Winner

Young Designers Award 2022 (Mobility Category)

Conducted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Official

Selection

Annual Design Show 2022

Conducted by National Institute of Design

Can autonomous cars in the future transcend being merely luxurious commodities and serve broader societal purposes?

...this was the first question I asked when I stumbled upon the brief on designing an autonomous vehicle for the future.

Challenge

Design a human-machine interface for NIKO, a compact autonomous vehicle for teenagers with autism.

Outcome

A user-centric interface enabling teenagers with autism to travel independently. An interactive Figma prototype was made at the end of the project. The resulting prototype is not only intuitive for people with Autism but also for anyone traveling in an AV.

Impact

The project was selected as the winning entry in the Young Designers Award 2022. The stakeholders have appreciated the project for its unique problem selection and design approach, spreading awareness about ASD in India

Scope

Owing to the short timeline and the vast nature of the issue considered, the work focuses mainly on the case of teenagers traveling back and forth from their homes to their schools.

Duration/Year
2 Weeks/2021

Learnings

Curb-effect in action - This project helped me understand the importance of considering the users with special needs while designing. Features that are designed for such users are appreciated by a larger group than the people they were designed for.
Scope helps set priority - I realized that setting the scope early in the project helps focus on the problem at hand.

A short demo video of the outcome (Duration - ~3 min)

CONTEXT

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a range of neurodevelopmental conditions. It includes problems with social interaction, speech, and nonverbal communication, and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behavior.

Challenges

Challenges with social Interaction
Restricted interests and repetitive behavior
Problems with communication

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

From the preliminary research, I found out that teenagers with Autism often have to attend specialized schools and therapy sessions regularly. However, they might have special needs that make using public transport unsuitable for them.

Additionally, each person with autism can have a distinct set of strengths and challenges and may need constant support in their daily lives, including mobility. Even short travel around neighborhoods becomes exhausting not only for teenagers with autism but also for their parents.

RESEARCH METHODS

Reading articles, research papers and books
Online discussions on Reddit
Interviews with special educators from Prabhat Education Foundation
Study of existing products

“I would argue that ‘school’ starts the moment a student steps out of the comfort of their own home, and the school day isn’t over until they are safely transported home,”

says Mulick, who works as an educational consultant and as the Autism Coordinator of the Auburn School District in Washington State. “We have to work to address this because student transportation is so significant for children with autism, I call it the ‘ultimate portable classroom.’

USER JOURNEY MAP

KEY RESEARCH
INSIGHTS

Autistic teenagers struggle with routine changes, and experts recommend consistent transportation to provide stability and trust.
Many challenges are associated with improper transportation, including difficulties in independent living, accessing essential services, and participating in social activities.
For autistic students on school buses, risks range from being dropped off at the wrong stop to facing various forms of abuse.
Individualized routing is crucial to minimize travel time and ensure a safe and direct route for these students.
Teenagers with autism, similar to their neurotypical peers, experience teenage rebellion and a desire for independence, although it can vary widely.
Parents of autistic kids often face more stress than those who deal with other disabilities.

PERSONA

Profile

15 Years Old Boy with ASD

Requires substantial support

Primary education at a special school

Listens to music when anxious

Characteristics

Difficulty in communicating emotions

Does not like changes in routine

Low attention span

Poor at decision-making

Pain Points

Dependent on parents for travel

Difficult riding public buses

Goals

Travel independently

Being socially active

"I don't want to burden my parents anymore."

NIKO

A self-sufficient autonomous mobility solution for teenagers with autism. It uses AI assistant and big data technology, in conjunction with numerous embedded cameras and sensors, to understand users’ emotional needs allowing for a more predictive and personalized user experience over time.

View Niko car development here

INPUT MEDIUM

Although control through voice and gestures is available, touch control is the primary input medium in Niko.

This is mainly because people with ASD may,

have limited/different speech ability
have difficulty in coordinating movements
and face difficulty grasping/manipulating objects like a mouse or hard keys

OUTPUT MEDIUM

People with autism typically process visual information better than auditory information because it is easier for them to understand through pictures, facial cues, hand gestures, and body language, together with verbal instructions.

Hence, Niko communicates messages, alerts, or any other pieces of information in the form of text, pictures, and icons on available displays, along with their audio descriptions.

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OUTPUT DEVICES

INPUT DEVICES

DISPLAY DEVICES

HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY DETAILS

This display works on holographic technology that projects elements on a transparent screen controlled through touch. The screen size is 52.4 inches diagonally (51.2 x 11.4 inches).

SCREENPAD DETAILS

A touch screen with a virtual trackball. It is placed right at the user's fingers on the armrest. The layout and menus are dynamic and can be changed based on the context. Its size is 6 inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

USER JOURNEY PHASES

Trip starts

Meltdown

during the trip

Trip ends

USER TOUCHPOINTS

When Trip Starts

During Meltdown State

When Trip Ends

WIREFLOW

COLORS

Limited colors are used, as too many colorful icons can be bewildering and confusing. Different colors are used to indicate positive or negative alerts.

Red for alarming info, green for a positive message, and white for an inactive or neutral message. The color yellow is utilized for the AI assistant avatar to immediately attract the user's attention. The background is dark grey in order to offer a good contrast.

Safe

Neutral

Alarming

Background

TEXT COMPOSITION

The textual messages are provided in unambiguous and straightforward sentences that avoid guesswork from the user’s side reducing their sensory load. The sentences are framed such that they can only be interpreted in one way.

You will reach your destination by 08:30 AM

You will reach your school on time

DETERMINING FONT SIZE

The user can adjust their seat and move it way back at the rear. That's why it's important to determine the minimum font size that is visible from the back

A test was conducted to determine the smallest font size that can be read on the holographic display. I printed the text in several font sizes on the paper. I sat at a distance of around 1.6 meters from the paper, attempting to read the smallest letters possible. I found that I could read the text of a size not less than 12.7mm. As a result, every typeface and icon on the screen is larger than 12.7mm.

AI ASSISTANT

Friendly and approachable AI Assistant, inspired by NIKO's front fascia

FINAL SCREENS

NIKO comes with a friendly AI-powered assistant. It's familiar yet distinctive from the rest of the content on the screen, getting the user's attention whenever necessary.

PLAY WITH FIGMA PROTO

Check the Figma Prototype here

LIMITATIONS OF THE PROJECT

The project was completed within a tight two-week timeframe during the COVID-19 isolation period, necessitating reliance on online platforms such as social media and video calls for research interactions. While these constraints limited the comprehensive testing of the outcomes, it's essential to recognize this as an initial study with inherent limitations that serve as valuable insights for motivating future research.