In recent years, the comfort people experience while they are in a car has become an important criterion during car selection. A car’s value can no longer be determined through its driving and specs alone. As this shift progresses, Panasonic Automotive Systems is applying its unique perspective of “Joy in Motion” design to create new mobility value.
In this interview with Executive Vice President Masashige Mizuyama and Executive Officer Keiko Ohta, we explore the present and future of “Joy in Motion” envisioned by the company.
From Now On,
Cars Will Be Chosen Based
on the Experiences They Offer
Cars are increasingly becoming electrified and automated. How do you feel the standards used to choose cars are changing?
Mizuyama
Generally speaking, the move towards electrification is expected to make it harder to differentiate vehicles based on driving performance alone. Further strides in automation will one day completely free people from the need to drive their cars. I think that these changes will gradually shift people’s emphasis from a car’s specifications to the riding or driving experience.
In fact, if you look at user evaluations of vehicle value, for a long time now, the quality and reliability of IVI(1), such as car navigation systems, has significantly affected how satisfied people are in their cars. In that sense, a tremendous amount of weight is now being placed on the driving or riding experience—that is, UX(2).
In other words, when picking cars, users are increasingly looking beyond just differences in vehicle performance to things like “I don’t get lost when driving the car” or “I don’t get annoyed.”
- *1 IVI: In-Vehicle Infotainment. This refers to systems used to provide information and entertainment inside vehicles. It includes car navigation systems and audio systems.
- *2 UX: User Experience. This refers to the entire experience users have when using products or services.
As a “Joy in Motion” design company, you work with manufacturers to shape the experiences users have in cars. What role do you think you play in society?
Mizuyama
Through our long history of creating consumer products, we’ve been making products that are focused first and foremost on people. I think it’s our mission to use that culture and DNA to provide new user experiences through vehicles.
That’s why we strive to provide “Joy in Motion.” That represents going beyond looking at cars as just vehicles and instead making the whole experience a more pleasant one. That includes the value of mobility itself, the way people feel as they are traveling from one place to another, and the actions they take.
In the era of the SDV(3), it’s hard to differentiate oneself just by adding functions through software. What’s important is the consistency of the user experience. If you add functions, but each function is controlled in a different way, users will get confused every time they use the functions. However, if the design is intuitive, so users just know what they should do next, then they’ll be able to use functions without having to turn to instruction manuals.
We don’t plan to compete based on the number of functions we add. Instead, we plan to provide new value by making the experience even more consistent. That will grow even more important as vehicle values diversify due to the transition to SDVs.
- *3 SDV: Software Defined Vehicle. Vehicles whose functions and experiences can be expanded or refined through software updates.
Ms. Ohta, what kind of value would you like Panasonic Automotive Systems to provide?
Ohta
When you look at what people do in their own homes, they cook dinner while listening to music, or they read through materials while the TV is on, or the like. It’s rare for people to only do one thing at a time. People just naturally multitask.
I think that mentality will gradually make its way into the car space, too. The time people spend in their vehicles will be an extension of their day-to-day lives, whether that’s shopping while they’re on the go or watching the rest of a movie that they started watching at home. Cars won’t just be used for driving or traveling. People will also be able to smoothly do other things while traveling. These experiences will be the new, human-centric value we have envisioned.
What we want to achieve is to enable people to enjoy uninterrupted experiences through their lives, their cars, and other transportation. Seamlessly. We want to remove some of the limitations of traveling and expand its possibilities. And on top of that, we want to provide more exciting experiences. I see that as the new core of “Joy in Motion.”
What is the Human Insight Technology
that Creates “Joy in Motion”?
Talking about UX and experiential value, we have been dedicating itself to Human Insight Technology for understanding each and every person. How is this leveraged in “Joy in Motion?”
Mizuyama
The Panasonic Group has been called on to apply its expertise in people and lifestyles to contribute to the in-vehicle field. We have been focusing its efforts on Human Insight Technology to make vehicle interiors more comfortable. Of course, it’s not something we can do entirely on our own, so we’ve also been coordinating with universities and other partners.
Specifically, it’s important to gain a deep understanding of the characteristics shared by all people, especially sensations with the potential to affect UX. This includes the information that people receive visually. We’re going to go deeper with our fundamental research into how the brain recognizes the information it receives through the “sensors” of sensation. We want to connect our findings to, for example, ways of visually conveying information.
