Scientific User Research

Exponent UX for Automotive Products

A man consults with an automotive tester

User Experience Research, Strategy & Consulting

Manufacturers across a range of industries have long recognized the value of user experience (UX) research at every stage of the product lifecycle — especially in the automotive sector.

The value of Exponent UX

Whether it's a tractor trailer, e-scooter, or an automated vehicle, the costs to bring automotive products to market are high, and failures can have far-reaching consequences. Safety and compliance are critical to reducing risk of injury to users and legal and financial exposure to companies across the entire value chain, including large and small manufacturers, suppliers, vehicle operators, and insurers.

A scientific approach to UX

Exponent UX offers sophisticated, rigorous research designed to address these issues head on. We rely on deep scientific expertise, trusted methodologies, and extensive capabilities to help give you a detailed understanding of how people perceive and interact with your products — not how you think they do or even how they say they do, but how they actually do. 

Our highly credentialed scientists and researchers have unsurpassed UX expertise, with degrees in human factors, cognitive and perceptual psychology, ergonomics, biomechanics, computer vision, vehicle engineering, and other related areas. They're armed with an unparalleled array of advanced UX research technologies and methods, including motion-capture and eye-tracking capabilities with millisecond and sub-millimeter accuracy, as well as bioelectric and psychophysiological sensing and biosignal processing, including electrocardiogram (EKG), electrodermal activity (EDA), and facial electromyography (fEMG). 

How we can help

With our unparalleled team of professionals, our broad and deep sector expertise, and our rigorous empirical research methodologies, we can help you protect your investments in your products and your brand. We can help you analyze how designs, interfaces, or entire user experiences can be bettered to improve safety, reduce failures, increase efficiency, satisfy regulatory requirements, and boost customer satisfaction, ranging from advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to software and hardware user interfaces.

Bottom line: we can help you make sound, data-driven design and development decisions, reduce time to market, increase the lifetime value of products, and reduce exposure to litigation and loss. Whether you're designing or manufacturing a new automotive product; having regulatory compliance, warranty, or recall issues with a new or current product; or experiencing challenges with your facilities or concerns related to the health and safety of your customers or employees, Exponent UX can help.

Exponent UX

Our Automotive UX Services

Scientific User Research_TEC

Specialized Facilities

Our Centers for Scientific User Research (CSUR) in Phoenix are co-located onsite at Exponent's Test & Engineering Center. CSUR includes a specialized UX suite equipped with Command & Test Observation (CATO) capabilities that allow us to remotely monitor in-vehicle activities from our two-mile vehicle test track or any of our other specialized vehicle testing areas. Through a combination of onboard and remote observation, we conduct sophisticated analyses of user interaction with vehicle components, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), safety-critical control systems, and more. 

Learn more about CSUR
Seamless Integration

Selected Additional Capabilities

The product or process journey for Exponent UX clients is often unique and multifaceted, extending to questions or challenges that fall beyond scientific user research. Our clients not only benefit from our unsurpassed UX expertise but can seamlessly draw upon Exponent's more than 90 engineering and scientific disciplines for comprehensive, end-to-end support.  

Bespoke Vehicle Testing

Bespoke Vehicle Testing

Customized vehicle safety, performance, and environmental testing, including adjustable signage, lighting, and more.
Regulatory & Compliance

Regulatory & Compliance

Global regulatory and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) compliance support.
Product Development

Product Development

Validation, proof-of-concept, and product viability support.
Data-Driven Insights

Data-Driven Insights

Instrumented vehicle data collection in on-road and closed-course environments.
Developing Technologies Evaluations

Developing Technologies Evaluations

Design support and evaluations of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), driving automation systems, and driver state monitoring technologies.