DIDI Robotaxi Experience
DiDi Sponsor Project
Create Date / 2024 Summer
Duration / 14 weeks
Focus / Interior Design, UX Design
Team Project
Interaction Design / Effie Zhu
Media Design Practice / Hongming Li
Product Design / Zihao Zhuang / Sam Lu
Transportation System Design / Batuhan Sutbeyaz
DiDi's Task
Select a U.S. city and design a robotaxi and user experience tailored to its context.
70% of robotaxi trips appearing in nine major metro area
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New York
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Boston
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Chicago
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Los Angeles
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Miami
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Philadelphia
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San Francisco
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Seattle
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Washington DC
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High Population Density
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Transport & Tourism Hubs
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Severe Traffic Pressure
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Progressive Policy
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Diverse User Groups
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Tech & Economic Strength
Why DiDi Robotaxi in San Francisco?
High Demand
for Commute
120,000 commuters enter the
Bay Area daily
33% commute 15-29 minutes
24% commute 30-44 minutes
Large Number
of Travelers
47.1M travelers annually at San Francisco International Airport
12.1M travelers annually at San José Mineta International Airport
Lack of Public Transportation
68% of commuters still drive to work in the Bay Area
3.7% transit use in San Jose
17% transit use in San Francisco
High Cost of
Car Ownership
$2,801 annual parking cost for San Francisco residents
$4.97 average gas price
Current Ridesharing Services are Expensive
Ridesharing fares start at $15+
San Francisco ranks #3
San Jose ranks #5
among the most expensive U.S. cities for transportation
Large-Scale
AV Testing
1,603 AV registered for testing in California (2023)
~41 companies actively testing AV in San Francisco
What do our user want?
User Interview
Ideation
HMW Cluster
Insights
Durability & Easy Cleaning
Almost every passenger mentioned that they care about cleanliness, and drivers also noted that they clean the interior of the car after finishing work each day.
Drivers Act as Tour Guides
“I’d rather hear about the city from drivers than look it up on social media.”
“They know the best restaurants that only locals know about.”
Desire for Personalized Control
Some passengers prefer drivers to chat while others prefer silence; some like the AC on, while others don’t.
Ideation
01 Insight Cluster
02 Ideation Cluster
03 HMW Cluster
How might we reimagine mobility to deliver an intuitive experience with tailored user preferences and enriched local insights?
Design Objectives
Efficient
Optimize spatial layout and functionality to reduce vehicle size while maximizing comfort, legroom, and usability.
Adaptive
Design a flexible interior environment that responds to diverse user needs, travel contexts, and future mobility scenarios.
Connective
Integrate intelligent assistance and contextual awareness to create rides that are more intuitive, informative, and seamlessly connected to the city.
Dimensions & Interior Layout
DiDi’s data shows that 90% of trips involve one or two passengers, with most rides taken by solo travelers.
The cabin layout therefore prioritizes a premium experience for single passengers, while still supporting comfortable conversation when two passengers share the ride.
Key Interaction Features
Smart Ride
Scheduler
NFC
Verification
Immersive
Tour Mode
Pose-Activated
Interaction
Window
Display
Personal
Profile
Platform
Integration
AI Voice
Assistsnt
With user consent, DiDi integrates with calendar events to auto-schedule rides, ensuring a seamless and effortless travel experience.
Smart Ride Scheduler
Calendar-based Ride Scheduling
AI-Generated Tour
AI can generate personalized tours based on user preferences and past trips, designed for people who are unfamiliar with the city but eager to explore.
Pose-Activated Interaction
AI can recognize passenger needs using in-car cameras and pose detection, providing personalized comfort by creating the most suitable lighting and sound effects.
Immersive Journey
Smart Glass Display
The adjustable transparency glass display allows seamless switching between city navigation information and an immersive street view experience, enhancing transparency and safety in Robotaxi travel.
Immersive Panoramic Entertainment Cabin
The panoramic projection delivers an immersive city narrative and high-quality media experience, transforming the Robotaxi from mere transportation into a dynamic experiential space.
