Extending a Vehicle Safety Platform Into Wearables
The vehicle was only one entry point into a bigger platform. Building on hardware already on the market was a faster way to explore it.
Company
General Motors
Role
Lead Designer, Advanced Design Group, solo initiative (Employee)
Context
GM's in-vehicle AR vision depended on its own display hardware maturing. I wanted to explore whether existing wearables could get there sooner.
After Rhea, I proposed a next chapter: take the same safety identity and bring it to the person, not just the dashboard. Wearable AR was gaining momentum, with Meta's smart glasses on the market and Apple's Vision Pro on the way, and GM had something none of those companies did: people already trusted OnStar with their safety
Insight
GM's in-vehicle displays were still maturing toward what a full AR experience needed. One path was to keep advancing GM's own HUD technology and build the vision once it arrived. But a meaningful share of the audience already owned hardware that could support it.
So I proposed designing for the wearables that already existed, letting OnStar support mobility and safety wherever someone traveled, on foot as much as behind the wheel.
Decision
GM chose to keep building its own in-vehicle HUD technology, and to pursue its own wearable hardware rather than design experiences for eyewear it didn't make. I understood the reasoning. Owning the hardware protects a business long term, and designing for someone else's devices means competing in a category led by companies whose whole business is that hardware.
I made the case for building on existing hardware because I saw the OnStar identity extending beyond the vehicle. Leadership made a different, reasonable call: don't enter a new hardware category before you know you can compete in it.
Outcome
This one stayed a concept, and GM continued investing in its own hardware roadmap. It taught me something I hadn't fully weighed on Rhea: an idea also has to make sense in terms of what it costs to own and whether the organization is ready to compete in a new space.
Navigation
Basic Navigation
Safe Routes
Haptic Nudge & Course Correct
Connectivity
Community
Guardian
Autonomous Vehicle Control
Interior AR
Immersive Experiences
AR HUD
Exterior AR
Vehicle Notification
Virtual Security
Night Vision
NFT Purchasing Experience
Safety
Good Samaritan
Accessibility Assist