajoli
1. The user puts the car in self-driving mode.
2. The user initiates a conversation with the system by saying, "Can you tell me a story?"
3. The system responds, "What kind of story do you want to hear?"
4. The user provides a prompt, for example: "Tell me a story about a town on a starry night with golden people."
5. The system accesses a 3D model of the city and the user’s current location.
6. It scans the surrounding buildings and objects using the model and transforms them into variations that fit the story's theme.
7. The altered surroundings are displayed, creating an immersive visual backdrop that supports the narrative of the story.
2. Navigation
Navigation feature which works with voice recognition
1. The user inputs a prompt or criteria into the system (e.g., preferred routes, time constraints, scenic options).
2. The system utilizes AI to generate multiple route alternatives based on the user's input.
3. The various route options are projected onto the windshield using a heads-up display.
4. The user reviews the options and selects their preferred route.
5. The system removes the unselected options, leaving only the chosen route on the display.
6. The selected route is then projected onto the windshield, providing clear, real-time directions.
7. The driver follows the directions without needing to divert attention from the road, ensuring a safer and more intuitive navigation experience.
{ Research }
What were the goals?
1. The first challenge was to understand what people need from a responsive system in their car.
2. Coming up with a feature that is not derived from the stereotypical depiction of the future but rather explores a new image.
3. Developing an intuitive user interface that is easy to use for drivers.
Research
To establish a clear direction for the user research, I defined specific parameters to ensure the interviews aligned with my goals. I aimed to understand how people use and adapt navigation systems, the role their car space plays as a place for relaxation and reflection. These insights were crucial in exploring how next-generation navigation systems could enhance both functionality and the personal experience within the car.
I started with a few basic exploratory questions, adapting to my research context:
1. How do you currently use navigation systems in your daily life, and what features do you find most and least helpful?
2. If your car could offer interactive features beyond navigation, what would you want it to do to enhance your driving experience or personal time within the car?
3. How do you use this space in your car for activities other than driving?
User Personas
From the interviews, I developed two user personas that capture the key needs, frustrations, and behaviors of distinct user groups. These personas help guide the design of solutions tailored to their unique experiences with navigation systems and car spaces.
I discovered that users see their car as more than just a mode of transportation; it's also a personal space where they recharge, find solitude, clear their minds, and escape the chaos of daily life.
With this in mind, I sought a system that addresses two primary needs:
1. A navigation solution that simplifies route guidance, allowing users to stay focused on the road without juggling multiple screens and destination options.
2. An interactive feature that encourages creativity and fun, making the driving experience more engaging and enjoyable.
Brainstorming for Features
I then began sketching and implementing these suggestions into a HUD (Head Up Display) system to explore what it might look like.
Possible features of the HUD system
The Solution
After brainstorming various solutions, I developed two key features, each addressing one of the primary needs:
Navigation: This practical feature helps users employ AI to search for potential destinations based on their personalized filters and compare options. Upon selecting an option, the system calculates the route and, using a 3D scanned map of the city, projects the route onto the head-up display on the windshield.
Storytelling: The storytelling feature allows the user to initiate a conversation and create a story with the AI. The system then visualizes this story. My aim with this project was to provide a space where people could momentarily disconnect from the world around them in a safe environment. I wanted to create an area where people could take a break from reality, embracing a child-like sense of wonder and exploration. This project offers an opportunity for them to rediscover and delve into their imagination.
{ Design }
How It works
The system operates using three different mechanisms.
Using 3D scanning of the city, the system can project navigation instructions directly onto the windshield
Role of AI
I wanted to take advantage of how AI can make this system more user-friendly and create a dialogue with the user. It can optimize and enhance the capabilities of the system by introducing a layer of interactivity and personalization that will be the key element in future systems. This will make each experience more engaging while adapting in real-time to user inputs and preferences.
Role of AI in each feature
Visual Inspiration
For this project, I steered clear of the typical dark, neon-lit futuristic aesthetic, opting instead for a vibrant and textured design. I focused on rich colors and creative elements to infuse the space with energy and inspire creativity, making it a lively and engaging environment.
Logo
Reality: The "Reality" icon appears as a standard location marker, representing the familiar, real-world experience.
Shadow: The "Shadow" represents an alternate reality—what might exist. It’s a darker, more mysterious icon, distinct from a typical location marker. Positioned just behind "Reality," it suggests hidden possibilities, waiting quietly in the background.
Animation
In many movies and visual art, reflections in mirrors, water, and other surfaces are used as portals to connect with an alternate world. Inspired by this idea, the "shadow" in the logo morphs into a dark liquid, creating a reflective surface that allows "reality" to glimpse into an alternative world.
...
What if your car could provide an escape for you
when you need a break from reality?
when you need a break from reality?
...
