Primary Research

For my primary research I started off with observation. The first observation location I went to was The Germain Honda of Dublin. I went here as a group with my Honda capstone members and the reason we went here is because we felt like as students we would be able to get into different Honda cars and have real experience looking into them.

Once we got there we were greeted by a salesmen. We asked him what the main family cars he would sell to families were and he told us the Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot and the Honda Passport were the cars he would put families into.

The first interior we looked at was the Honda Odyssey. Lots of space and leg room, many features, seats recline fully, and the third row was tight. Sitting in The Honda Odyssey was overall very comfortable. I can see why this is a very popular family car. It feels robust, premium and safe. Something we noticed is that there were a lot of cup holders. That was something that stood out to us for some reason.

The next car interior we looked at was the Honda Pilot. This felt like a shrunken version of the Odyssey. There was less room, fewer features but there still was a third row. Seats were very comfortable and the black interior with white accents made it feel very comfortable. There was a lot of storage behind the chairs and we felt like the ergonomics of the chairs were very comfortable.

Next we looked at the Honda Passport. This car did not have a third row and it felt a little more spacious then the pilot. This would suit a family of 4-5 very well with a big trunk and a good amount of room. Seats were very comfortable, had enough leg room and there were a bunch of features.

Features

Going into the front seat features, I noticed there being screens in every car. It felt very mandatory that there had to be screen in these cars. I also noticed a lot of buttons on the center area ranging from front seat controls, audio, temperature and back seat temperature. Noticed a lot of charging ports and ever wireless chargers.

Some back seat features I noticed were screens(only in the Odyssey) sun screens, and backseat air controls. This is important for feeling comfortable on long car rides.

I also noticed that the seats were only used for storage and not many other features. I wonder why they don't have screens or any lighting on them?

This research was valuable to me because I felt like experiencing these backseats and seeing them in person gives me a better perspective of what I can imagine being inside a car. We looked at all new models of these cars and we saw the most up to date features. It's interesting that AI isn't integrated into these cars yet and I'm surprised to not see more screens in the back.

Conversation

After my survey, I was able to have a conversation with a mother of three. Rather than a formal interview I wanted this to be an open discussion. I had a loose outline but let the conversation flow naturally. She is 32 years old and has three children ages 3, 6, and 12. This conversation was particularly valuable because she shared specific insights about each child rather than speaking in generalities.

She described the main challenge in the backseat as sibling conflicts with the children often feeding off each other’s frustration. She has tried giving them toys and separating them but this approach rarely worked for her. Recently she upgraded to a three row vehicle to provide more personal space which she said helped reduce arguments and fights.

One thing she noted was that each child has different needs and preferences. One enjoys Peppa Pig, another likes Paw Patrol, and the oldest plays Roblox. To manage entertainment she uses different strategies for each child but to manage calm she relies on common methods like playing the same music, offering snacks, coloring books and takes away screens. She noted that while digitally they enjoy different things they often influence each other to settle down when trying to calm down together.

I asked about lighting in her car, and she mentioned that her vehicle didn’t have ambient lighting or any feature specifically designed to calm. However, she said she would be open to using something like that if it were available. I also asked about integrated systems within the car that could help with calming. She expressed some hesitation saying that she would want a system that could “grow” with her children rather than offering the same experience repeatedly. She mentioned that if such a system could update or provide variations based on age, she might consider it. She also emphasized that she would need evidence that it actually works before adding it to a car which is already a significant investment.

This conversation was particularly helpful because it offered detailed, real world perspectives that a survey alone couldn’t capture. Hearing about the mother’s specific strategies for each child and the challenges of sibling interactions provided insights into the backseat behavior. It also highlighted practical considerations, such as the need for solutions that adapt as children grow and the importance of evidence that a system actually works before investing in it. This is definitely a consideration I will need to have going forward. One thing I wish I could have done was conduct more conversations and interviews. It was extremely difficult to find participants and I'm happy I was able to get this one. My next steps I'm going to consider are talking with my group mates and bring all our primary research together to find key insights and points.