Uconnect is Chrysler’s connected vehicle platform enabling remote access, vehicle monitoring, and assistance features through mobile and wearable devices. This engagement focused on evaluating the existing Uconnect mobile application and defining design directions to improve usability, trust, and day-to-day effectiveness for non-technical users.
Clients
Chrysler (Uconnect Platform)
Service
Product Innovation
Industry
Automotive & Connected Mobility
Year
2018
Heuristic Evaluation and UX Redesign Directions for the Uconnect App
The project aimed to identify critical usability breakdowns within the Uconnect app and establish a clear redesign direction. The scope included login flows, remote vehicle functions, information visibility, alerts, and help systems across smartphones and smartwatches.
The current scenario
Despite offering powerful connected features, the Uconnect app suffered from fragmented navigation, delayed system feedback, and high cognitive effort during routine tasks. Frequently used actions were deeply buried, system states were unclear, and error handling often created confusion rather than confidence—particularly in time-sensitive situations.
Explore the Uconnect App
View the connected vehicle experience showcasing redesigned remote controls, navigation structure, and usability improvements.
Need for a Trustworthy and Effortless Remote Experience
- Critical vehicle actions required excessive steps and repeated authentication
- Navigation depth made frequent functions hard to locate
- System feedback was delayed, unclear, or misleading
- The experience failed to match real-world user mental models
Advantages of a Reimagined Uconnect Experience
- Faster access to high-frequency remote vehicle actions
- Clear visibility of system status and vehicle state
- Reduced cognitive load during critical interactions
- Improved confidence while using remote and assistance features
Audit-Driven UX Reimagination
The engagement followed a structured evaluation process combining user personas, journey mapping, and heuristic analysis based on established usability principles. Core workflows—such as login, remote controls, alerts, and help—were examined across devices to identify severity-ranked usability issues.
Findings were translated into concrete design directions rather than incremental fixes, ensuring systemic improvements instead of surface-level changes.
Research & Design Phases
Research Findings
The heuristic audit uncovered multiple showstopper and high-severity issues related to navigation depth, feedback latency, readability, and interaction consistency.
Understanding the Users and Their Needs
Primary users were busy, mobile-first individuals relying on the app in real-world situations such as parking lots, basements, or extreme weather conditions—where speed and clarity were critical.
Ideation
Design directions focused on simplifying information architecture, reducing redundant steps, and aligning interactions with real-world expectations.
Design Directions
Proposed solutions included a flattened navigation structure, prioritized remote functions, clearer system feedback, and improved readability through visual hierarchy and contrast.
Prototyping
Wireframes and visual compositions demonstrated how redesigned flows could reduce friction while maintaining feature depth across mobile and wearable devices.
Key observations included:
The Impact
Reduced interaction friction
Users could complete remote actions faster with fewer interruptions and repeated inputs.
Improved system trust
Clear feedback and status visibility increased confidence during critical vehicle interactions.
Scalable design foundation
The design directions established a framework adaptable across vehicles, devices, and future features.
MAKE