ARC - Assistive Road companion
Defined the product vision for AI-powered OS for Automotives
My Role
I was responsible for the complete product design and the brand strategy of the project, including prototyping, animations, and interaction modeling.
Team
2 Designers
Timeline
12 weeks
Overview
ARC (Assistive Road Companion) is an AI-powered operating system for autonomous vehicle dashboards that transforms car travel from passive transit into collaborative adventures. As Lead Product Designer on this 12-week 0→1 build, I identified a critical gap: while modern cars handle navigation and self-driving, the experience still feels transactional; users instruct cars rather than collaborate with them.
THE PROBLEM
Identified an Untapped Experience Gap by Analyzing Current Automotive Entertainment Systems
Constraints & Scope
Designed for Autonomous Future by Shifting from "Minimize Distraction" to "Maximize Immersion"
The autonomous drive as constraint
The design decisions were made with a fully autonomous future in mind, where hands-free driving is the norm. In this setting, users no longer need to focus on controlling the vehicle, which removes many of the traditional safety and attention constraints found in current car interfaces.
Initial discovery and Key Insights
Uncovered 4 Critical Pain Points by Creating Journey Mapping and Interviews Across 2 Distinct Personas
Mapped the travel experience across four phases: pre-ride setup, early journey, mid-journey, and final stretch
From insights to actions
The physical separation between cars created genuine emotional disconnection.
Current systems offer the same recommendations regardless of mood, preferences, or travel context.
Design
Designed Core Features by Mapping Each Solution Directly to Validated User Pain Points
Initial Wireframe development
Shifting from research to design, I led our team in sitemap and wireframe development, making sure our designs tied back to the needs of both individual and group travelers.
Introducing ARC
Arc is an Assistive Road Companion that intelligently adapts, learns, and responds to every journey you take
1/4
Arc creates a synchronized experience layer that connects all vehicles in real-time
ARC AI recommends destination based on group prefrences
Democratic decision-making replaces the chaos of group texts.
2/4
Arc suggests personalized and contextual stops for the journey which are not just proximity-based
Live location awareness shows where each car is on the journey
The system monitors journey progress and proactively suggests breaks
3/4
Beat mid-trip boredom with gamified scavenger hunts
4/4
As travelers approach their destination, Arc shifts from entertainment to anticipation-building using immersive stories
Arc AI curates interactive audio-visual stories about the destination
Content adapts to passenger preferences
RETROSPECTIVE
Learned That AI Succeeds When It Enables Human Connection, Not When It Replaces It
Key learnings and reflections
Context changes everything
Autonomous driving didn't just remove constraints—it opened entirely new design possibilities. Designing for "maximize immersion" required rethinking fundamental principles.
Brand first, features second
Establishing clear values (Collaboration, Personalization, Exploration) made every design decision clearer. Without brand foundation, I would have built a feature list, not a product.
Immerse into the problem space
I knew nothing about the automotive design space, but I was eager to find out as much as possible. It’s impossible to design the right solution if you don’t know what users want. I did everything I could to learn about car OS and the dashboard design. It helped inform my design decisions later on.
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Created by Vidushi Bissa