Mercedes-Benz Vans Moving Goods Project
Exploring the Future of Cargo Delivery.
Role: Interaction Design Director, Client Relationship Lead
Related Services: Future Vision Work, Interaction Design
Overview
This collaboration explored the future of goods transportation through design thinking and rapid prototyping, helping shape the Mercedes-Benz adVANce initiative and lay the foundation for their Silicon Valley innovation lab.
Exploring the future of moving goods and building a design thinking culture.
By prototyping concepts like one-shot loading, driver prompting systems, and smart bins, the team validated key ideas early and influenced the final Van of the Future concept. Low-to-mid-fidelity experience prototypes helped align cross-functional stakeholders, speed decision-making, and demonstrate feasibility. The Mercedes-Benz Vans group ultimately implemented these concepts as a high-fidelity concept demonstrator.
Integrated warehouse loading systems were also explored to streamline logistics. These systems allowed deliveries to be staged while vehicles were en route, reducing idle time and improving delivery efficiency. Tailored loading solutions were developed for the Sprinter and Metris vans, supporting flexible last-mile delivery scenarios and future partnership opportunities. A central goal was to build prototyping fluency within the Mercedes-Benz Vans team. A year later, the impact was clear: a culture of experimentation and agile development had taken root at their new research lab in Silicon Valley.
From early concept sketches to rough prototypes the team shaped each aspect of the cargo Van of the Future vision including one-shot loading, driver prompting systems, and smart bins.
A high-fidelity appearance model accurately representing materials and product weight was used to assess fit and comfort for extended use throughout the day.
AdVANce videos and images: Mercedes-Benz Vans
