Competitive Analysis
As a subsection of our background research, several group members investigated in-car digital music systems. Based on the research, we extracted out interesting points for each competitor’s interface to know what kind of technology is available currently, as well as good and bad interface design problems we found from them.
Our primary conclusion from this phase of research was that the interfaces of current systems, most of which are aftermarket solutions, did not fit our target user base. Many of the systems were visually overwhelming, had confusing button layouts, and had a needlessly flashy aesthetic. This background was useful knowledge for us, but it became clear that aftermarket products were not a good starting point for our own designs.
Phase 1 User testing (Digital Music)
In the first phase of our user interaction study, we asked thirteen people who have large collections of digital music on how they listen, organize, and get music both in inside and outside of the car context. It helped us get a sense of mental models of the users when dealing with large collection of digital music.
Most of the interviewees were students at Carnegie Mellon. While this was not necessarily a perfect representation of our target user base, it was a readily available group of subjects, and it was important to start talking to people early in the process.
Phase 2 User testing (Commuters)
Initially, our group planned on collecting data on the car context using the Contextual Inquiry method. However, the first phase of interviews proved to be very effective, so we continued our procedure with a different group of users.
The goal of the Phase 2 round of user interviews was to learn how people deal with music in their cars while they commute. The interview was intended to provide design directions for our initial design brainstorming sessions that followed. Most of these subjects did not organize or listen to digital music on their computers.
The target participants were professional people who commute at least 30 minutes to work. They were asked about their general experiences on listening to their own car stereos while commuting. Users were asked questions regarding music navigation, organization, music listening habits such as singing, and the types of music they listen to in different contexts.
