Reinventing the automobile gauge cluster: Ford SmartGuage

Anyone who listens to the TNR Podcast knows that we tend to talk about cars here and there: autos are technology, after all.  Think of all the innovation that has occurred in the automotive space: air bags, very fuel-efficient engines that are also peppy to drive, self-adjusting cruise control, lane departure warning systems, decreased emissions, and the ability to drive on pure electricity – just to name a few.  But sometimes it’s the small innovations that make the huge difference.  Enter the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and its upmarket brother, the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid with a small but powerful innovation called SmartGauge.First, some background info: the Fusion and Milan Hybrids are rated at 41 MPG city and 36 MPG hwy.  But when people began to test the two cars, they reported some astounding numbers: 52 MPG by Dan Neil, 59 MPG by AutoInsane.  Why the sudden increase in fuel efficiency?

The answer: SmartGauge.

The SmartGauge is basically an improved gauge cluster that informs the driver how efficienctly he is driving the car (slamming on the gas pedal, for example, would not be an example of efficient driving).  In a traditional vehicle, the cluster (usually directly in front of the driver) displays the vehicle’s speed, RPM measures of the engine, the amount of fuel in the gas tank, and engine temperature.  But why does a driver of a hybrid vehicle with an automatic transmission need to see the RPMs, when the goal is to maximize fuel economy?  That is, RPMs are usually used in high-performance driving conditions to show the driver when it’s the appropriate time to shift gears – something unnecessary in a hybrid.  Moreover, does the average driver even need to know detials such as the state of oil in his car at all times?  Maybe he needs to look at it once in a while, but does the oil gauge need to be present the entire time?  The SmartGauge does away with all that.  In fact, the only gauge cluster that is carried over from traditional gauge clusters is the speedometer.

How?

SmartGauge was co-created by IDEO and Smart Design.  IDEO conducted ethnography research on hybrid owners and came up with the idea of “coaching” drivers by showing them when the car was performing at its peak.  Inspired, Smart Design ran with the idea and focused on a way to provide the driver with constant feedback from the car to the driver.  Dan Formosa, founder of Smart Design, says that the entire concept is based around four concepts: Inform, Enlighten, Engage, Empower.  When the car is running at its most efficients state (read: when you’re driving the car in the most efficient manner possible), leaves and vines begin to grow from the right side of the gauge, something called the Eco-Guide.  The driver can also choose to see various graphs and charts that show the efficiency of the vehicle over a period of time.  Most cars today already know all this stuff about your driving habits, as most vehicles are equipped with tens if not hundreds of censors and chips.  The challenge was to bring this information to the driver in a way that’s easy to understand yet engaging at the same time.  “We really played into people’s instincts,” knowing that better efficiency actually made drivers happier, says Formosa. “People are naturally motivated by reward.”

I’m personally very glad to see more innovation at the user interface level in automobiles.  As any automobile UX and UI designer probably knows, interface designers usually are the “lowest guys on the totem pole,” according to Smart Design designer Michael Jones.  The SmartGauge shows us that user interface can be important and very useful at the same time, and I encourage you to think about how your own vehicle (or that of a friend) can be improved from better user interface design.  For example, my Toyota Camry-derived Lexus ES is a very nice car by general standards.  But the SmartGauge beats anything Lexus (or any other manufacturer) offers in the interface and driver engagement department hands down.  I think that the SmartGauge deserves the title of the most innovative user experience item in automotive history for model year 2010.  Do you?

Posted in Automotive, Ford, IDEO, Smart Design, User experience