The Opportunity
I joined Rivian in 2019 as the second user experience (UX) designer of in-vehicle digital products. As someone who is passionate about maps and navigation, I sought out the assignment to design the in-vehicle navigation app for the world's first all-electric pickup truck, the Rivian R1T, from a "clean sheet."
Navigation is complicated and involves maps, routing, points of interest, traffic, and many other elements. Incoporating charge and trip planning to support electric vehicle drivers adds even more complexity. As a result, I knew my task would be daunting, but I was up for the challenge!
My Roles & Responsibilities
UX Design Lead
Product Manager
Wireframes
Prototypes
Logic Flows
Design Verification
Sourcing
Executive Presentations
Who I Collaborated With
Visual Designer
Software Engineer
Product Manager
Navigation Designs
Charger Appearance and Ordering
As the user zooms out on the map, charging site pins inevitably collide. I wrote a set of rules for the appearance and ordering. At the state level, only DC Fast Chargers are shown to declutter the map and help the user plan a long distance trip.
Restrooms
The Rivian R1S/T offers the industry's first in-vehicle button for finding the nearest restroom, regardless of whether it's located at a coffee shop, restaurant, hotel, grocery store, or movie theater. This button was my idea, and I worked with one of Rivian's vendors to create a restroom category in their point-of-interest database.
Trip Preferences
The Rivian R1S/T is the first vehicle on the market to offer advanced trip preferences, powered by integration with ABetterRoutePlanner.
Charger Filters
Filters for speed, network, and availability help the user quickly find a suitable charging site nearby when their vehicle battery is low. Large pills near the top of the screen provide easy tap targets while driving. I included the speed legend in the filter to reduce clutter on the map.
Electric Vehicle Trip Planner
If the user enters a destination that's out of range, the Navigation app automatically suggests where, when, and for how long they should stop to charge along the way to ensure their vehicle makes it to the end of the journey without running out of energy.
Charger Comparison
A small popover containing charger network, location, speed, and availability makes it easy for the user to compare nearby charging sites.
Charger Details
The Charger Details card features progressive disclosure: site-level speed and availability are listed on the first surface, and one tap leads to speed and availability for individual chargers.
Search
Word prediction, search suggestions, category search buttons, search results on the map, and a shortcut button to start navigation all combine to provide an efficient search experience.
Waypoints
While on their journey, the user may add a stop to eat, use the restroom, charge their vehicle, or visit any destination of their choice.
Settings
In Navigation settings, the user may adjust guidance volume, guidance verbosity, map orientation, and traffic visibility. They may also clear their stored data.
Satellite View
The satellite view button is persistently available above the map for easy access.
Route Overview
To quickly view an overview of their route, the user may tap the Overview button in the lower left corner of the screen. Expanding the turn panel displays a list of upcoming turns, which the user may scroll through.
Results
2022 MotorTrend Truck of the Year
“Taking a load off our mind on these drives was the onboard navigation system and route planner."
"Rivian's software...takes a huge amount of work out of planning an EV road trip."
-MotorTrend
The Rivian R1T is the Coolest Pickup Truck Ever Made
“There’s a lot of stuff I like about this navigation...very intuitive.”
“This is one of the few navigation systems I’ve seen that’s easier than just using your phone, and it’s quite simple.”
-Doug DeMuro
2022 Ward's 10 Best Interiors & UX Award
Several design team members and I accepted the Ward's 10 Best Interiors & UX Award on behalf of Rivian at the 2022 AutoTech Detroit conference.
10 Best Award Details
Key Takeaways
Delivering a navigation app is a monumental effort. There are a couple reasons why. First, there are dozens of features. Second, the Navigation app is more complex than most other apps in the car, given that it functions based on vehicle position, heading, speed, and other factors.
Data quality is as important as UX. Designing a great navigation experience is only half of the challenge. The other half is ensuring the map, routing, point-of-interest, and traffic data are reliable. If they're not, users may complain or abandon the app.
