MyFord Mobile for Ford Motor Company

Email this case study to a friend

Friend's email

Your Name

Your Email

Subject

Message MyFord Mobile As environmental regulations tighten and consumer demand grows, carmakers around the world are rushing to develop gas-free battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that run exclusively on electricity stored in powerful, state-of-the-art batteries. Leading the zero-emission charge in America, Ford Motor Company plans to break into the consumer electric car market with the Focus Electric, slated to hit dealerships in 2012. In addition to the Focus Electric’s unique instrument panel, which helps drivers monitor their energy consumption behind the wheel, Ford wanted to develop a memorable, market-leading application suite—a website and mobile app—that would make BEV ownership simpler, easier, and more engaging. Having worked with IDEO on previous in-car technology projects, Ford wanted to collaborate on a differentiated digital experience that would give consumers yet another reason to choose the Focus Electric over others on the market. Unlike drivers of traditional gas-powered cars and hybrids, who can quickly refuel their cars by pulling up to any gas station, BEV drivers have to learn new charge-to-charge driving behaviors. Currently, mass-market electric cars can sustain up to an approximate 100-mile range before they need to be recharged via standard 120- or 240-volt household outlets. For drivers who don’t live near public high-speed charging stations, found mainly in dense urban locales, this means leaving their cars parked in home garages for several hours to fully recharge. To gain a better understanding of the unique information needs of BEV drivers, the IDEO team conducted in-context interviews and drivealongs with current hybrid owners who expressed interest in BEVs, as well as drivers who had pre-ordered BEVs (during the research phase, the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt hadn’t yet been released). Out of the research emerged a hierarchy of needs, with two core needs shared by all BEV owners, and three secondary needs that depended on the individual user’s motivations and attitude. The two core needs identified were: Assure: Owners experience “range anxiety” and need to be continually reassured their car and battery are okay, and they can get where they want to go. Affirm: Owners have strong motivations for buying an electric car such as its environmental impact, the low cost of driving, and/or the appeal of new technology, and want affirmation that their cars are fulfilling these goals. In addition to these core needs, three secondary needs were identified. These included the desire to optimize efficiency (either through cost or energy-savings), have a positive environmental impact (as an individual or as a group of drivers), and to push the limits of an EV’s range. After surfacing these needs, the IDEO team, in close collaboration with Ford designers, began to design key features and interactions inspired by the design principles “Make BEV-ing Easy” and “Celebrate BEV-ing.” These features were grouped into three main categories: My Car (current information and tools for driving and charging the BEV); My Driving (information about past usage of the BEV); and My Community (information from the larger BEV community). On the website, this information is meant encourage drivers to reflect on past driving trends and participate in social networking, while the dynamic information found on the mobile app is meant to assuage range anxiety in real time. On the mobile app, special attention was paid to the top-level screens to make sure the most important pieces of information—the status of the car and battery—are always readily available and stripped of any extraneous and potentially distracting information. Other unique features include remote charging status updates so drivers can check existing charge levels, available range, and charge schedule, and a multi-stop trip planner that helps them find the nearest charging stations (if available) and the most efficient route to get there. There’s also a gaming-based rewards system that celebrates when specific goals are met such as saving CO2 or driving longer on a charge, as well as a fun “zippy” to “zen” driving style rating system that gives users feedback on their driving in a positive way that helps manage costs and improve efficiency. According to Ed Pleet, Ford Connected Services manager, “Ford recognizes the electric vehicle ownership experience is going to be new for just about everyone. Our goal is not just to provide the most practical, enjoyable electric car on the market, but also to give drivers the information, applications, and resources they need to feel confident about choosing fun, environmentally conscious transportation.”* MyFord Mobile debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2011, and will be available for most major smartphones including BlackBerry, Android and iPhone when the car launches in 2012. The feature will also be accessible via a secure Ford website. http://www.ideo.com/work/myford-mobile

As environmental regulations tighten and consumer demand grows, carmakers around the world are rushing to develop gas-free battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that run exclusively on electricity stored in powerful, state-of-the-art batteries. Leading the zero-emission charge in America, Ford Motor Company plans to break into the consumer electric car market with the Focus Electric, slated to hit dealerships in 2012.

In addition to the Focus Electric’s unique instrument panel, which helps drivers monitor their energy consumption behind the wheel, Ford wanted to develop a memorable, market-leading application suite—a website and mobile app—that would make BEV ownership simpler, easier, and more engaging. Having worked with IDEO on previous in-car technology projects, Ford wanted to collaborate on a differentiated digital experience that would give consumers yet another reason to choose the Focus Electric over others on the market.

Unlike drivers of traditional gas-powered cars and hybrids, who can quickly refuel their cars by pulling up to any gas station, BEV drivers have to learn new charge-to-charge driving behaviors. Currently, mass-market electric cars can sustain up to an approximate 100-mile range before they need to be recharged via standard 120- or 240-volt household outlets. For drivers who don’t live near public high-speed charging stations, found mainly in dense urban locales, this means leaving their cars parked in home garages for several hours to fully recharge.

To gain a better understanding of the unique information needs of BEV drivers, the IDEO team conducted in-context interviews and drivealongs with current hybrid owners who expressed interest in BEVs, as well as drivers who had pre-ordered BEVs (during the research phase, the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt hadn’t yet been released). Out of the research emerged a hierarchy of needs, with two core needs shared by all BEV owners, and three secondary needs that depended on the individual user’s motivations and attitude.

The two core needs identified were:

Assure: Owners experience “range anxiety” and need to be continually reassured their car and battery are okay, and they can get where they want to go.

Affirm: Owners have strong motivations for buying an electric car such as its environmental impact, the low cost of driving, and/or the appeal of new technology, and want affirmation that their cars are fulfilling these goals.

In addition to these core needs, three secondary needs were identified. These included the desire to optimize efficiency (either through cost or energy-savings), have a positive environmental impact (as an individual or as a group of drivers), and to push the limits of an EV’s range.

After surfacing these needs, the IDEO team, in close collaboration with Ford designers, began to design key features and interactions inspired by the design principles “Make BEV-ing Easy” and “Celebrate BEV-ing.” These features were grouped into three main categories: My Car (current information and tools for driving and charging the BEV); My Driving (information about past usage of the BEV); and My Community (information from the larger BEV community). On the website, this information is meant encourage drivers to reflect on past driving trends and participate in social networking, while the dynamic information found on the mobile app is meant to assuage range anxiety in real time.

On the mobile app, special attention was paid to the top-level screens to make sure the most important pieces of information—the status of the car and battery—are always readily available and stripped of any extraneous and potentially distracting information. Other unique features include remote charging status updates so drivers can check existing charge levels, available range, and charge schedule, and a multi-stop trip planner that helps them find the nearest charging stations (if available) and the most efficient route to get there. There’s also a gaming-based rewards system that celebrates when specific goals are met such as saving CO2 or driving longer on a charge, as well as a fun “zippy” to “zen” driving style rating system that gives users feedback on their driving in a positive way that helps manage costs and improve efficiency.

According to Ed Pleet, Ford Connected Services manager, “Ford recognizes the electric vehicle ownership experience is going to be new for just about everyone. Our goal is not just to provide the most practical, enjoyable electric car on the market, but also to give drivers the information, applications, and resources they need to feel confident about choosing fun, environmentally conscious transportation.”*

MyFord Mobile debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2011, and will be available for most major smartphones including BlackBerry, Android and iPhone when the car launches in 2012. The feature will also be accessible via a secure Ford website.