Ford restructures design process to 'excite and delight' consumers
Ford is set to "reminagine" its design process to focus on customer experience rather than the amount of technology in its vehicles.
The car marque said that it is investing in social science-based research across the globe to understand how consumers interact with vehicles and to gain new insights into the "cognitive, social, cultural, technological and economic nuances" that affect product design.
The team of social scientists has already spent several months exploring topics such as the future of luxury transport, how people form relationships with their cars and the role of trucks in the American heartland.
“The challenge going forward isn’t who provides the most technology in a vehicle but who best organises that technology in a way that most excites and delights people,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president, Product Development and chief technical officer at Ford Motor Company. “By observing consumers, we can better understand which features and strengths users truly use and value and create even better experiences for them going forward.”
This user experience design technique also plays an important role in developing the Ford Smart Mobility plan, which is designed to "take the company to the next level" in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and data and analytics.
Next year, Ford will double the number of projects that use ethnographic research.