Hongqi wanted to improve the music infotainment experience for its H9 model, targeting millennial drivers who rely on music to enhance focus and enjoyment. But users struggled to find favorite playlists quickly—often taking longer than the NHTSA-recommended 2–3 seconds for safe in-car interactions. This led to distracted driving and frustration, showing that the existing interface wasn’t meeting user or safety expectations.
As the lead designer, I owned the project end to end—defining the problem, driving the research, setting success metrics, leading the design exploration, and aligning decisions across PMs, engineering, and stakeholders. I also ran workshops, guided critiques, and ensured every iteration was both user-focused and technically feasible.
We redesigned the infotainment system to make music discovery fast, intuitive, and safe—simplifying navigation, surfacing favorite content upfront, and introducing a preview panel to reduce unnecessary page switching. With these improvements, drivers can now reach their desired music in under two seconds.
Designing in-car infotainment requires rigorous testing and simulation. While the pandemic kept me from returning to China to participate, I had hoped to be involved in the hands-on iteration process. If I had more time, I would also test in real driving conditions—day and night, with motion simulation—to better understand user behavior and further improve driver safety.
