UX for Luxury: Flashback California 2019
Explore my journey as a Prototyping Engineer at Mercedes-Benz R&D, where I turned seat folding into a luxury experience using soft sensor technology, leading to a patented innovation.
👀 Content and images were already shared with the public in my thesis or in the patent.
Introduction
In the luxury car market, excellence in experience isn't just an add-on—it's an essential component of the value delivered. Unlike the mass market, the luxury segment focuses on not only meeting basic needs but also adding unique features and experiences that secure their high-end positioning in a fought over market (see McKinsey).
What was my role in all of this?
In 2019, I was working as a Prototyping Engineer for Mercedes Benz R&D North America, a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz in Sunnyvale, California.
The quest? Developing in-car concepts and prototypes that would make luxury car buffs go "Shut up and take my money!" One such challenge was reimagining the UX of seat folding—yes, you heard right, making a seat-folding experience not just good, but "Take my breath away" level of awesome. This might seem like we're trying to reinvent the wheel but in luxury cars, it's the extravagances that count.
Here, I want to take you through my journey and share the insights I gained along the way…
The UX of Seat Folding: Status Quo
In most cars, seat folding is a functional necessity often executed through plastic levers and mechanical hinges.
Positioning: The levers aren't positioned at the location of action
Effort: Trigger the lever demands a lot of force
Material: The levers are big, bulky plastic handles
Is it possible to design a seat-folding mechanism that exuded luxury, both in function and material? My task was to ideate, prototype, and validate a solution aligned with the brand's luxury standards.
The Solution: A Soft Sensor Approach
After several brainstorming sessions and iterations, I proposed using soft sensors integrated into the headrest fabric. This approach allowed for a smooth, intuitive seat-folding action without the need for unsightly plastic parts. Here's how it went:
Tech Exploration: The starting point was an exploration of the soft sensors by StrechSense. Outcome—Sensors are capable of detecting the touch of a hand through the fabric (will be good enough for the prototype).
User Journey: Here is a small Insight from my user research. In this user journey comparison, you can see how the new UX will be integrated in the daily use of the customers (Images of Journeys
Prototyping: Imagine the horror on our faces as we prepared to drill holes into a Mercedes C63 AMG—a $100,000 car. It was like performing surgery on a supermodel. The tension was high, and so were the stakes. Main challenge—The built-in seat folding was triggered mechanically with a rope pull. In order to control it with a microcontroller, we need to create a mechanical interface as a "by-wire" system
The Result: A Patented Innovation
In the end, everything turned out awesome! I gently placed my hand on the headrest and pulled the seat over with ease. I managed to create a super cool tech demo with the department to show off and get feedback.
Even though the prototype wasn't completely perfect, it was so valuable to see it in action and watch others use it. To make it even better, we scored a patent to protect the rights to the concept.
Conclusion: Do We Really Need This?
Let's be honest for a moment. As I drilled those holes into that AMG, a part of me couldn't help but think, "Are we over-engineering this?" The answer is probably yes. But in the luxury segment, where every detail matters, even the seat folding experience must be exceptional. It's a world where functionality meets opulence, and sometimes, we must embrace the absurdity of it all.
And that's the beauty of working in luxury UX design—you get to push boundaries, challenge norms, and occasionally laugh at the sheer extravagance of it all.