PRODUCT DESIGN
Nissan Ariya
Nissan's Virtual Car Experience lets customers spend 'a day in the life' with ARIYA, the brand’s new 100% electric crossover. I led our cross-functional team to re-imagine the customer shopping experience for their new flagship EV.
We focused on telling a story of how design, craftsmanship and an ideal EV experience had been brought together seamlessly. The product is an interactive story — A story of 'Timeless Japenese Craftsmanship, Beauty and Futurism'.
The challenge was bringing exceptional technology and a new brand together into a seamless narrative. An aspirational and experiential way for users to get acquainted with Nissan Ariya, conveying a story that the user can relate to on an emotional level.
Rapid testing and validation was the key to success for this product. With a short timeline, we tested numerous prototypes at different fidelities in the US, Japan and Europe. Using our learnings from research to iterate on the design enabled us to create a highly functional product that not only worked well but resonated emotionally with customers the world over.
Ariya's signature colour is copper. It's the colour of the sun as it breaks through to start a new day. It symbolises the dawn of a new automotive era while also giving a nod to the traditional Japanese artists who formed copper into works of functional art. Dawn is weaved throughout the art direction we established for the experience.
We took inspiration from Japanese graphic design, architecture and interior design as well as unique elements from the Ariya to weave into the experience.
We re-defined the use of typography to express Japanese subtlety. UI elements are light and clean giving a sense of zen and calm, reflecting the feeling of driving the car.
The art direction of scenery is designed to be uncluttered, echoing the cars astonishingly spacious interior. The environment takes on an 'organically familiar form' which gives that same sense of serenity and calm while helping to pull focus to the Ariya at all times. Colours and textures are not only subtle and quiet; they add a little futurism to the overall experience - underlining the particularity of this car.
"Nissan reveals how design can usher in a digital world of driving"
Outcomes
Project details —
Role —
Creative Director
What we did —
Discovery
Strategy
UX design
UI design
Art direction
3D motion
Brand experience
When —
June 2020
The team behind the magic —
Jude Gay Creative Director
Lawrence Pearson 3D motion
Sindhuja Shyam UX Lead
Malin Persson UI Lead
Rebecca Werres Senior UI
Carla De Maria UX designer
Vicky Yang Motion
Paula Cunha Technology
John Gardiner Technology