Have you ever jumped behind the wheel of a new car only to find yourself completely perplexed by all of the buttons? Well, you’re not alone. This has become a common concern among drivers in recent years, especially younger ones.
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This is one of the things that Industrial Design Engineering student Mar Solé Boleda learned as she worked on her MSc thesis. It addressed ways that German automaker BMW might design future models in order to make them more appealing to Millennials. While conducting her research, Solé Boleda interviewed several people in their 20s and early 30s as they drove one of the company’s cars. Several confessed that they were annoyed by the vehicle’s numerous buttons, seemingly superfluous features and confusing integration controls. “Cars are the only products that Millennials call their parents for help with,” Solé Boleda said during her defence on 24 March. “Except for maybe washing machines.”
One of the reasons why is because people in this age group often shun instruction books and expect technology ranging from PS4s to car stereos to be intuitive and user-friendly. Solé Boleda noted that many of the Millennials she spoke with want these things to as, an Apple executive might put it, “just work.”
According to a 2013 survey, the average age of BMW buyers is 49. The company’s lengthy development cycle for new vehicles also makes it difficult for their engineers to add newer innovations including touchscreens, gesture commands and music services like Pandora Internet Radio as they become industry-wide standards. However, as Solé Boleda’s research suggests, younger drivers may not be interested in these features if their learning curves are too steep or if they deem them unnecessary.
During her defence, Solé Boleda contended that the company might be able to attract a younger demographic if they focus on five key areas of improvement that include increased personalisation and simpler features. Better integration for smartphones, which would make it easier for drivers to access their music libraries and accomplish other tasks, might also prove appealing. “These cars should make users feel like an expert,” Solé Boleda said.
Solé Boleda, M., Designing for Short Experiences: A Millennials-Centered Innovation Approach for BMW, Supervisors Calabretta, G., Roscam Abbing, E. and Patron, F., Defence: March 24, 2016.
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