A Play of Brilliant
Hardware Interaction Design
Company
DiDi
My Role
UX Designer
Tools
After Effect Blender
Timeline
2021.9 - 2022.2
In A Play of Brilliants, light is introduced into the dialogue—the dynamic exchange of information between humans and vehicles.
I joined the MONA project early on, contributing to interior strategy and EV experience design. Our team defined a 3S value proposition—Simple, Smart, Sophisticated—and took a product-driven approach to position MONA as a digital companion that builds partnership through interaction.
A New Approach to Map out User-Journey
In the early phase of the project, I proposed shifting from optimizing isolated touchpoints to crafting a cohesive, narrative-driven experience. Inspired by classic storytelling and theme park design, I observed that memorable journeys often hinge on how they begin and end. Instead of treating interactions as separate events, I suggested structuring MONA’s experience around three key emotional moments:
Greeting the user with a friendly introduction upon approach
Acting as a subtle but supportive companion during the ride
Offering a warm farewell as they depart
This narrative helped us focus on designing for impact—investing in the moments that matter most. The new partnership framework became the backbone of our storytelling, guiding us to develop sensory-rich interactions with the car’s exterior, interior, and the surrounding environment.
The language of light
I designed a unique 'language' for the vehicle’s front lighting, enabling it to simulate facial expressions. This leverages people’s natural ability to recognize facial cues, allowing the car to convey emotions and be perceived as a companion.
Intention Display - V2P
Current pedestrian to vehicle interactions rely heavily on attention (eye contact) and communication (car signaling). If either is missing, it puts pedestrians at a higher level of risk. I designed subtle visual cues that are projected onto the road surface to communicate its intentions to pedestrians.
Inspired by the creative use of light strips on side skirts, I experimented with using light projections to convey more sophisticated personalities, such as showing care for pedestrians.
The Art of Being Shy
The interior lighting defined the “peak” of our storytelling. I proposed three applications to create emotional resonance: racing — featuring lights that breathe in sync with heartbeats, entertaining — where lights pulse along with music rhythms, and protecting — using calm, gentle lighting to keep the driver focused.
The guiding principle behind these ideas was to make technology feel minimally disruptive. True advancement isn’t about responding to every request—it’s about anticipating needs before users even recognize them. I envisioned an ideal lighting system that seamlessly coordinates all emissive elements—screens, lights, and projections—adapting automatically through prebuilt algorithms that take into account the environment, user mood, and personal preferences.
I collaborated with modeling engineers to explore indirect lighting effects under different placements. The team refined the interior design further to take advantage of diffused reflections. We envisioned entry lighting patterns that would convey a consistent brand message across all future models, with a light-up sequence that gradually directs attention from the door handles to the center screens.
This project about making cars more emotionally aware when interacting with pedestrians tackles some big issues. The main ideas of having the AI blend in, use subtle signals, build trust, and keep things simple for people are right on target for creating AI that feels helpful and human-friendly.
There are definitely some tricky parts to figure out too, like how to handle the switch to more self-driving cars on the road, tweaking the AI's communication for different kinds of people, and stopping jaywalking if people think the AI will always stop for them.
Testing this out in the real world will be key to improve the ideas. But overall, this project sets a great starting point for designing AI cars that can smoothly navigate around people and all our human quirks.
A Play of Brilliant
Hardware Interaction Design
Company
DiDi
My Role
UX Designer
Tools
After Effect Blender
Timeline
2021.9 - 2022.2
In A Play of Brilliants, light is introduced into the dialogue—the dynamic exchange of information between humans and vehicles.
I joined the MONA project early on, contributing to interior strategy and EV experience design. Our team defined a 3S value proposition—Simple, Smart, Sophisticated—and took a product-driven approach to position MONA as a digital companion that builds partnership through interaction.
A New Approach to Map out User-Journey
In the early phase of the project, I proposed shifting from optimizing isolated touchpoints to crafting a cohesive, narrative-driven experience. Inspired by classic storytelling and theme park design, I observed that memorable journeys often hinge on how they begin and end. Instead of treating interactions as separate events, I suggested structuring MONA’s experience around three key emotional moments:
Greeting the user with a friendly introduction upon approach
Acting as a subtle but supportive companion during the ride
Offering a warm farewell as they depart
This narrative helped us focus on designing for impact—investing in the moments that matter most. The new partnership framework became the backbone of our storytelling, guiding us to develop sensory-rich interactions with the car’s exterior, interior, and the surrounding environment.
The language of light
I designed a unique 'language' for the vehicle’s front lighting, enabling it to simulate facial expressions. This leverages people’s natural ability to recognize facial cues, allowing the car to convey emotions and be perceived as a companion.
Intention Display - V2P
Current pedestrian to vehicle interactions rely heavily on attention (eye contact) and communication (car signaling). If either is missing, it puts pedestrians at a higher level of risk. I designed subtle visual cues that are projected onto the road surface to communicate its intentions to pedestrians.
Inspired by the creative use of light strips on side skirts, I experimented with using light projections to convey more sophisticated personalities, such as showing care for pedestrians.
The Art of Being Shy
The interior lighting defined the “peak” of our storytelling. I proposed three applications to create emotional resonance: racing — featuring lights that breathe in sync with heartbeats, entertaining — where lights pulse along with music rhythms, and protecting — using calm, gentle lighting to keep the driver focused.
The guiding principle behind these ideas was to make technology feel minimally disruptive. True advancement isn’t about responding to every request—it’s about anticipating needs before users even recognize them. I envisioned an ideal lighting system that seamlessly coordinates all emissive elements—screens, lights, and projections—adapting automatically through prebuilt algorithms that take into account the environment, user mood, and personal preferences.
I collaborated with modeling engineers to explore indirect lighting effects under different placements. The team refined the interior design further to take advantage of diffused reflections. We envisioned entry lighting patterns that would convey a consistent brand message across all future models, with a light-up sequence that gradually directs attention from the door handles to the center screens.
This project about making cars more emotionally aware when interacting with pedestrians tackles some big issues. The main ideas of having the AI blend in, use subtle signals, build trust, and keep things simple for people are right on target for creating AI that feels helpful and human-friendly.
There are definitely some tricky parts to figure out too, like how to handle the switch to more self-driving cars on the road, tweaking the AI's communication for different kinds of people, and stopping jaywalking if people think the AI will always stop for them.
Testing this out in the real world will be key to improve the ideas. But overall, this project sets a great starting point for designing AI cars that can smoothly navigate around people and all our human quirks.