Automotive Navigation & Map Visualization Research Consultant

Our client is a leading location data and technology company powering navigation, mapping and location intelligence solutions across the automotive, mobility and enterprise industries. It works with many of the world's leading automotive manufacturers and technology companies to create next-generation navigation and mobility experiences.

Project Overview:

The Cartography Design team is seeking an experienced researcher or consultant to help us better understand how navigation guidance and map visualization are designed, experienced and communicated across the automotive ecosystem.

This engagement focuses on:

• Automotive navigation experiences;
• Lane-level guidance and HD lane visualization;
• In-vehicle map interfaces;
• Competitive benchmarking;
• Real-world driving validation;
• Knowledge collection and synthesis;

The goal is not academic research, but the creation of a practical and reusable foundation of insights, examples and comparison frameworks that can support future design decisions.

What We Want To Learn

Automotive navigation systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Modern solutions communicate:

• Route guidance;
• Lane guidance;
• Traffic situations;
• Vehicle positioning;
• Navigation intent;
• Driver attention priorities;

However, different providers take very different approaches.

We are interested in understanding:

• How competing systems visualize complex driving situations;
• How lane-level guidance is communicated;
• Which approaches reduce cognitive load;
• Which visual patterns work well in practice;
• Which approaches create confusion;
• How navigation experiences differ between desktop evaluations and real-world driving scenarios.

Example Questions

The engagement should help us answer questions such as:

• What does the driver actually need to focus on at a given moment?
• Which guidance patterns perform best in complex situations?
• How can lane-level information be communicated more clearly?
• What creates confidence versus distraction?
• Which competitors solve similar challenges particularly well?
• Where are opportunities for innovation?

Requirements:

We are interested in hearing from professionals with experience in one or more of the following areas:

- Research & Design

• UX Research;
• Design Research;
• Human Factors;
• Human Computer Interaction (HCI);
• Service Design Research;

- Mobility & Automotive

• Automotive UX;
• In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI);
• Navigation Systems;
• Driver Experience;
• Mobility Research;

- Visualization

• Information Visualization;
• Mapping Products;
• Geospatial Interfaces;
• Visual Systems Analysis;

- We value practical thinking, strong analytical skills and a structured approach to documenting and organizing complex information.

- Combination of remote work and occasional collaborative sessions is required (several days per month in Berlin office).

- Driver's license is required.

Responsibilities:

Competitive Benchmarking

- Analyze and compare automotive navigation products including:

• OEM solutions;
• Navigation providers;
• Mobility products;
• Emerging navigation experiences;

- Areas of interest include:

• Map display behavior;
• Navigation guidance;
• Camera transitions;
• Information hierarchy;
• Visual clarity;
• Driver attention support;
• Guidance timing.

HD Lane & Guidance Research

- Investigate approaches for:

• Lane-level visualization;
• Recommended lane concepts;
• Route highlighting approaches;
• Vehicle positioning;
• Highway guidance;
• Interchange and merge behavior;

- Document:

• Strengths;
• Weaknesses;
• Trade-offs;
• Opportunities.

Real-World Validation

- A key part of this engagement is moving beyond desktop analysis.

- Activities may include:

• Independent test drives;
• Joint research sessions with team members;
• Route-based scenario analysis;
• Recording and documenting navigation behavior in motion;

- We are particularly interested in:

• Highway journeys;
• Complex interchanges;
• Lane merges;
• Dense urban environments.

Repository & Knowledge Building

- Create and maintain a structured collection of:

• Screenshots;
• Videos;
• Session notes;
• Journey logs;
• Annotated examples;
• Benchmark references;

- The repository should be designed so that designers, product managers and researchers can quickly find relevant examples and patterns.

Insight Development

- Transform observations into actionable outputs such as:

• Benchmark reports;
• Comparison frameworks;
• Pattern libraries;
• Taxonomies;
• Visual summaries;
• Design opportunity recommendations.

What we offer:

• 22 days of annual leave per year + 3 paid sick leaves;
• Flexible working hours & hybrid work model;
• Permanent contract;
• Health Insurance (employee);
• Modern, well-equipped office in the centre of Porto;
• Intellias Communities (Tech, Language Clubs, Sports, Books, Parents);
• Coverflex benefits;
• Snacks and drinks at the office;
• Access to discount platform.