FORD MONDEO

The project intended to bring technology and comfort in a new sophisticated and modern sedan to the Chinese market. Space, comfort, fluidity and sophistication were the keywords to achieve the design team's goals. Its target audience is more mature, not just about age, but about mindset. It is an ideal option for the family in the city as much as the countryside.

Ford Mondeo & Ford Evos are part of the same program, aiming for a new position and direction for the Ford brand in the Asia-pacific region. It dictated the strategy and trend for the following Ford Asia Pacific products in terms of shape design, finishes, colours, materials, and sustainability. Based on this, Ford Mondeo shares several strategies and material development details with Ford Evos.


MAIN GOALS

After user experience research, we could specify that the Chinese market was looking mainly for the following:

  • Authenticity
  • Comfort
  • Design with purpose
  • Luxury


KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Design Strategy

I was responsible for investigating and researching future trends involving colours for exterior & interior, new materials implementation, consumer behavior, target audience, human interaction, and smart city interactions for regional and global regions. Besides that, I was engaged in comparing the vehicle's main competitors, helping to position the project in the Chinese market, creating the progression steps of the series walk, and finding the best solutions considering design, innovation, feasibility & cost. 


  • User Experience

Responsible for implementing user experience methodologies closer to the Colours & Materials and Product Design departments. 

One of the topics I could contribute to involving colour & materials with UX design in the Ford Mondeo project was the pack of 'greetings' created to connect the car with the user, which includes front grille motion, combined with the vehicle's illumination response and interior moods that respond to the user commands.


  • Materials & Finishes Development 

I supported material and finishes developments with global tier 1 & 2 suppliers, creating feasible strategies within cost, time constraints, and design goals for the project. Besides managing the workflow development with stakeholders such as engineering. 


  • Graphic Development

I could contribute to graphics creation and development, including embossing and perforation patterns on seats, textures on sound bars and central console, new grains development, and front grille shape patterns for the three main series, Titanium Light environment, Titanium Dark Environment, and ST-Line.



TITANIUM SERIES   |   Light Environment   

PREMIUM     |     LUMINOUS     |     TECHNICAL 


TITANIUM SERIES   |   Dark Environment    

SOPHISTICATED     |     INTENSE     |     TECHNICAL  




ST LINE SERIES

BOLD     |     VIVID     |     DYNAMIC



MAIN CHALLENGES 

  • Sustainability VS Cost

One of the main challenges when implementing sustainable materials inside a car is their cost compared to virgin raw materials. Over the years, they are becoming more attractive due to demand from companies and for generating added value to the product. The solutions that I was able to contribute to this project involving it were:

Solution 01   |   We restrict the use of natural leather, opting for an ecological alternative, a type of vinyl with a more neutral carbon footprint.

Solution 02   |   Implement a plush fabric with part recyclable content and part virgin, but that can be completely recycled at the end of the life cycle.


  • Colour Usage 

According to user research done during the vehicle clinic, the Chinese market was looking for more insertion and variety of interior colours, expressing their tastes through the vehicle. However, many colour interactions generate a lot of complexity, increasing the production and final costs for the consumer in the end.

The main question was... Is the user willing to pay for it?

YES and NO... The colors would need to be highly assertive to the personal taste of most users to be willing to pay for a much higher value.

I was able to contribute to these solutions:

Solution 01   |   Add an environment with a light color, hugely in demand, in the series with more mix, which would be the Premium series, which would justify a higher price.

Solution 02   |   Implement special series with colors that would remain on the market for a shorter period. These interactions could be made in the Mid-series, which has a more youthful appeal and is linked to global trends.

Solution 03   |   Offer few color interactions and invest in lighting and illumination with a diverse range of colours in which the users would set up the environment's mood as their preference.


  • User x Product Connection 

A vehicle goes far beyond transport. It represents its users' characteristics, desired status, and where they fit into society. It represents mobility and independence, responsible for good moments, experiences and memories. Your car is your home extension.

Based on this, it was important for this project to bring stimuli that would connect this user with the car.

Through user research, we determined that comfort and responsive surfaces with technological appeal were essential for the target audience.

Solution   |   The final solution was the greetings package that includes front grille motion at unlocking, interior moods setup with specific themes like Sporty mode and Nature mode that influence colour illumination and the car's performance.