Let me give you an example. People don’t process the information that comes in through their eyes as-is. Instead, they process it while making predictions based on past experiences stored in their memory. If they have a visual experience that doesn’t match with what they’d anticipated, their attention is drawn to it.
So when providing information to drivers, it’s important to use a design that captures no more of their attention than necessary. In other words, it shouldn’t get in the way. In technical terms, we need to create a “low distraction” state.
This isn’t just a safety issue. When people are constantly distracted, they grow frustrated and stressed. When the distraction level is low, they enjoy a more pleasant experience. They don’t have to wonder what to look at next while driving. This is part of the foundation of “Joy in Motion.”
Technologies for Giving Shape to “Joy in Motion”
Next, I’d like to ask about giving actual shape to “Joy in Motion.” I’ve heard that you’ve recently proposed a new technology for the UX field.
Mizuyama
We’re developing a technological foundation that supports integrated driving UX, including comfort and safety. One example of that is the Unified HMI.
This technology can be used to work with vehicle instrument panels, heads-up displays, monitors, and the like in an integrated manner. It helps create a vehicle interior experience free of hesitation or confusion, even as the number of screens increases. We’re also considering using it as a framework for improving development efficiency, including opening up the technology to others.
From a user experience perspective, how will AI change how people experience mobility?
Ohta
Often, the more advanced a function is, the harder it is to use. That’s why we want to use AI to support users and allow them to focus on driving, without becoming stressed.
For example, until now, cars have been unlocked using a single key. If, instead, facial recognition or smartphone Bluetooth connections were used for authentication, vehicles could determine who was driving them and automatically change the GUI to match the driver. If different passengers wanted to listen to different music, each seat could play something different. If the driver wanted to focus more on alerts than on music, the GUI could prioritize alerts. Individual, differing needs could all be met.
With sensing technologies like thermography, seat temperatures could automatically be raised for people who get cold easily. This would eliminate the need to change the settings each and every time.
People have diverse and wide-ranging tastes, so the range of functions that are available in cars is going to keep on growing. By developing technologies that perform optimizations for users, we can eliminate the difficulties involved in using these technologies. Just as we’re reducing the need for instruction manuals, we can automate recommendations for individual vehicle occupants by combining emotional inferencing and action inferencing. We can catch signs from users that allow us to anticipate their needs.
Mizuyama
I think that continuing our initiatives in these areas will also help us bring out the distinctive character that makes Panasonic Automotive Systems what it is.
The Value of the Future, Provided by Panasonic Automotive Systems
What Lies Beyond
“Joy in Motion”
In closing, what kind of value and experiences do you want to provide society and users as The “Joy in Motion” design company?
Mizuyama
Our strengths lie in the fields of software and computing, which are absolutely vital in the rising tide of SDVs. We’ve built up knowledge and technologies through our experience working with vehicle manufacturers, and we plan to use these as the foundation from which to further polish our capabilities in the UX field. Our contributions aren’t going to just be limited to cars, either. The range of fields will expand to total mobility experiences, including MaaS(4).
From the perspective of user experience, in the future I hope we’ll extend the “Joy in Motion” concept to mobility other than cars, such as airplanes. I want us to leverage the UX at the heart of our company, software, and the computing platform technologies that support that software, to become a company that our customers trust and rely on to provide total support for traveling experiences.
- *4 MaaS: Mobility as a Service. A concept and approach in which apps and the like are used for every stage of using transportation (trains, buses, taxis, ride sharing, etc.), including searching, making reservations, and payment.
How about you, Ms. Ohta?
Ohta
I want us to always surpass people’s boundless expectations and evolving desires. To do that, we need to have an accurate understanding of their latent needs, to create real solutions to those needs, and to evolve those solutions. That’s the kind of company I want us to be.
We still have countless opportunities to change people’s lives, including through existing businesses with large customer bases, new services that will evolve from those businesses, and the MaaS services we will be providing in the future. That’s why I want our company to take on challenges in new fields going forward.
Masashige Mizuyama
Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd
Representative Director
Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Keiko Ohta
Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd
Executive Officer
Japan Chief Executive Officer (Japan CEO)
