AT&T
In-Vehicle Advertising Platform
Design for a first-generation advertising platform on connected-car displays, where the audience's attention legitimately belongs to the road.
Context
As part of my advertising design work, I pioneered design solutions for AT&T on a first-generation in-vehicle advertising platform. There was no established pattern library for the category: the visual rules had to be invented, not adapted.
The constraints
A car is the most demanding interface context there is. The person in front of the display has a more important job than looking at it. Content has to be understood in a glance, work in direct sunlight and at night, and never compete with the road for attention.
Approach
- Glanceability over density. High-contrast layouts, generous type, and a single idea per screen.
- Restrained motion. Minimal animation, so nothing on the display pulls the eye unexpectedly.
- Designing from the edge case in. Starting from the hardest conditions (bright light, a moving vehicle, a split-second look) and working back toward the ideal case.
Outcome
The project produced first-generation design solutions for a new advertising category, where there were no existing conventions to follow.