General Motors UWB Project:
Personalizing the Shared Vehicle Experience
For an Automotive UX course project at the University of Michigan, I worked with General Motors to reimagine the shared vehicle experience in the Chevrolet Silverado EV.
My focus was on leveraging Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology to enable seamless personalization for multiple drivers. This project resulted in a high-fidelity interactive prototype, which I had the opportunity to present to key stakeholders at General Motors.
UX Researcher
UX Designer
Roles
Timeline
January - April 2025
User Interviews
Competitive Analysis
Wireframing
Prototyping
Skills
Tools
Figma
The Problem: Friction in Shared Vehicle Experiences
In multi-driver households, sharing a vehicle often leads to significant inconvenience. Drivers constantly face the frustration of readjusting settings and reconnecting personal devices, making the experience feel anything but personalized.
Our project is motivated by:
💡 Loss of Personalization: Drivers frequently encounter frustration as seat, mirror, and control settings are rarely optimized for their individual preferences, leading to constant manual adjustments.
💡 Time-Consuming Setup: Resetting entertainment, climate, and navigation preferences manually consumes valuable time and adds unnecessary friction to the start of every trip.
💡Trailering Challenges: Attaching a trailer is a physically demanding and often stressful task, requiring precise alignment and frequently needing a second person for guidance, leading to anxiety and inefficiency.
Solution
To transform shared vehicles into truly personal spaces, I designed an experience powered by Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology. UWB's precise, short-range wireless communication enables the vehicle to accurately detect the driver's exact location, facilitating seamless automatic recognition and hands-free functionalities.
Here's how it works:
Automatic Driver Recognition
Driver "Fingerprint": The system automatically recognizes the driver through the mobile app, eliminating the need for manual profile selection and ensuring a personalized experience, regardless of who used the truck last.
Ergonomic Settings: Seats, mirrors, steering wheel, and other controls automatically adjust to the driver's preset positions, creating immediate comfort and optimal ergonomics.
Entertainment & Comfort: Personal playlists, climate control settings, navigation preferences, and interior lighting automatically load, making the cabin instantly familiar and comfortable upon entry.
Hands Free Trailering
The driver simply positions the trailer within five to ten feet of the truck's hitch and initiates the connection via the vehicle screen. The truck then precisely maneuvers itself to automatically align and hitch the trailer.