BMW Digital Car Key Case Study
Tags: UI, UX Research, UI Design, UX Design, Ui Ux Design

Background

The concept of the car key was formulated in 1910 but was only meant for the ignition then two separate car keys were introduced for the ignition and the locks. Fast forward over a hundred years, the evolution of cars in the 21st-century meant that technology has become increasingly involved in the way cars are produced and in the way users interact with their cars; from the promise of autonomous cars taking over in the future to smart car technologies, the concept of controlling your car without physically having to control it or even be in it is fast becoming our reality. Digital car keys are also becoming more popular especially as each brand releases its newest collection of cars. A digital key car key can now allow you to open and close your car and to even adjust the heating. Its not just car brands releasing digital car keys but there are third-party apps and even Apple is trying to infiltrate the automotive industry. This is unsurprising given that in the western world almost every aspect of people’s lives can be easily managed from their phones, so who is to say your car cannot be one of them?

Outline of the Brief

The brief is to select a mid to high range car and to launch an android/iPhone app that will allow car owners to use their phones to replace the need o traditional car keys and more. This app aims to be as functional possible so that car will want to use this app daily as opposed to carrying physical car keys.

Chosen car brand: BMW

My Role

UI Designer, UX Designer, UX Researcher

Task

Design a positive user journey

Use Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines to support your design decisions and understand best practices for designing iOS applications

Involve your end to end design process within your case study

Create a style guide that includes: brand assets, design components etc

Finalise your designs with an interactive prototype that shows a walkthrough of the design

Provide a user journey map within your case study writeup

A bit about BMW

BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, which roughly translates to the Bavarian Engine Works Company. BMW started off producing Aircraft engines in 1913, it then transitioned into an automobile manufacturer in 1927 with their own version of the ‘dixie’ as its first car launch.

Pain points

No extra reassurance when it comes to the app’s security

icons are not distinct or bold enough which could impact on accessibility

No clear indication of the status of lock status

limited amount of features, therefore, reduced functionality in comparison to previous versions

Problem Statement

Whilst digital car keys pose a hassle-free and efficient future, this concept is still in its infancy. One of the most prominent threats to digital car keys is security. One user stated that ‘most of the cars getting stolen are the ones with the digital car keys’ and this was the main reason why she wouldn’t be getting one. The fears surrounding the lack of security means that users would rather continue using their traditional keys as it ensures that they are the only ones with access to their car. This type of reassurance is something digital car keys may not be able to offer.

Hypothesis

Include more steps to lock and secure the car

include more security measures that are more specific to the user but is also quite a familiar way of ensuring security, i.e. Face ID, fingerprint.

Create a more sleek design that is more engaging, modern and reflective of the luxury element of BMW

My Design Approach

The Double Diamond process consists of 4 four different phases, Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver. The visualisation of this process helps me clarify what each phase consists of and will serve as a good reference point to come back to throughout my case study.

Discover

During this stage, I will conduct business and user research, the aim of this stage is to challenge my initial assumptions of what the pain points are so I can better tackle the problem.

Business Research

For my business research, I have decided to do a competitor analysis in which I chose three direct competitors (BMW, Mercedes, Tesla) and one indirect competitor