Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-164).

In the emerging global marketplace many companies are forced to disperse their business fromoperating in one market into various markets, which causes challenges regarding innovationperformance. To efficiently use their resources, these organizations are often developing theirproduct adopted to the home market’s customer needs, something that can lead to poor productacceptance by the secondary markets. Hence, absorption and use of market knowledgethroughout the innovation process are important considerations to maintain a competitive advantage.This case study intends to answer the research question; what are the best-practices for innovationat a global car-sharing firm to better align their product to many diverse markets? Thethesis was carried out as an inductive case study at DriveNow, a car-sharing company aroundEurope who are struggling with the product performance at their many diverse markets. Thegoal with the thesis was to propose recommendations on how to manage the complexity ofabsorbing knowledge from diverse local markets, transferring it within the organization andintegrating it throughout the innovation process. In order to do so, a pre-study was conducted,followed by 23 semi-structured qualitative interviews at the headquarter and four of DriveNows’local offices.The results indicate, on the one hand, that firms have to access important market knowledgethrough their local offices to better align the product to their diverse markets. On the otherhand, the efficiency of how the organization are transferring the knowledge and encouraging employeesto do so are also important considerations. Based on results from this study, we suggesta formalization of various processes in order to facilitate ideation, internal communication andthe subsequent transmission of market knowledge over boundaries. Furthermore the developmentof an adopted global product could be a way of manage the complexity of having a globalproduct but satisfy needs of diverse markets. By capturing market knowledge and create localizedfeatures were it is needed the global product could be better adapted to various markets. / På den framväxande globala marknaden tar företag snabbt deras verksamhet från en marknadtill att vara verksamma på flera olika marknader, vilket orsakar stora utmaningar gällandeinnovation. För att på bästa sätt ta tillvara på deras resurser anpassar dessa företag ofta produktentill deras hemmamarknader, vilket kan leda till dålig acceptans av produkten på andramarknader. På grund av detta är absorbtion och användning av lokal kunskap från marknaderviktiga aspekter för att kunna upprätthålla en hållbar konkurrensfördel.Den här fallstudien avser att besvara frågeställningen; vilka är de bästa metoderna för attfrämja innovation hos ett globalt bildelningsföretag i syfte att bättre anpassa produkten tillolika marknader. Den här masteruppsatsen är en induktiv fallstudie på företaget DriveNow,ett bildelningsföretag med verksamhet i Europa som brottas med hur produkten mottas påderas olika marknader. Målet med uppsatsen är att föreslå rekommendationer för att hanterakomplexiteten av att absorbera kunskap från marknaderna, dela den inom organisationen ochföra kunskapen vidare genom innovationsprocessen. För att kunna genomföra detta utfördes enförstudie följt av 23 semi-strukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer på DriveNows huvudkontor ochfyra av dess lokala kontor.Resultatet av studien indikerar, å ena sidan, att organisationer behöver ta vara på kunskapenfrån deras lokala kontor för att bättre anpassa produkten till olika marknader. Å andra sidanhur organisationen hanterar kunskapsöverföring och uppmuntrar anställda att dela med sig avkunskap är också viktiga aspekter. Baserat på resultaten av studien, föreslås formella processerför att kunna förenkla idégenerering, intern kommunikation och kunskapsöverföring. Vidareföreslås en implementering av en anpassad global produkt för att hantera svårigheten av att haen global produkt som samtidigt måste tillgodose olika behov på olika marknader. Genom attta tillvara på den lokala marknadskunskapen och skapa lokaliserade funktioner där det behövs,kan den globala produkten bättre anpassas till olika marknader.

