Messaging apps in the car

Enabling safe and easy communication for drivers

for android auto (google)

Final product

Messaging app (WhatsApp, Messages etc.) integration on Android Auto. New APIs, app architecture and UI patterns to interact with message apps. See Android announcement.

Opportunity and Problem

Users could only access their messages (from various apps) through the Notification center. This was a very limited experience, and it was a completely different model than users’ app-based mental model. We needed to improve the experience, but there were a lot of unknowns about mental models, usability and even the functionality set. We also worked closely with Assistant team as messaging needed to be a voice-first capability in the car use-case.

My role and responsibilities

I led the design track from definition to first phase of implementation. Collaborated with product manager on product definition; and with a small team of designers, researchers, engineers on design direction and execution.

Design lead

product strategy

user research

ui design & Prototyping

Study prototypes we tested in the car. Looking to see affects of various pattern against driver distraction and usability. (Copy) (Copy)

PROCESS HIGHLIGHTS:

We used research as input for the major decisions. For models, we uncovered that app-based model was preferred by users and it performed better. We were unsure about needs around access to older messaging and we quickly saw majority of users did not need to access older messages - eliminating deeper level views and simplifying build and design.
I prototyped several UI patterns and flows. Looking at usage data and observing users, I saw that messaging UI needed to be optimized for frequent use rather than deeper functionality and content. We then designed the current flat pattern (no buttons and no deeper levels) that simplified the list by featuring large tap targets enhancing usability while driving.