Autonomous Vehicle UI/UX

NIO approached SpecialGuest with the following proposition: Introduce NIO, an electric, autonomous vehicle, to the United States during SXSW Interactive. The goal was to show NIO's vision for the future of electric vehicles to the SXSW crowd of early adopters and tech journalists.

SpecialGuest collaborated with NIO to help design and prototype NIO’s user interface, user experience, and soundscape, resulting in a sophisticated intersection of utility and visual art. We partnered with Midnight Commercial on tech innovation and human-computer interaction.

SpecialGuest helped manifest NIO’s in-car user experience through an immersive, simulated driving experience within an interactive car pod, stationed alongside a living room–style gallery installation with the user interface displayed as visual art on the walls. The transition (or commute) between home, vehicle, and office was erased as everything became fluid.

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SpecialGuest also created an experiential film expressing NIO’s vision for autonomy as a way to bring drivers’ favorite spot with them wherever they go. It debuted during NIO CEO Padmasree Warrior’s keynote.

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By imagining a personal future for autonomous driving, we differentiated the brand from better-known competitors and laid the groundwork for NIO’s forthcoming launch in the U.S. market. Over 6,000 SXSW attendees were able to imagine themselves as early adopters of NIO’s car of the future.