Field Study Honda R&D Driver’s Training
Product testing at Honda R&D meant lots of wheel time cataloguing metrics like acceleration, handling, ride quality, and NVH of Honda, Acura, and competitor cars. Not too shabby for an internship experience! However, there was a challenge - what was the best way to make sure everyone was ready to safely hit the road? Thrown the keys to a lively Honda Fit Sport, I conducted a feasibility study on Tire Rack’s Street Survival driver’s training program in San Diego to see if it offered the team a solution.
Problem
The R&D team was a mix of product planners and engineers, meaning driving experience was varied and inconsistent across the department.
Interns, contractors, and new hires needed training to safely conduct on-road product evaluations of vehicles in the testing fleet.
It was unclear how effective third-party driver’s training programs were and if they could address our team’s unique needs.
Questions
What does the driving instruction look like and could the content be efficacious in building driver skills?
Is the program suitable for employees like interns and contractors who may come in with less driving experience?
Who participates in the program, what do they drive, and what are their impressions of the program?
Primary Methods
Direct Observation
Initiating conversations with participants and asking them what they thought of the program.
Tracking if classroom lessons matched the driving exercises that followed.
Discovery Interviews
Interview with a driving instructor to understand the general demographics, background, and expertise of staff.
Video Recordings
Documenting driving exercises to gauge effectiveness of defensive and performance driver’s training exercises.
Slalom Driving Exercises
Emergency Lane Change Exercises
Key Takeaways
The program rotated classroom instruction with guided driving exercises in simulated conditions.
The classroom and driving content emphasized safety fundamentals over performance driving.
Instructors were knowledgable car enthusiasts with automotive backgrounds.
Attendees were mostly new drivers and expressed excitement to be in attendance.
The program added value to Honda R&D’s training practices due to its focus on essential roadholding maneuvers - safety lessons important for younger and less experienced team members that were missing during informal drives with engineers.
The program could be a potentially rich source of survey data, particularly with young drivers and parent demographics.
Resources