The project began with a simple question: In a future where the Internet has the ability to connect everything digitally, will the need to move physically still exist? To answer this question, we need to reconsider the far-reaching effect that online service has brought to our everyday lives. And based on the current trend of Internet development, the author focuses to predict the challenges and opportunities for people’s daily life brought by the future internetization trend.Instead of designing another vehicle which moves from A to B , the author rethinks the mobility as a unit of service connection in 15-minutes urban life circle in 2035. Redesigning the form and boundaries of the mobility based on the future working and living needs, this project envisions such a mobility to inspire more sparks and discussions about the subject. _Inspiration Inspired by the idea of merging the architecture principles and mobility interior design, the author aims for creating a mobility which enables people to work from anywhere in future cities.With help of Internet and new technologies, population density starts to act as a solid base for boosting of urban life services. And this emerging industry is deeply reshaping the urban lifestyle in the future, which has shown the urban people have new needs to get emotionally attached and have face-to-face teamwork from time to time.The aim of this project is to reconsider the core of mobility - not as a simple transportation platform anymore, but as a mobile space for multi-using. _Process Starting M mobile service, Volvo is a Scandinavian tech-driven brand which envisions a future to enable more people to move freely, meaningfully and sustainably.In order to design a mobility to ease people’s everyday life which also aligns with Volvo value, the author took a speculative approach based on research about the Volvo brand and relevant social trends. And the author starts interviews with people to gather more detailed info and pain-points after desktop research. Based on that, the author included the design opportunities of this project and step into the design process, which includes loops of ideation, sketching, modelling and evaluating with in Volvo team. These steps were not in linear order as the author as the project aims for really challenging the traditional structure and boundaries of the vehicle. _Result The result of this project is Volvo M-office and Volvo Working hub, which together form a systemic workspace solution beyond the concept of vehicle design.The design principle of the project is based on the prediction and research about future working method in urban area. The mobility is designed a open-able mobile space which can interact with other mobilities and facilities.Volvo M-office provides a flexible way of anywhere office life, With the mobility the people can choose the working locations they want, so as to connect the leisure time and working time in a smart way. In addition the mobility will also help the user to rebuild the work-life balance and emotional window in the context of Internetization future.

RELEVANCE AND INSPIRATION Traditional urban planning prioritizes motorized vehicles as the main transport solution, taking away green areas and space from pedestrians and citizens. Today there is an ongoing urbanization which creates increased demands in transportation of both goods and people. As a result of this traffic congestion as well as greenhouse gas emissions are increasing.One already established, and sustainable, solution to ease pressure on the roads and transport people is public road transport. However, studies have shown that there has been a steady decline in usage of public road transport through the years, not the least during the pandemic in 2019. During the last years there has been an increase in E-commerce, which put new pressure on both logistics and traffic in traditional urban environments due to a heavy increase in last mile deliveries.Today there is an ongoing shift towards more sustainable cities, to reduce emissions and create more livable areas, taking away space from traditional vehicles and giving it back to pedestrians and citizens.To be able to create future livable urban environments and reach specified environmental goals, a sustainable transport solution of both people and goods must be developed. PROCESS The purpose with this project is to investigate how the border between transport of people and goods in urban environments can be blurred and create a more attractive and sustainable transport solution.Research according to existing transport solutions in city environments and user needs and wishes has been analyzed in order to create a transport solution that would be suitable for both companies and people in a future 15-minute city. Different design methods were used in order to find a suitable solution to the identified problem. The creative process started with gathering of inspiration. Vehicle package, seating layout, suitable size, and capacity as well as future technologies were studied. A lot of sketching and renderings was done and then used as a foundation for 3D development. An imaginative future vehicle system was developed in order to create a plausible and holistic transport solution.Within the project, focus is mainly on vehicle exterior, creating a package suitable for transport of parcels as well as people in an environment that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. RESULT The result of this degree work is Scania Combi, a compact, agile, and flexible transport solution. A multipurpose vehicle being able to transport both people and goods, within and between 15-minutes cities.

