i3 interior Design Research

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DesignDriven

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Sep 14, 2016
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1
Hi fellow i3 owners and enthusiast.

My name is Robert and I'm from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA.
I study transportation design and this semester we are working on a redesign for an i3 interior.

I would like to ask some questions for the owners regarding the ergonomics, technology and everyday use of this interior.

What makes this interior special for i3 owners? Quality of materials, fit and finish or maybe design layout?

What are some improvements you might like to see from experience driving and riding in the i3?

How do you like the displays on the dash board? Are they easy to understand and see?

Would a more conventional dash with a center console be more comfortable or easier to live with on a daily basis?

Is it a comfortable space to be in?

Would a heads up display be beneficial to the driver? What about a larger screen for the air/heat and radio functions?

I noticed that the dash board is minimal with not too many buttons. Do you feel this is a good layout or would more manual buttons be a better choice?

Are the manually adjustable seats alright? I was thinking power adjustable might be easier to live with?

Do you commute in it or is it a fun car? How is the interior as far as cleaning it and durability of materials?

Thanks for taking the time to look through and answer some of these questions. It will be very beneficial in helping with the design of this project.
 
My main issue about the interior design is that it was clearly ‘designed’ by someone who never has to clean the inside of a car. There are far too many little nooks and crannies that are either very difficult or near impossible to access and clean. We need smooth surfaces and no sharp corners.
 
What makes this interior special for i3 owners? Quality of materials, fit and finish or maybe design layout?

- I bought it for reasons not having to do with the interior unless you consider the rear seat doors part of the interior. In which case, easy access for large loads was very important.

What are some improvements you might like to see from experience driving and riding in the i3?

- Both seats should recline so if stuck at a charger, the driver and passenger can catch a nap.


How do you like the displays on the dash board? Are they easy to understand and see?

- I would prefer some slight changes and better explanations of the metrics. Acceptable but not first prize.

Would a more conventional dash with a center console be more comfortable or easier to live with on a daily basis?

- H*ll no. I want information, not something designed for people who lack understanding.


Is it a comfortable space to be in?

- Drove 700 miles between Huntsville AL and Stillwater OK: (1) 18 hours, and (2) 16 hours. No problem.


Would a heads up display be beneficial to the driver? What about a larger screen for the air/heat and radio functions?

- Heads up might reduce the frequency I overshoot the speed limit. The screen size is fine but I have the larger one.

I noticed that the dash board is minimal with not too many buttons. Do you feel this is a good layout or would more manual buttons be a better choice?

- It works for me.

Are the manually adjustable seats alright? I was thinking power adjustable might be easier to live with?

- Height requires being out of car to raise. Lower has a gravity assist. As for the other functions, no problem as I'd rather have light weight than the penalty of a powered seat.

Do you commute in it or is it a fun car? How is the interior as far as cleaning it and durability of materials?

- I'm running over 30 miles per day, yesterday over 60 in EV. Our Prius has been parked so long I worry about the 12V battery discharge. As for cleaning the interior, I use a car wash and buy the 'Manager Special' which seems just fine.

Bob Wilson
 
What makes this interior special for i3 owners? Quality of materials, fit and finish or maybe design layout?

All of the above. And not just the quality of materials, but the innovative use of more sustainable materials.

What are some improvements you might like to see from experience driving and riding in the i3?

The radio seek buttons should be much closer to the driver. The volume knob should be located down next to the iDrive control knob. Everything else is excellent.

How do you like the displays on the dash board? Are they easy to understand and see?

Displays are easy to understand and see. Screen quality is excellent. UX of iDrive could use an update with more minimal software design. Maps can be hard to read due to cluttered and clunky software design.

Would a more conventional dash with a center console be more comfortable or easier to live with on a daily basis?

Definitely not. I have no complaints with this layout. I do not find myself wishing I had a touchscreen. I quite enjoy that the screen never has to be reached for, and never has fingerprint smudges.

Is it a comfortable space to be in?

Absolutely.

Would a heads up display be beneficial to the driver? What about a larger screen for the air/heat and radio functions?

air/heat functions are minimal and excellent. Radio functions, as noted above, could benefit from a relocation of the volume knob down next to the iDrive controller. The seek button should live paired with the volume knob, wherever it is. Currently the seek button is, from a design standpoint, less of a priority than all of your (rarely used) preset functions. This is not intuitive.

I noticed that the dash board is minimal with not too many buttons. Do you feel this is a good layout or would more manual buttons be a better choice?

Minimal is better. The i3 has buttons for the most important functions, including many buttons that can be programmed and personalized. The layout is generally excellent.

Are the manually adjustable seats alright? I was thinking power adjustable might be easier to live with?

Power adjustable would add unnecessary weight. Manual seat adjustments are fine.

Do you commute in it or is it a fun car? How is the interior as far as cleaning it and durability of materials?

It's a more-fun commuter, of course. Cleaning the interior has been fine. Dark hemp materials can be difficult to remove dust, but dust does not show. Quality of materials feels excellent. Durability is yet to be seen.
 
What makes this interior special for i3 owners? Quality of materials, fit and finish or maybe design layout?

The main design feature is that the A pillars are moved forward (allowed by EV architecture), in combination with boxy shape and no center console, there is a lot of space around the front occupants. It feels like a much much much larger car from the front seats.

How do you like the displays on the dash board? Are they easy to understand and see?

You have to scroll using the push button on left stalk to go through things like consumption, battery state of charge, temperature etc. I would like to have more of these (3 at least) displayed at all times.

Would a more conventional dash with a center console be more comfortable or easier to live with on a daily basis?

No

Is it a comfortable space to be in?

Yes

Would a heads up display be beneficial to the driver? What about a larger screen for the air/heat and radio functions?

No and No, the center screen is a good size.
I noticed that the dash board is minimal with not too many buttons. Do you feel this is a good layout or would more manual buttons be a better choice?

The car has more buttons than most current cars. If it was a new design they would have used much fewer buttons I guess.

Are the manually adjustable seats alright? I was thinking power adjustable might be easier to live with?

Yes, but they add weight. Not a big deal for me personally.

Do you commute in it or is it a fun car? How is the interior as far as cleaning it and durability of materials?

Both, I have not had issues with material quality and cleaning.

BTW Volkswagen has adopted many i3 features in their iD cars. Looks like some of the i3 design team left BMW for VW when the former slowed down production of EVs under previous CEO.
 
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