In-vehicle climate redesign for Ford & Lincoln
Keywords:
In-vehicle HMI
UX / UI Redesign
The main goal of climate control is to make the passenger feel comfortable. A thermal comfort zone is highly individual so is the way of adjusting the climate system. One of the challenges is the that climate primary page is overwhelmed with controls.
How do we design an efficient way for the driver to manage in-vehicle climate ? It should be easy-to-use and safe for the driver to use while on-road driving.
Conducted a thorough analysis of the existing climate control system, identifying pain points and areas for improvement through user testing & interview and data analytics.
In-vehicle HMI
UX / UI Redesign
The main goal of climate control is to make the passenger feel comfortable. A thermal comfort zone is highly individual so is the way of adjusting the climate system. One of the challenges is the that climate primary page is overwhelmed with controls.
How do we design an efficient way for the driver to manage in-vehicle climate ? It should be easy-to-use and safe for the driver to use while on-road driving.
Conducted a thorough analysis of the existing climate control system, identifying pain points and areas for improvement through user testing & interview and data analytics.
Reach Zone (Usability Requirement)
All the controls needs to be within red line.
All the controls needs to be within red line.
The image below shows you the reach zone of 27’ screen.
Timeline
Climate configuration table
Final Climate UX
Quick panel + climate main control panel.![]()
Main control panel
Temperature is adjusted via a roller control, offering a stabler experiences.
Reduce complexity of climate primary page by grouping.
Graphics clearly indicate if the user can interact with the wind or not.
Passenger has the same authority of HAVC control.
Wireframes
Progressive Climate UX
Climate & first-row cabin temperature adjustment is flatted into one layer.
Utilize 3D vehicle interior image to operate.
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Limits:
Highly rely on voice capabilities to set temperature.
Users have to be familiar with voice assistant.
Utilize 3D vehicle interior image to operate.
Limits:
Highly rely on voice capabilities to set temperature.Users have to be familiar with voice assistant.
3.0 Test Climate UX
First-row cabin seat temperature is adjusted via a secondary page & persist bar.
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Gif below shows you how to adjust seat temperature from persist bar & climate main panel.
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Gif below shows you how to adjust seat temperature from persist bar & climate main panel.
Wireframes
Air flow control
Gif below shows you how to control air flow from 3D vehicle model & buttons.
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Wireframes
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Gif below shows you how to control air flow from 3D vehicle model & buttons.
Wireframes
2.0 Climate UX
Quick panel + cliamte main control ( But only with 4 hot zones.)
Persist Bar
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Reduce persist bar climate complexity & align with the main trend.
We move these climate main controls from persist bar into the control panel.
Seat temperature is set in a secondary page.
Wireframes
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Design Constraints:
Reduce persist bar climate complexity & align with the main trend.
We move these climate main controls from persist bar into the control panel.
Seat temperature is set in a secondary page.
Wireframes
Limited space in persist bar area reserved for climate control.
1.0 Climate Panel
The whole climate panel is divided into 2 parts: the climate itself and the first-row cabin.
Use swipe-left gesture to enter the cabin section.
Video below shows you how to adjust temperature for the driver and passenger.
Wireframes
The image below shows you how to enter the first-row cabin from the main climate panel. 
First Row Cabin Climate
Proposal B ( Rejected )This proposal hasn’t been implemented due to feature definition. Smart first cabin temperature management only contains heating and left the vent out.
2 scenarios have been seperated which means the heat section is designed for the winter and the ventilation section is designed for the summer. Instead of using a single slider to adjust seat temperature, tap is encouraged for stabler & safer control.
Quick Panel
Proposal A
The image below shows you how the quick panel works with the main climate panel together to adjust in-vehicle climate. Majority of climate task would be optimized via this quick panel.
This proposal works the best with the gas vehicle driver user habits & meets the current client base of the Ford & Lincoln.
Quick Panel
Proposal B
Original Climate Panel
The image below show you the information structure of the original climate panel. It’s a combination of multiple sliders and one main control panel.
It’s outdated and doesn’t align with trends of Chinese EV market.
Slider bar adjustment is unstable.
Hard to use due to too many buttons within limisted space of persist bar.
Slider bar adjustment is unstable.
Hard to use due to too many buttons within limisted space of persist bar.