2.49 million cars sold per year
World Luxury Car of the Year awarded to Mercedes-Benz S-Class
125 years old brand with 93 locations around the world
Accessibility
Inclusion of visually impaired individuals in driving.
Color blindness affects approximately:
Statistics suggest 150,000 Mercedes drivers may be color-blind.
What causes color blindness?
Usually inherited and is often X-linked
Damage to the eyes, nerves, or brain
Exposure to certain chemicals
Types of color blindness
Normal Vision
Deuteranopia
Green-Blind
Protanopia
Red-Blind
Tritanopia
Blue Blind
Achromatopsia
Monochrome
How can we make their in-car-experience better?
Instrument Cluster
Navigation
Steering Wheel
Heads Up Display
Infotainment System
Major touch points
How can we make their Infotainment experience better?
Business Goals
Enhance Brand Reputation: Position Mercedes as a leader in accessibility, showcasing a commitment to inclusivity and innovation.
Reduce Cognitive Load: Make the screen intuitive and accessible for all drivers, ensuring quick, error-free information interpretation for enhanced safety.
Align with Accessibility Standards: Proactively integrate features to meet regulations, enhance global reach, and adhere to design best practices.
Scalability: The solution can be seamlessly scaled across all Mercedes models and integrated into other platforms.
James Jacob
IT Professional
35
YR OLD
Motivations
Safety First
Customization
Ease of Navigation
Personality
James is a tech-savvy individual who values inclusive design. As a designer, he recognizes the importance of color schemes that work for everyone, including those with visual limitations. He enjoys experimenting with technology and expects a user-centric approach in all his tools.
I want a hassle-free infotainment screen that supports my color vision and keeps me focused on the road.
Persona
Goals
Improve driving safety by reducing color-based misinterpretation.
Seamlessly interact with the infotainment system without confusion.
Access an inclusive system adaptable to different types of color blindness.
Pain Points
Difficulty distinguishing red-green or blue-yellow indicators.
Overly complex menus with confusing color contrasts.
Struggles to identify status changes based solely on color.
Journey
Difficulty distinguishing icons or menus that rely solely on color.
Implement pre-set color-blind modes with clear labels.
Configures the infotainment system before driving.
Selects navigation, music, or other apps.
Follows turn-by-turn directions.
Looks for route changes or traffic warnings.
Adjusts music or podcasts.
Switches between playlists or stations.
Receives infotainment alerts (e.g., phone calls, system messages, or notifications).
Modifies settings during the drive (e.g., AC, sound levels, or screen brightness).
Hard-to-read menus due to color-coded toggles and sliders
Use bold outlines or text labels with color-coded elements.
Add symbols or short descriptive text with alerts for better understanding.
Alert colors (e.g., red or orange) may look similar, leading to missed or delayed responses.
Misinterprets active/inactive buttons due to subtle color differences.
Highlight active elements with shapes or glowing effects.
Calm if directions are clear, frustrated if not.
Use bold, high-contrast route lines with pattern overlays for clarity.
Responding to Alerts
Media Control
Initial Setup
During Navigation
Adjusting Settings
Happy
Neutral
Unhappy
Actions
Painpoints
Opportunities
Symbols, Bold text, Shapes, High-Contrast
How can we achieve this?
Auditory feedback
Shapes/patterns
Contextual Description
Real time visual aid
Hight contrast monochrome
What can we do?
Break down widgets
Making Custom Widgets
High contrast Custom Widgets
Final UI
Profile Created
Apps View
Selection of vision accessibility
Tritanopia selected
Impact
Increased Customer Satisfaction: Designed infotainment screens for all types of color blindness, boosting satisfaction by 10%.
Enhanced Safety and Usability: Improved accessibility for quick, error-free interpretation of critical information.
Strengthened Brand Leadership: Positioned Mercedes as a pioneer in inclusive and scalable automotive technology.
Patent filed
Patent Number: 2024P03256 IN
THANK YOU