DriveXP

Ease of mind in motion.

Company

Cognizant × GT BSID

My Role

UX Designer (Team of 4)

Tools

Figma · Fusion · Keyshot

Timeline

Sep 2023 - Dec 2023

Description

L4 Cabin Experience: a stepping stone between the present and the autonomous future

Context

Autonomous vehicles teeter on the edge of science fiction and science fact. Soon, sensors and algorithms will turn our time lost in driving into productivity or leisure. Yet, before full autonomy, how would cabin evolve in this transition? With Cognizant, we developed DriveXP, an L4 vehicle cabin experience.

Render inside the DriveXP cabin: a round table screen showing a recipe and a map, swivel seats, and mountains through the windows

Driving: Past and Future

An S-curve timeline of automotive history listing what has changed and what has not, with a What Will Change panel at right

To design for the future, one must first know the past and the present. So, we investigated the history of automobiles from the 1890s until now. While there were many innovations, some elements remained almost identical for over a century. However, we believe that the rise of autonomous driving will demand changes despite user habits and legacy.

The Mental Model Hurdle and Distrust

An affinity map of colored interview notes under two headings — Features + Activities (Cabin, Personalization, Driver Assist, Entertainment, Driving Habit) and Attitude + Feeling (Attachment, Fear, Hopeful, Frustration, Convenience). At right, a blue panel titled The Mental Model Hurdle says passengers trust humans to make similar judgments on the road, and that not understanding the technology behind autonomous driving leads to fear and distrust in handing over control. Below it, four Additional Insights.

To learn how people approach driving, automation, and vehicles, we conducted 12 interviews with participants including landscape workers, retro car enthusiasts, and FSD users. A survey was also conducted to reach a wider audience. The autonomous future sounds promising, but our research revealed a more complex story: about 70% of our subjects expressed fear of self-driving.

DriveXP | Concept Development

Concept sketches of expressive faces, steering wheels and hand gestures, beside a rendered cabin interior with a map surface and two curved seats

After rounds of ideation, the idea of a Digital Driver bridging the passengers and autonomous systems, along with a Central Hub for interaction and storage, Revolving Seats for equitable cabin social engagement, and Touchscreen Trajectory Control leveraging the existing mental model, stood out.

Testing + Validation

A low-fidelity concept environment was created to validate and refine the experience. The Digital Driver was mocked up with a Pepper’s Ghost illusion HUD, and three levels of feedback were shown. A TV screen played windshield scenarios while a tablet showcased three variations of trajectory control for user input.

Two people at a test rig facing a large screen showing a road view, with a tablet showing a parking scene and a blue character on a transparent display

We walked every participant through a grocery shopping journey. Instructions for interacting with the systems were kept to a minimum for observing natural responses. Users showed a strong desire to talk to the Digital Driver and personalize its appearance. For trajectory control, a top view was the only variation that allowed for understanding.

DriveXP | Outcome

Render inside the DriveXP cabin: a round table screen showing a recipe and a map, swivel seats, and mountains through the windows

Digital Driver


Introducing the Digital Driver, a holographic assistant designed to bridge the gap between people and autonomous systems. Combining human-like features with automation, it reacts to vehicle dynamics, shows awareness of driving, expresses emotions, and interacts with users. By mimicking real driver behaviors and suggesting personalized routes, the Digital Driver makes travel smoother, more intuitive, and stress-free — allowing passengers to relax, focus on work, or simply enjoy the ride.

Three panels. At left, the round cabin table screen shows a route map, a chocolate-chip-cookie recipe and a small cream-colored character with a smiling face. Top right, the same character in purple wearing a chef’s hat, beside a phone app for customizing its appearance. Bottom right, the character overlaid on a street view with a speech bubble reading UPCOMING LEFT, above a panel of song lyrics.

Trajectory Control


Instead of a steering wheel, the vehicle features a virtual command interface that allows users to control it by selecting and drawing trajectories from anywhere in the cabin. This touchscreen-based system offers flexibility for other activities, like watching movies or joining video conferences, while embracing natural user interfaces (NUIs). By leveraging familiar mental models, it ensures a smooth transition into an autonomous future with a shallow learning curve and enhanced versatility.

Three views of the round cabin table screen. In the large panel, a map shows a route with Whole Foods, Publix and Kroger pinned, a white hand silhouette drawing a pink trajectory, and a prompt reading, How do you want to add a stop for groceries? Kroger is the recommended stop for lowest prices with similar detour times. Top right, a hand traces a path across the screen beside the small cream character; bottom right, a wider view of the same screen showing the route and a recipe.

Coaxial Layout


The cabin was redesigned with two swivel front seats, a rear couch, and a Central Hub at the center. This layout encourages face-to-face conversations between rows while maintaining intimacy for one-on-one interactions in the front. The design fosters a social and adaptable space, ideal for both personal and shared experiences.

Cabin renders with passenger silhouettes: a round table screen between seats, and two views of the swivel-seat and rear-couch layout

Credit


Team Member

Cynthia Li, Joyceline Lau, Nikolay Klishko


External Partner

Cognizant


Special Thanks

Noah Posner