Openpilot
Background
The comma 3X is custom hardware designed to live in your car and purpose built to run openpilot. The comma 3X has three cameras, two cameras to watch the road and one night-vision camera to see inside the car. Additionally, the comma 3X has a suite of connectivity and sensors including cellular LTE, Wi-Fi, an IMU, high-precision GPS, and microphones.
Openpilot is an open source driver assistance system. Currently, openpilot performs the functions of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Automated Lane Centering (ALC), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) for a growing variety of supported car makes, models, and model years. In addition, while openpilot is engaged, a camera-based Driver Monitoring (DM) feature alerts distracted and asleep drivers. See more about the vehicle integration and limitations.
Description
FrogPilot is an open-source fork of OpenPilot aimed at enhancing and personalizing the driver-assistance system. I contributed by collaborating with the community, customizing the UI/UX, and improving the system. The project involved open-source development, automotive integration, and user testing to deliver a seamless, customizable experience with features that boost functionality and usability across various vehicles.
Problem Statement
‘Stock’ Openpilot developed by Comma is limited in features and functionality. The goal with FrogPilot is to create a more customizable, user-friendly advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) tailored to diverse driver preferences.
Research
User research from Openpilot users revealed several key pain points and recurring themes.
Users consistently expressed a desire for advanced customization options, such as personalized themes, enhanced device management, and the ability to fine-tune both lateral and longitudinal controls. They also sought additional features like detailed metrics, conditional logic, and UI improvements that go beyond the standard 'stock' Openpilot experience.
Custom Features for Seamless Driving:
⚡ Advanced Customizations
🎨 Custom Themes
🚀 Conditional Experimental Mode
📊 Developer UI
🛠 Device Management
🚖 Lateral Adjustments
🚘 Longitudinal Adjustments
📱 Mobile App
🗺️ Navigation
🎮 Onroad UI
🚙 Vehicle Specific Additions
🚦 Quality of Life Features
Highlighted features I directly worked on*
Information Architecture
A key aspect of enhancing UI features was grounded in optimizing the information architecture. The main objective was to simplify the user experience while personalizing the interface to meet individual preferences. Below is a comparison of the before and after, highlighting the improved information architecture.
Before & After
Architecture Draft
Main Level & Second Level Settings
Mobile App
The Pond is an app designed to manage your FrogPilot experience seamlessly. It allows you to upload drive recordings when your device is connected to the internet and adjust settings remotely. You can also access your Comma 3x device from anywhere and enjoy step-by-step navigation for a smoother driving experience.
Driving States
The interface also includes customizable features such as a full-screen view, sidebar, navigation options, and personalization of icons, UI, and UX to enhance the overall driving experience.
Here are examples of the key driving states in the system:
- Red:
- Collision warnings
- Immediate driver takeover required
- Sudden loss of system control
- Yellow:
- System operating at full capacity for steering, braking, or acceleration
- States where functionality is expected to be limited
- Green:
- General system messages
Learnings
Working on a product that literally 'drives' innovation offered profound insights into the interplay between technology and user needs. It highlighted the importance of continuously evolving the product while ensuring stability and reliability in real-world applications. This experience reinforced the value of user-centered design, where constant feedback and iteration are key to delivering impactful, innovative solutions.
