'5+1' with Charlotte Charbonnier – UX / UI designer at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

Meet Charlotte Charbonnier – UX / UI designer at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Designers have a decisive role in a company. They are strategists and visionaries in the innovation process and thus key persons for the future success of the company.

“For UX / UI Designers the focus has changed now. It holds a lot of new chances, possibilities and paths to design the interaction between the passenger and the technology in the car.”

Charlotte gives us a great and detailed insight into UX / UI design and how it has and will change. Not only she reveals which of her character traits help her to convey the complex interactions of UX into a playful way, she also tells us more about her favourite form of transportation and her experience being a women in the male-dominated automotive industry.

1. Rethinking is taking place on how cars are being designed. Compared to the past, they are no longer designed from the outside to the inside. The focus now lies on interior and interaction. Hence, which new opportunities arise for an UX designer?

For UX / UI Designers the focus has changed now. It holds a lot of new chances, possibilities and paths to design the interaction between the passenger and the technology in the car. We are in a transition where digital merge with physical aspects of cars while the user experience gets more and more important. It helps humans navigate in the environment. Thanks to new technological possibilities, users can be addressed on different channels of perception. You can design information better and make it more understandable and accessible for many groups of people. The whole experience can create a better usability, joy and above all trust. Our age is hallmarked by technological developments in which customers request personalisation and immediate services. In general, there is a need of new mobility concepts that must be developed. One example are mobile online services that support the driver in everyday life and those of driving management. For customer behavior, digital experiences are the key to success. You can create small “wow moments” daily that still offer the same effect even after repeated use. For automotive interfaces the focus is on providing the drivers with precise information that they need, e. g. interior, interaction and information need to go hand in hand. These can be created by addressing several senses – through light, soundscapes and transparency – a mobile space is created in which the user feels well understood and safe. There are huge and exciting possibilities in the future that can be designed by UX / UI designers. Design can make thoughts visible.

2. UX design means telling a story and conveying complex interactions to the user in a playful way. Which of your character traits make this approach simpler for you?

As an empirical and curious person, I find it easier to empathize with complex situations and themes. I like to break open different subjects before arranging them into a whole new. I love to do research and like to deal with a huge variety of topics even if they don’t have anything to do with my profession primarily. In my opinion, this is very exciting in UX/UI design. For example, when I dealt with the mobility of blind people during my master thesis, I came across a huge variety of subjects that had to be considered. I dealt with hearing and sounds in general, but also with Inclusion, senses, Perceptual Psychology, autonomous driving and legal framework as well. A lot of information had to be collected, filtered, and classified while exploring this broad spectrum to get the best result and solve problems in general. In the end, you have got a bowl of qualitative and quantitative user data and information that forms your basic structure in the design process. Data speaks for itself and can help designers a lot. On the other hand, as an empathetic person, I like to put myself in other people’s shoes. It supports asking the right question in user testings to understand people’s thinking. One can automatically design more intuitive for the target group. To work with different people that have got their own individual background is also very important to me, especially while working in a team. This is a great asset if you work in design with an interdisciplinary and – at the same time – cultural exchange. Huge things can grow from this kind of environment.

3. Due to the increased digitalization and the growing focus on autonomous driving, UX is becoming an absolute core area. In your opinion how will the user interaction while driving change?

The interactions while driving will change. Autonomous driving is not just about the vehicle, it’s more and more about digital platforms and services. The focus shifts away from driving the car. The drivers become passengers that no longer must give input to the car. They can focus on the experience and interactions with the vehicle. To achieve that, there is a need of positive experiences that play an important role in helping customers learn about self-driving technologies. Having many sensors in autonomous cars can make driving safer and reduce the number of road accidents. The UI in general becomes less intrusive and acts more subliminally. Less attention of the driver is required for the whole drive. I imagine that there are different interactions while driving, which depend on the context, e. g.checking e-mails, working and other things. Scenarios with gesture control, multi-touch surfaces and a self-learning system in which the UI component is eliminated are also possible. Transparency will be more important when the vehicle is more autonomous. There is need of great designed sounds, tactile feedback and light. That’s why interactions are becoming more adaptive –driving an autonomous car is more about the experience in general.Still, I think there are enough people who feel the need to drive the car themselves. Vehicles, nevertheless adapt to the user in that scenario, too. The design focuses on the most important interactions then. Connectivity, as I have already mentioned, supports the driver in the car but also in real life. There is a possibility to operate the smart home while on the move, e.g. to switch on the heating from the vehicle and to open the garage door. The parking situation at the destination can be seen in advance which reduces stress for people. They can use their energy and time better and more effective.

4. What is your favorite form of transportation and why? You work in the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Design team. How do you get around in Wolfsburg?

I can’t exactly say what my favourite form of transportation is. It depends on the situation and the reason for traveling. Since I live in the city center, I prefer to use public transportation and mobility services like MOIA. For me, it is the easiest and fastest way to get from A to B. That’s the reason why I don’t own a car now, while still being able to drive one if I need to. Even when I’m traveling in my second home, Finland, I mainly use public transport such as the train. Up until now, I’ve almost always been lucky enough to meet nice and interesting people from all over the world on a long train journey through Finland. And of course, you can enjoy the beautiful landscape while looking outside the train window. When I get the chance to drive a car I will take it too. Especially long road trips with good music and my best friends.

5. You are relatively new to the automotive industry. However did you already experience any disadvantage due to being a woman? How is the gender distribution in your team?

Working as a woman in a more male-dominated field feels no different to me. Up to now I have not noticed or experienced a difference between man and women at work. I’m the only woman in my team. But in general, there are several women in our design department. So far, I have been able to make the experience that everyone is treated equally. I have had a hard time since I started working because of corona. I can’t live my natural everyday life and not my daily business. I got to know my colleagues through online meetings, auditory channels and e-mail, which is kind of sad.

2020 is a year in which people start questioning many different things in their life and in society. On the one hand, due to the pandemic, people feel locked up and long for interaction. On the other hand, they also want to experience the greatest possible feeling of security in a time full of uncertainties. I think this will also be the case in the future.

And the +1 question from Charlotte to you: “What would give you security and confidence while sitting in an autonomous (driverless) vehicle?”

Thank you Charlotte for the great talk and for sharing your insights.

Pictures: Marek Simko
Interview: Britta Reineke & Jill Eickholt