Vision, Identity & Purpose
This page isn't just about a vehicle app—it's about how we lead through vision.
I created this ideation piece to drive alignment across teams, center conversations around real customer needs, and push the boundaries of what an app like this could (and should) do.
It helped reframe internal thinking, clarified what mattered most, and served as a working artifact to spark collaboration between design, product, and engineering. These aren’t just ideas—they’re rooted in real conversations and real opportunities.
Understanding Behavior to Shape Design
To comprehend user behavior, it's important to delve into user psychology. By identifying desires, educating users, and incorporating emotional elements, a successful user experience can be achieved.
“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” - Plato.
As a designer, I rely on storytelling and behavioral insight to explore conceptual ideas grounded in real needs. This vision piece considers how different devices, user intentions, and environments influence interaction patterns—from glancing at your phone in the driveway to deep-diving into settings on a tablet at home.
My focus was on reducing friction, encouraging repeat use, and making the experience feel personal and familiar. I prioritized clarity, accessibility, and delight—balancing utility with emotion, and always honoring the human behind the screen.
Behavior Principles
The Principle of Least Effort
The more effort required to use a product, the less desirable it becomes. This principle emphasizes the importance of minimizing the cognitive and physical effort required to interact with a product, ensuring it is user-friendly and appealing.
The Principle of Perpetual Habit
This principle focuses on keeping the experience simple, enabling customers to learn to use the application within one or two sessions. By employing intuitive design and familiar patterns, users can quickly adapt to the app's interface and enjoy a seamless experience.
The Principle of Identity
This principle highlights the significance of establishing a sense of identity for both users and the product. It emphasizes the need for users to feel a sense of belonging and understanding of who they are when interacting with the product. To achieve this, the product should convey a clear brand identity, align with users' values and preferences, and foster a sense of connection and community.
Essential Utility
Simplicity that feels intuitive.
Frictionless Interactions
The best utility experiences are invisible—they don't require a user manual. For many drivers, this app is a digital key or remote. It should work fast, be reliable, and feel obvious. Unlock, locate, start—all within a second or two.
Visual Delight & Feedback
A visual interface should feel mechanical where appropriate. Subtle motion cues, button animations, and progress indicators help reinforce trust, especially in high-importance actions like locking your car or checking battery charge.
Small wins that compound
Even a subtle improvement—like holding the "unlock" button to trigger windows or mirrors—can delight when it aligns with user habits.
Set the stage
Make a great first impression. Use the intro screen to inform, delight, or onboard. A clever, engaging welcome sets expectations and tone.
Designing for Habit
Streamline to the core utilities that matter most. Use ergonomic focus states and maximize screen space where needed.
Cause and Effect for Core Functions
Design climate control, seat heating, and battery preconditioning with visual, tactile, and auditory feedback. Delight users with:
Subtle animations
Haptic confirmation
Personalized messages
Satisfying sound effects
Download a rough animation example of an engine starting interaction for a non-EV vehicle.
Expand Access
Make it multi-platform (phone, tablet, smartwatch)
Add voice or gesture control
Integrate with smart home systems
“I’d like a black S500 to receive me at the airport. I need the interior of that car to be 71 degrees exactly.”
Service Companion
Support that’s Proactive and Reactive.
Anticipating the Unexpected
Service events rarely come with a warning. Whether it's low tire pressure or a check engine light, provide calm clarity and immediate paths forward.
Real-Time, Flexible Help
Give users options:
View Diagnostic
Book Service
Message Support
Brand as Comfort
Helpfulness, not hype. These quiet moments—where users need you most—are where brand loyalty is built.
Behavioral Support Frameworks
Predictive analytics for service needs
Context-aware tips based on time, location, and history
Chunking technical info into bite-sized answers
Provide data
For customers looking for information, provide it clearly and quickly. Make it easy for them to find what they need without digging.
If a driver wants details about their car—tire pressure, battery level, mileage, or maintenance history—share it in clean, digestible chunks. Avoid jargon. Prioritize clarity and relevance over complexity.
Good design doesn’t just look nice—it communicates well, too.
For Active Support Moments
Offer multiple contact methods (chat, phone, message)
Enable 24/7 live or automated help
Tailor suggestions using vehicle and user history
Follow up to ensure resolution and satisfaction
Helpful Guide
Tools that teach, remind, and empower.
Pattern Recognition and Memory
Offer predictive shortcuts. Know when I always preheat my car, and suggest it automatically.
Learning by Doing
Don’t give me a manual. Teach in context with small nudges and smart, visual explainers.
“You gotta be quick! You gotta be nimble!”
— Miles Finch, Children’s Book Visionary
Encourage and Reward Use
Give positive reinforcement when users form good habits. Track progress and share useful insights.
Be Joyful
Add the element of delight. Utility doesn’t have to be dull—it can be playful, expressive, and joyful. Celebrate simple moments. Surprise users with whimsical microinteractions. The goal is to make every tap, swipe, and transition feel like a moment worth enjoying.
Surprise and delight: Incorporate unexpected features, hidden easter eggs, or interactive animations that evoke wonder and excitement as users explore the app.
Nostalgia and personalization: Utilize familiar elements from users' past experiences to forge emotional connections. Include song lyrics tied to weather events or personalized details that evoke cherished memories.
Storytelling: Craft a narrative that guides the user's journey within the app, integrating emotional touchpoints that resonate with users and create a cohesive experience.
Social sharing and connection: Encourage users to share their experiences with friends and family, fostering a sense of community and connection through shared emotions and memories. Enable social sharing features and collaborative in-app experiences.
Gamification and rewards: Implement gamification elements and rewards, such as progress indicators, achievements, and personalized milestones, to evoke positive emotions and create a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment.
Vision Into Action
UX leadership means showing what’s possible—before it’s fully defined.
This wasn’t just an app concept—it was a catalyst. It realigned our thinking, clarified priorities, and sparked a better understanding of what customers actually need from a connected experience. As a UX leader, I believe in building the future before it’s fully defined. I use moments like this to inspire clarity, conversation, and direction across teams.
This is how I lead—with empathy, structure, and bold ideas rooted in real user behavior.