While traveling recently, I noticed something interesting about a car’s infotainment screen, a simple screen interface that reveals a lot about UX design for attention-critical contexts like driving. 1. If we divide the screen into four equal parts, the top-right and bottom-right quadrants are the most accessible while driving. That’s where frequently used actions like changing stations or adjusting volume should ideally be placed. Information that’s static or less frequently used (like the mode or logo) can live comfortably on the left side. 2. FM station details repeated multiple times. Repetition may seem harmless, but on a moving interface, it splits visual attention and makes it harder for the driver to find the one key piece of info that matters: the active station. 3. Terms like BSM or PS might make sense to engineers, but not necessarily to users. When you’re driving, you don’t want to decode, you want to recognize instantly. Replacing abbreviations with action-oriented labels like “Auto Tune” or “Station Info” would make the experience much more intuitive. Good automotive UX isn’t about aesthetics alone, it’s about minimizing cognitive load and ensuring every interaction is reachable, readable, and recognizable. Toyota Motor Corporation

Why do cars still need physical controls? We keep putting giant screens in cars, but they often make the simple parts of driving slower and more distracting. A touch panel looks modern in a promo video, yet it turns a quick action into a search task. The goal is not to go back in time. It is to work with the way people actually feel and react while driving (and how they actually want to use an interface). Some actions are easier when they are in your hands. A dial you can feel without looking gives comfort and control that a glossy screen cannot match. Good car UX is not about how big the screen is. Let screens handle maps and media, and leave core functions to stay tactile and instinctive. When the interaction feels natural, the car feels safer and (if you ask me) is more fun to drive. Photo by Martin Katler on Unsplash

Witnessed a creative workaround by a friend—when their car’s touchscreen stopped responding, they used a mouse to control the infotainment system! This is a classic case of users adapting creatively when design or hardware fails. It made me reflect on the tension between digital innovation and practical usability, especially in automotive interfaces. When touchscreens break, does the fallback encourage or hinder safe, intuitive interactions? Are we designing primarily for ideal scenarios, or do we anticipate the everyday glitches and offer contingency paths? Key UX takeaways: 1. Accessibility and fallback mechanisms: Reliable physical controls, voice, or alternate input methods ensure continued usability when digital interfaces fail. 2.User adaptation: People find ways to overcome limitations—sometimes in ways designers never expected. How can we design for such resilience and creativity? 3. Safety and distraction: Non-standard input (like a mouse) might solve the immediate problem, but increases distraction and risk—highlighting the need for human-centered design in cars. #UXDesign #AutomotiveUX #UserBehavior #DigitalFallbacks #HumanCenteredDesign

Now, this isn’t a post about cars. It’s about how good design hides in plain sight. The first thing I noticed when i drove skoda kylaq? The lock/unlock button wasn’t where it usually is, tucked awkwardly on the driver’s door beside the window and mirror controls. Instead, it sat right in the center console, near the AC and display. A clear lock/unlock icon. A tiny light indicator that shows whether the car is locked or not. Simple. Subtle. Yet brilliantly thoughtful. In my old car, that button was always in the shadows. I knew where it was out of habit, but my dad? He never could. He’d fumble around, trying to find it in the dark, never sure if the doors were actually locked. And honestly, that’s such a small thing, right? Except it’s not. It’s UX, the kind you feel, not just see. It’s the empathy of a design team thinking: “What if someone else is driving? What if it’s dark? What if we made this easier for everyone?” UX isn’t confined to screens or wireframes. It’s in cars, doors, coffee machines, and metro ticket scanners. It’s everywhere, quietly shaping how we interact with the world. So next time you come across something that just feels right, pause and notice. Someone designed that moment for you. #UXDesign #DesignThinking #UserExperience #ProductDesign #EmpathyInDesign #HumanCenteredDesign

