The first time UPS drivers experience the vehicle and experience we built for them, in 2022.

My role & team mission

Arrival’s vehicles are embedded with a lot of technological elements - which my team and I attempted to humanise and make inclusive. This is done by orchestrating all vehicular/service interactions whether it’s via visuals, light, sound, haptics into something meaningful - which we hope positively impacts adoption & continual use in busy cities.

My work intersected Industrial design, HMI, Human factors & 14 Engineering teams across Arrival.

Principle tasks as a Design lead

1. Working with research teams, investigating how vans are used and setting the tone of what the van should feel like, with design principles and mindsets that need to be considered - for industrial design and engineering.

2. Designing signature Arrival experiences and orchestrating all the multi-modal interactions with the touch-points used by companies/drivers/fleet personnel (eg. Locking/charging etc with light/sound/haptic feedback).

3. Validating/iterating prototypes of designed interactions - on bucks or beta/gamma vehicles. Making sure human feedback is taken into account in every stage of technological development .

4. Working closely with engineering teams to make our thinking real and manufacturable - taking into consideration cost and tech constraints.

From bucks to beta/gamma vehicles, going right into production - our aim is to make commercial drivers’ lives a little bit better & stress free, as they undergo long and hard hours doing their jobs.

Design of interior interactions alongside Industrial Design, HMI and Human factors teams.

Prototyping in-vehicle multimodal interactions in VR, before development and breakdown into testable features.

Influencing all the physical/digital touch-points both in the interior and exterior.

Example 1: Vehicle access via Touchpoints and proximity interactions.

VR prototypes of proximity interactions with a key fob and the vehicle providing realtime feedback via visual / audio and haptic feedback.

Physical prototypes of Entry interaction design with UWB, bluetooth and NFC range finding. Taking a set of ideas from concept to production.

Final design & prototypes of key fob, touchpoint and entry mechanisms.

Example 2: Charging interactions

Making sure charging interactions are understood and do not cause unnecessary confusion to van handlers in depots.

EV charging: Using VR to explore charging interactions & Micro-interactions, before taking it into physical prototyping.

Constant research for both need finding and validation

My team and I made sure our technology and services are human centric & inclusive - through research and constant prototyping/validation with users of our vehicles.

Spending time with drivers and observing behaviours.

Mapping user journeys and interactions across the delivery eco-system

User research with Beta Vans in UPS Camden - seeing designs in action and getting feedback.

Working with my squad investigating Beta Van experience with regular drivers.