Sector:
Automotive | Mobility
Type:
Sound Experience Design
What:
Ethographic Research
Sound Diaries
Focus Group
Trend Analysis
User Journey Mapping
Sound Experience Strategy
Fiat Latam
Designing a More Human Car Sound UX
FIAT, one of Brazil's most beloved brands and a sales leader for 11 consecutive years, needed to tell a new story. The brand underwent a comprehensive rebranding, rethinking its visual and verbal universe. Together with Soundthinkers, a sound branding agency, we conducted a 360-degree, people-centered project addressing sound at every touchpoint of the car experience. The goal was to reinvent FIAT’s in-vehicle sound experience, making it more human and emotionally connected.
More human, more digital, more musical
The redesign of the car's sonic experience – covering safety, alert, and directional sounds – was grounded in deep user insights collected through collaborative work sessions, task analysis, sound diaries, and sound journey mapping. These insights informed the strategic drivers and design principles, ensuring that the new sound experience was both functional and emotionally engaging, fostering a genuine connection between users and the FIAT brand.
Car users in Latin America, especially in Brazil and Argentina, have a strong emotional connection with their vehicles. This research involved 16 participants across three distinct user profiles. More than just a study, it was an immersive experience, starting with an "audio kit" and bite-sized videos that raised participants' awareness of the impact of sound in their daily lives. The research focused on everyday soundscapes, sonic experiences with technology, and users’ relationships with the car and its sounds.
As the Lead Researcher and Strategist, I designed and executed the field research, capturing insights and developing strategic drivers for sound concept creation. This process included co-creation sessions with users, sonic journey mapping, and concept validation, ensuring that the sound design solutions met safety requirements while embodying FIAT’s emotional identity.
Additionally, we co-created a sound palette that conveyed physical, mental, and emotional comfort, with clear messaging and task information. The car sounds were redesigned to be more digital, human, and musical, blending these layers to reconnect users emotionally with FIAT’s driving experience.
- Complete redesign of FIAT’s in-vehicle sonic experience.
- Alignment of user insights with sonic design solutions.
- Creation of strategic guidelines for every auditory touchpoint in the vehicle.
- Development of a more human and emotionally connected sound palette.
- Redefinition of the user’s relationship with FIAT through an engaging and sensory sonic experience.