Hyundai Motor Group’s new ‘UX Studio Seoul’ is an open research platform that allows users to help shape the direction of future mobility – which is exactly what 12 content creators got to experience recently as part of Hyundai’s ‘See the Future’ event.   From infotainment systems to convenience features and an immersive six-axis driving simulator featuring a 191-degree curved screen, customer feedback from UX Studio informs future innovation.   Search Hyundai Media_Hub for more. #Hyundai #SeetheFuturewithHyundai2025 #SeetheFuture2025 #HyundaiMediaHub #UXStudio #SDV #FutureMobility

Polestar becomes the first automotive brand to bring Google Maps’ new live lane guidance directly into the driver display. This upgrade, coming to Polestar 4, helps drivers stay on course, particularly on complex highway interchanges and during peak-hour traffic.   The system uses the forward-facing camera to read lane markings and road signs, using Google’s advanced AI in the vehicle determining the car’s precise lane position. Google Maps then translates this into real-time guidance on the 10.2-inch driver display.   A natural step in our driver-centric UX strategy, live lane guidance makes navigation feel calmer, clearer, and more intuitive.   “Polestar’s collaboration with Google has delivered many new features for Polestar owners. Live lane guidance continues the path of Polestar’s driver-centric UX strategy, reducing driver stress and improving safety,” Sid Odedra, Head of UI/UX, Polestar.

Part 2 is here! 🚙 Our HMI/UX subteam leads continue to share how thoughtful design, research, and engineering come together to elevate the driver experience in our EcoCAR project. Their dedication to user-centered design is shaping the way people connect with technology behind the wheel. #EcoCARChallenge #HMI #UXDesign

Excited to introduce the HMI/UX subteam leads from the Embry-Riddle & Bethune-Cookman EcoCAR Challenge team! This talented group is leading efforts to design intuitive, user-focused interfaces that enhance driver interaction and accessibility within our vehicle. Their work bridges engineering, design, and innovation, helping build the future of automotives. Stay tuned for Part 2 as we highlight more of their insights! 🚗💡 #EcoCARChallenge #HMI #UXDesign

No Buttons, No 5-Star Rating — Says Euro NCAP! Looks like the industry is finally acknowledging that good UX = safety, not screens. Starting Jan 2026, Euro NCAP will penalize cars that rely solely on touchscreens. If your horn, indicators, or wipers don’t have physical buttons, say goodbye to that 5-star safety rating. And honestly… I’m glad they did it. Because design isn’t just about minimalism, it’s about human experience. The most “modern” UI isn’t always the most usable. In one study, drivers took 23 seconds to complete a simple task via touchscreen, that’s half a kilometre with eyes off the road. At MFable, we’ve always believed great design isn’t about removing everything, it’s about keeping what truly matters. Touchscreens may look sleek, but when they slow down human response, form starts failing function. Physical buttons give drivers what screens can’t — tactile assurance, instant control, and focus on the road. Because in UX, simplicity isn’t just about visuals — it’s about safety, clarity, and trust. The future of car design isn’t screen-less, it’s human-first! #UXDesign #AutomotiveUX #ProductDesign #SafetyByDesign #HumanCenteredDesign #Mfable

The vehicle cockpit's display configuration and implied benefit has shifted from being realised by just “more screens” to smarter displays, sleek surfaces and tactile controls. The emerging stack for safety-first is: transparent displays and HUDs for information displayed while looking-ahead is being combined with intuitive tactile controls on multi-function steering wheels, with voice control for eyes-free and hands-free task control— the result delivers a calmer, more intuitive environment and less stress - equaling increased safety. HMI and UX experts have called our HoloFlekt film manufacturing platform and end product a “blank canvas”— with the display there when you need it, and invisible when you don’t need to display anything so you can enjoy the drive and the view - This is information on demand and delivered in a non-distractive manner—meaning drivers aren’t forced to look down and to fish through menus with fingers or hand gestures. The future isn't any more bigger touchscreen displays across the cabin; it’s transparent displays - there when you need them and invisible when you don't! It's called shy tech and Ceres make it possible for cockpit displays. #UX #HMI #AutomotiveDesign #HUD #transparentdisplay #shytech