Inspiration The very first idea starts from the author’s life experience when urbanization in China shows great impact on everyone’s daily life that the social transport resources are often distributed unevenly during the day. It’s common to find no available shared bikes around metro station in the morning, or find no metro to go back home from the airport during the mid-night; Personal travelling experience with public system usually lacks privacy and comfort with many people in a carriage, while private mobility leads to congestion, parking and refueling headaches. In addition, the national goal for the future public transportation development is another story background. Public transit is strongly encouraged in China in the near future. To develop with this social need potential, the concept aims at exploring a flexible public transport system which remains both transport and energy efficiency, and also on-board experience as good as individual vehicles. Process The initial concept is based on the logic of rail transit system, which runs on dedicated tracks. Accordingly, Urban planning interview with professionals is conducted to learn more about the influence the future city layout may bring to the system design. All information gathered during research finally form the logical base. Once the system frame is set, more flesh is added such as brand identity, design aesthetics and related accessory design. The project mainly focuses on exterior which directly connects to the context, yet a hint of interior is also considered to provide persuasive illustration on user experience. In parallel to the vehicle design, context design (the hub) is as well part of the design list. The final outcome is to visualize a big picture of the whole system, not only a single unit. To test out the practicality, 3D modelling of architecture and vehicles with VR test are utilized to help optimize. Result ZEEKR 00M is not just the name for the pod running on the track, but also the whole system which can be called as ZEEKR line too, similar to the existed metro lines’ name that help users get familiar quickly. The system operates as a public resource which basically covers the new district areas surrounding the busy city center, where wide-spread transport infrastructure web is strongly needed in the near future. With separated pods running continuously on the track instead of a long carriage leaving a waiting queue at the platform after departure, individual travelling is independent with each other which improves the steadiness and efficiency of personal mobility experience. Meanwhile, these small pods can be kept in dynamically equal number at each hub with Internet-of-Vehicle assist, which helps feed the uneven rush hour need in different districts or emergent mobility need at any time.

Background: Due to arising shifts in customers’ digital expectations, businesses need to adapt current strategies to dynamic environments in order to stay competitive in today’s digital era. These shifts, which are to set new directions for entire industries, is also known as a digital transformation. To digitally transform a firm entails both opportunities to thrive and challenges to face. The technological advances create a need for new roles and skills to be mastered. In addition, the rise of the sharing economy has led to the need for certain industries to adapt accordingly, including the car rental industry. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the identification of necessary internal and external factors that firms need to consider in order to digitally transform their services. Further, this study aims to provide guidelines for firms aspiring to transform their service to become a MSP. Methodology: This study has adopted a qualitative research strategy and the design of a single case study of a car rental company. In order to collect empirical data, semi- structured interviews were conducted within related fields. Conclusion: The authors of this study have identified prominent internal and external factors within the fields of digital transformation and MaaS. In addition, the authors have come to the conclusion that the identified factors possess different levels of impact within each perspective, which is illustrated through a constructed analysis model. To conclude, this study has contributed with guidelines regarding possible strategies a traditional car rental company could implement in order to transform its business to become a MSP.

Inspiration The project explores the possibility of using the car as a social communication space, providing an opportunity for users to make more new friends during their daily commute. With the popularization of mobile media, nowadays people are more and more like to communicate with people on social platforms, and virtual network social needs have been deeply rooted in people’s daily life, so how to use technology to help people walk out from this small screen is the initial motivation of the project.Everyone stays inside their vehicle and even if they are close, they rarely have the opportunity to communicate with people next to them. The car looks like a closed moving box where everyone hides inside. The project takes this as a starting point to consider how to break this status and provide users with an opportunity to express themselves and find friends on the daily commute. Therefore, the author believes that the car, as a personal mobile space, can also be turned into a social platform with the help of technology. Process During the design process, the author divides the whole project into two parts for thinking. On the one hand, the author has been thinking about how to provide a more interesting way of socializing in a limited space like a car, just like using social software, users can pay attention to the interesting people passing by and have the opportunity to have face-to-face communication. On the other hand, in the whole process, users can use a more abstract Avatar to show their characteristics or hobbies, as well as protect their privacy. The author combines these two core issues, and after the process of research, ideation, and sketch, the entire interior frame is determined on the 3D software, after which the final design is obtained. Result The final result is the ZEEKR 00+, a small two-seater electric car, which encourages users to actively express themselves on a daily car journey and make more friends in the real world. The core circular rotating structure of the cockpit can achieve the discovery, communication, and interaction process between users. With this as the core, the author also designed a series of related visual images, creating a new concept of the car as a personalized and social communication space in the future.1

