{"id":91238,"date":"2015-03-23T11:12:48","date_gmt":"2015-03-23T15:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=91238"},"modified":"2015-03-23T11:14:52","modified_gmt":"2015-03-23T15:14:52","slug":"ford-designers-want-to-mine-your-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/03\/ford-designers-want-to-mine-your-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford Designers Want to Mine Your Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ford used the new biometric technologies to assist in the development of the tight GT cockpit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Automotive interiors have come a long way in recent years. Even the most Spartan vehicles are likely to use materials and offer features that were found in only the most up-market models a decade ago. And that\u2019s become a critical factor when motorists go to buy a new car, truck or crossover, says Moray Callum, the head of design at Ford Motor Co.<\/p>\n

So, how to differentiate your product from the competition has become an increasingly critical challenge for a company like Ford. And the maker is turning to some interesting science to help it get a leg up. That includes the use of brain wave scanners that can tell when an interior design turns on a potential buyer or leaves them cold.<\/p>\n

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Top of Mind!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cCustomers no longer just look at a vehicle as a conveyance,\u201d contends Raj Nair, Ford\u2019s director of product development, \u201cbut as an extension of their home or office.\u201d So, they want the same level of design \u2013 and technology, he says.<\/p>\n

But trying to pack that all into a relatively tight space can be a serious challenge \u2013 one reason manufacturers have been rushing to replace knobs and switches with touchscreen controls. That doesn\u2019t always work, however. Recent studies, such as the J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey, have found that touchscreen systems are a major source of owner frustration \u2013 often because the technology doesn\u2019t work. But poor design is another critical factor.<\/p>\n

So, to get a better sense of how to lay out the passenger compartment, Ford has begun using several advanced biometric tracking systems, including one that can follow a person\u2019s eyes as they slip behind the wheel to see what catches their attention. A brain wave scanner, in turn, can tell whether they like what they see or are turned off by the design.<\/p>\n

(Ford opens up new Silicon Valley R&D center. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Such research techniques can \u201chelp us make more informed decisions while (a new vehicle is) still in development,\u201d according to design chief Callum.<\/p>\n

The new techniques got a first workout during the rapid development of the Ford GT \u201cultracar.\u201d The vehicle has a relatively tiny, two-seat cockpit that required extremely attention to detail \u2013 especially the placement of controls and gauges that a driver might have to access at extremely high speeds.<\/p>\n

The new approach, Callum says, is a lot more objective than the traditional customer clinic approach where subjects were asked to sit inside a \u201cbuck,\u201d or a mock-up of a future product, and give it a score. Brain wave technologies come as close as possible to reading a subject\u2019s mind by watching what areas of the brain \u201clight up\u201d when they look at a new steering wheel, infotainment screen or even something as mundane as a cupholder.<\/p>\n

A well-designed interior can make all the difference in the world when it comes to turning on a shopper. A poor design is one of three top reasons why a customer will avoid a vehicle, notes product development chief Nair.<\/p>\n

(Google looking for partners; has no plans to build cars of its own. <\/em>Click Here<\/a> for the latest.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ford is still learning how to use the new technology. Part of the challenge is that an interior design that might look good when someone is shopping for a vehicle may prove to be less appealing after they actually buy the car and live with it for awhile. After all, research shows the average American spends nearly a half hour in their vehicle during the daily commute, or about 10 full days annually.<\/p>\n

So, Ford researchers hope to figure out not only what is an exciting design up front but one that will continue to satisfy an owner long-term, says Callum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really think this will help us make much more informed decisions,\u201d he explains, \u201cand push the boundaries of interior design.\u201d<\/p>\n

(VW aims to take the lead in automotive R&D. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> to see how – and what that will mean for motorists.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A good looking, well laid out interior can be a critical factor in winning over customers. So, Ford is pioneering use of biometric systems, including eye trackers and brain wave scanners, to see whether new cockpit designs turn customers on or leave them cold. The story from TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91238"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91238"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=91238"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=91238"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=91238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}