what people want from autonomous vehicles

A major American automotive client wanted to understand what market opportunities could be leveraged by self-driving cars, or autonomous vehicles. And more importantly, would customers actually want, use, or buy what this emerging technology has to offer. Through a series of industry expert interviews, trends analysis, in-home consumer ethnography interviews and ride-alongs, we uncovered some surprising insights on how Americans accept new and unknown technology.

the renewed promise of the open road

Within the automotive industry, some industry leaders expressed doubt that Americans would be willing to give up the allure of driving on the open road. But the fact is that modern driving is very different from the promise of freedom that driving held in the 50s. Modern driving is more dangerous, more congested, and more of a chore than ever before and drivers are ready to give up the task of driving in return for a new kind of freedom. 

People want to enjoy the open road again

We found that Americans are eager to enjoy the benefits and renewed personal autonomy that this technology could bring. Although there will always be those who enjoy the thrill of driving, the reality of the day to day driving experience has forced many people to rethink how much driving they actually want to do everyday. Autonomous vehicles open up possibilities for personal autonomy for the elderly and disabled without having to rely or feel indebted to another human being.

A mix between the familiar and the new

By interviewing experts in human behavior, we found that people need a balance between the comfort of the familiar and the curiosity of the new. When introducing a new concept or experience, there needs to be elements of the related but familiar experience to be accepted by a wider audience. Even the people who may have been adamantly against the idea of a car driving itself will eventually become more accepting of the technology the more they see it in their daily lives. This concept ties into the idea of both exposure therapy (slowly introducing a feared object into a person's calm state) and Raymond Loewy's MAYA (most advanced yet acceptable) concept.