Harmony | 2014
Through a choreographed multimedia performance and pop-up ideation studio, CES attendees see how Mazda reinforces the oneness of car and driver in the age of connected cars.
Client: Mazda
Audience: app developers, press
Role: Associate Experience Designer
Putting people in the commander’s seat
Mazda’s focus on the oneness of car and driver lead them to create a seamless connected car experience with the “Commander Knob” — a physical interface which enables optimal driving position while navigating music, maps, and other connected car applications. Visitors were able to test a live demo of the Commander Knob driving experience.
Bringing Jinba Ittai to life
It was important to communicate the concept of “Jinba Ittai” – the symbiosis of man and horse – which drives all of Mazda’s design thinking. The show featured an electric violin performance by YouTube sensation Jason Yang atop a larger-than-life replica of the Commander Knob with an LED video backdrop. Accompanying cinematic video and animations visualized this harmony between Mazda vehicles and drivers.
Addressing connected car safety
The safety of connected cars is a primary concern of car buyers, but talking about safety can get boring fairly quickly. This is why we crafted the safety portion of the presentation in a theatrical, unexpected way. We used the trope of an airline safety demonstration, complete with an airline stewardess character hosting the demo, to keep people delighted and engaged while we imparted crucial safety information.
Press
The story was picked up by numerous automotive, tech and media outlets including cnet.com, KBB.com, edmunds.com, automotiveworld.com, motortrend.com, yahoo, businesswire, and geekwire.