Augmented Reality

I approached the leading luxury car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover to work as their Lead Design Strategist in the open innovation sector. I presented to them a proposal to implement an emerging technology, Augmented Reality (AR) for Jaguars future electric vehicle (EV) range.

In early stages of a project I start by creating a clear definition of the topic area. In this instance I defined Augmented Reality as an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content.

From my research I found that “The automotive industry is constantly evolving and developing new technology to make driving a more intuitive and enjoyable experience. If current trends are any indication, AR could be the next big thing to help car manufacturers create the next generation of innovative... solutions that bring human-like perception to vehicles”.(tom tom, 2021). This therefore validated the strong potential use of the technology for the business.

AR's Capabilities & End-user benefits

I found that AR becoming more widely used in the car industry, not only to benefit the end user but also including internal processes within the design, production and servicing sectors of the automotive business.

I discovered three key benefits that AR could help improve the end-user experience:

Reducing Cognitive Load; Instead of accessing information from multiple sources simultaneously, AR allows a driver’s digital assets and activity to seamlessly integrate into their tangible world.

Improving Situational Awareness; AR user interfaces will be able to effectively warn drivers in real time of additional hazards on the road (e.g. potholes & debris), thereby maximising their ability to react quickly and avoid accidents.

Highlighting Relevant Information such as key Points of Interest (POIs); AR can draw drivers’ attention to relevant location information and points of interest, including parking spaces, nearby petrol stations, and local landmarks.

Injecting AR into JLR's future

From a business perspective I recommended four design directions that JLR could incorporate when designing AR into their infrastructure.

The first recommendation being that Augmented Marketing could produce a new revenue stream; Digital marketing experts estimate that most Americans are exposed to ~7,000 advertisements every day (Forbes 2021); this looks to increase with AR marketing within cars. Could JLR build a new revenue stream through digital marketing?

The second direction was creating an Upselling Experience and incorporating Digital Upgrades; In a similar fashion to Tesla, who charge for software add-ons and updates for their vehicles, JLR could develop AR features and add-ons in order to enhance driver safety, comfort and maintenance, all as a way of upselling to their customers.

The third direction I recommended was Enhancing JLR's E-Commerce and Immersive Purchasing Experience; A recent survey found that “30% of car buyers would buy a car completely online”. (giogs, 2022) Their findings highlight the importance of a digital-first dealership. JLR could invest further into at-home purchasing experiences.

Lastly, using Data-driven Decisions to Continuously Improve AR Capabilities; JLR vehicles could use data-driven decisions and AI insight to continuously update and improve the AR UX & UI. This would save the company valuable resources in relation to user testing and manually consolidating user feedback.

In Summary

AR technology capabilities are highly versatile but are not yet used on a mass scale (yet). However, arguably the automotive industry is still in early adolescence when it comes to the more in-depth use of the technology.

JLR were intrigued by my proposal to implement AR into their business and found my case study incredibly insightful and forward thinking when it came to the future of mobility.

Suraj Soren

Injecting an emerging technology (AR) into the future of electric vehicles

Augmented Reality

AR's Capabilities & End-user benefits

Injecting AR into JLR's future

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