In this project we needed to work with real constraints so that we could generate meaningful data and conclusions on what a purpose designed rideshare vehicle might start to look like. We adhered to a number of geometric constraints on track/wheelbase, roof height, door openings, and step-in height and focused our exploration on seating capacity and layout, ingress and egress, storage, and personal productivity.
My team generated five unique design concepts based on existing popular ridesharing business models to carry the manifestation of the production vehicle constraints and potential solutions to them. We also generated use cases and ride scenarios for 99 research participants. Volunteers were asked to bring luggage/accessories as if they were really on their assigned trip. Survey data was collected on these items, as well as overall comfort, shared leg and elbow room, productivity, seat selection, and even feedback on the experiment itself.