Seeking a valuable and relevant topic for the future of mobility. the author came across the pain point trust in relation to artificial intelligence. Advances in the creation of artificial intelligence and deep learning ensure that our everyday lives are increasingly shaped by algorithms, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously.For many people, this idea causes discomfort, and especially in situations of one‘s own vulnerability, the question of how an AI will handle more responsible tasks in the future will be essential. The automotive industry will also be shaped by this issue. In the intelligent car of the future, people will at least partially relinquish both control and privacy. Autonomous driving will be a test of trust for future users, as will the question of digital ethics and the collection of private data. In this thesis, a possible answer to the question was explored, how we can shape the approach and interaction with technology - especially artificial intelligence - in the future in order to create trustf uluser experiences. For this purpose, beyond the formal-aesthetic elaboration, the main focus was on interactive solutions and communication with AI, how an AI behaves in the vehicle and how it can contribute to making users feel comfortable in such a context. BMW Me&AI describes a scenario in which potential customers get to know an intelligent vehicle for the first time and are carefully introduced to its processes and possibilities. Inspired by soft robotics, the presented interior design is mainly defined by a holistic concept of soft interaction surfaces. Three basic scenarios are described in which passengers have the freedom to either look over AI‘s shoulder, sit back and focus on other things, or be completely on their own. This created a result that became unique in its dynamics and degree of adaptability and posed a real challenge, especially for the creative process, which in retrospect clearly paid off.

INSPIRATION The project is inspired by the deliberation on the significance of the vehicle’s physical movement in the future. Traditional transportation is committed to delivering people to destinations faster and more efficiently, which is a purpose-oriented result. However, with the impact of digital technology development, virtual moving (VR travel, remote work, online shopping) seems to be able to replace the need of achieving the destination physically. So, the author believes that the significance of future physical moving should pay more attention to the process, and the future vehicles are supposed to be passengers emotion-centered.The “trapped citizens” problem also inspired the author. Many citizens (including the author) in Chinese big cities suffer a full-speed regular but boring unhealthy lifestyle. They have a strong desire to travel and experience new things, but the city and their work become the border trapped them.The project aims to explore easy access to anywhere travel. And figure out how can the RV design help users enjoy more “on-road” happiness. And how to decrease the burden for both users and the environment. PROCESS Since TOYOTA is an innovative and considerate brand, which can explore new ground and aim to produce happiness for all. The author spent a lot of time on the exploration and verification of the project. After the first research and examination of relevant topics, the author planned a self-driving RV travel, so the results were further developed and worked out. The system of concept that takes place is defined in more detail based on further investigations such as scenario, benchmark, and target users. The project includes exterior design and UX design but concentrates more on interior design. In addition, an insight into the inspiration and the process of aesthetic design is described and illustrated in anime-style sketches and renderings. Then further development in 3D and VR verification was shown up in the final digital model. RESULT The result is TOYOTA QUARTER-SPEED (0.25X), which aims to explore a future shared RV service for Chinese citizens to slow down and enjoy the happiness which focuses more on the on-road journey instead of the destination. TOYOTA 0.25X system can provide a lightweight journey for citizens. The user can book the customized interior, furniture, electric appliances, and food through the app. And TOYOTA plays the role of energy supply and waste recycling. Mostly the vehicle is for short-term rent, but it also has the possibility to become a long-term motel. The TOYOTA 0.25X vehicle achieves waste-free, introduces the nature inside, and has a more compact dimension. The interior creates a quiet and peaceful atmosphere which can leave time for passengers to find happiness and connect to the world.This time no need to hurry, just slow down and enjoy the on-road happiness.

This study concerns paratransit service in a relatively small municipality in Sweden. The aim of this study is to describe the user's experience of paratransit service. The question formulation is mainly built around the user's experience of paratransit service and their view on what impact paratransit service has on their lives. The empirical data consists of ten interviews with ten different paratransit service users with ages ranging from 25-95 years. The data has mainly been analyzed through concepts of independence, empowerment and trust.The result of this study shows that paratransit service in many ways can be described as a crucial part of the users' lives. The result also shows that paratransit service generates a sense of independence in many ways, enabling the user to carry on with their daily lives, visit friends, work etc. In this way paratransit service can be understood in terms of empowerment as a way to prevent social isolation. At the same time the user is dependent on the rules of the paratransit service organization mainly because there are no other options of transportation for the user. The user's relationship with the paratransit service raises several questions concerning trust. The question of trust mainly relates to the relationship between the user and the driver. The study shows that trust is a key factor for the user's feeling of security.