Mobilizing your emotions in real time

CLIENT Ford PROJECT Design Strategy Project TEAM MEMBERS Aniek Toet, Carla Strasser & Ines Theriaga DATE September - November 2019

AURA

The Design Brief

Make Ford Cool Again

In the eyes of Gen-Z, Ford is not considered a ‘cool’ brand according to research. The goal was to create a futuristic concept and strategy for Ford to achieve this by the year 2030. Together with my team, we created our own method of discovering which values of Gen-Z were most crucial to them and how Ford could implement these values into their brand and products. It was through this method that we discovered the actual problem:

There is a discrepancy between the most important values of Gen-Z and how they are implemented and perceived within the Ford brand.

We ended up stepping away from the conventional products Ford is known for, namely automobiles, and developed concept that would allow Ford to a reform the world of mobility through a form of ‘Emotional Mobility’.

The Concept

AURA’s Implementation Horizons

2025

Aura is an intelligent car assistant, that adapts to your mood. It measures your emotions through sensors which are connected to the car. It controls your music, airconditioning, screen, lights, everything that influences your mood. It is designed for autonomous cars.

2030

Ford no longer produces cars and the Aura experience is implemented into daily life. By wearing a contact lens users are able to see other people’s real time emotional status through an interface.

2040

The Aura experience consists of an implant in the user’s arm and a contact lens. The implant replaces the function of the mobile phone in 2030.

2050

Implant in your brain that measures all your senses. The implant is fully connected to your body and sends information to others, so that they can completely experience the other user’s emotions. Users still chose who they can share their emotions with. The experience has become more intuitive rather than a data interface.

The Design Process

Gen Z's Expected World

The design process consisted of multiple activities, such as questionnaires, generative sessions with the target group and value mapping. In a questionnaire for Gen Z, statements representing each world were presented regarding the topics shown above. The participants were asked to choose which of the three statements they thought were most likely to represent the future. From this, Gen Z’s expected world was created.

Generative Sessions with Gen Z

The generative sessions uncovered Gen-Z’s fears and desires for the future in terms of relationships, career and environment, as well as the values they believe are most important to them regarding these three themes. Values of Ford were uncovered through extensive research.

Value Mapping

The ten most important values of each category were mapped out against Gen Z’s perception of Ford’s Value importance. Gen Z’s most important values that were not considered important enough in the brand of Ford were taken into account. The final concept idea was created through various brainstorming techniques and was chosen through an extensive selection process.

Gen-Z’s Expected World, process based on the ViP method and findings gathered through questionnaires and desk research.

Various values that are perceived as important to Gen Z are mapped out against their perceptions of those values in the Ford brand. The seven values highlighted in blue were taken into account throughout the design process.