Joy of Information
Design Challenge: To blend new levels of car-based information complexity into BMW's tradition of driving dynamics, performance, handling, comfort, safety and joy, consistent with the BMW brand. The concept was designed to introduce to the public BMW's future information systems.
Design Solution: By working closely with BMW's design and engineering groups we maximized both mastery of data and a sense of well-being and driving enjoyment by creating a graphical user interface, which related intuitively to the physical input device.
We created graphics that visually mirror the physical action of the input device (i.e. turning a knob left or right) through the use of animations (rotating graphics). Pressing the "edges" of the input device (top, bottom, left, right) activates information displayed on the corresponding edges of the screen, which we call "direct mapping". The motion of the hand reinforces the understanding of the eye, freeing the mind to drive.
The graphics help the eye reinforce the intuition of the hand. The appearance of choices on the screen as you browse them takes on the motion, through animated sequences, of the input device. Turning it initiates a graphic "turning" or animation of choices around the "control-ellipse" - which is a visual representation of the haptic action.
By creating direct mapping between "doing" and "seeing", the driver requires less attention to operate the system, which creates greater safety, comfort and overall pleasure in the activity of driving.
