A group from interiors at VW led a short workshop where Transportation Design and Interaction Design students collaborated at UID. The project brief called for design ideas to inspire the next generation of the iconic VW bug.

I worked alongside four Interaction Designers and two Transportation Designers. We challenged the brief by responding to one of the core directives in it: designing for young professional trendsetters.

Following that path, we asserted that the target group is trending away from car ownership. Our proposal focused on a shift from vehicle ownership to personal transport service customer.

Change Agent
While car-sharing isn't a new concept, we argued that the beetle held an important position in automotive history and could inspire a more significant and successful shift in mindset.

An important consideration in our proposal was to retain personal character and customization by imagining a service (in some future) where vehicles are fabricated using modular components on demand for specific users and and short-term uses. Vehicles would be disassembled on return, and the modular components quickly readied for the next build.

Group Partners
Wang Chao (IxD), Daniel Frieg (TD), José Ledón (IxD), Sisir Nath (IxD), Peter Queckenstedt (TD), Ruedee Sarawutpaiboon (IxD)