Insights from Kristin Kolodge at the Future of the Automobile Conference
J.D. Power’s Executive Director of Human Machine Interface (HMI) and Driver Interaction, Kristin Kolodge, appeared at the Future of the Automobile conference at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
At the conference, Kolodge spoke about human-computer interfaces, design and the driving experience. We caught up with Kristin after her presentation to get some additional insights.
Q: You spoke on the topic of ‘Human-Computer Interfaces, Design & the Driving Experience’ — if our readership could take away 1 or 2 choice insights from you on this, what would they be?
A: Consumers are clear in their desire to have automotive technology that is deemed useful, meaning it is worth their time to use and/or worth the money they spent on it. It is past the time where having technology for technology’s sake is relevant. Usefulness is a primary driver for consumers when considering if they want the technology again on their next vehicle, completing the technology circle of life.
The other element that is extremely important as we progress on alternative mobility models (e.g., automated vehicles) is trust. Recognizing the HMI implications to guide a user in understanding the state of the vehicle, what it “sees”, and how it will react will help to build confidence in the system and overall trust. Having a positive experience with the day-to-day performance of the systems will further enhance the level of trust. The industry must be cautious on creating an accurate understanding of the system’s capability to avoid the situation of “over trust” where the consumer may misunderstand the limitations and utilize the vehicles beyond its intention.
Q: From designing for the handicapped, and using smell-based GPS in vehicles, there were some interesting questions from the audience. Was there anything that stood out to you from the attendees, or your fellow speakers and the moderator that you feel could something to be mindful of for the future of the industry?
A: It is exciting to see the emphasis being placed on HMI and the recognition of the science involved to create useful, usable, safe, intuitive interactions. It is clear to the industry that there is not a one-size-fits-all definition to such a state, nor is there only a handful of use cases to design for. The industry is embracing the need to explore corner cases as a variety of users to prove that its design is ready for production.
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Kristin Kolodge is Executive Director of Driver Interaction and Human Machine Interface (HMI) at J.D. Power. She is responsible for establishing a new HMI practice at the company. She serves as an industry thought leader for automotive technology user experience and leads the company’s global initiative to integrate the Voice of the Customer into the product development process for the Future of Mobility.
