SpyreStudios

Web Design and Development Magazine

  • Design
  • Resources
  • Showcase
  • Inspirational
  • Tutorials
  • CSS
  • Resources
  • Tools
  • UX
  • More
    • Mobile
    • Usability
    • HTML5
    • Business
    • Freebies
    • Giveaway
    • About SpyreStudios
    • Advertise On SpyreStudios
    • Get In Touch With Us

New Opportunities for Graphic Designers in the Automotive World: UX Design

August 29, 2020 by Spyre Studios

For much of the history of the automotive industry, the role of the graphic designer was relegated to designing slick brochures after the cars were already built. This is changing.

In the past, cars were machines that were powered only by hardware. Some of them were really, really, really cool machines, but they were still pretty simple by today’s car standards. 

Now, while cars rolling off the production floor are still machines built with hardware, they are also electronic devices that are partly controlled or supported by software. In 2010, vehicles had about 10 million software lines of code, and they have at least 150 million now. All of that software is accessed by someone–whether it’s the car’s driver or the car’s mechanic. 

Up until now, little thought has been given to the UX design of the interfaces for these systems. But don’t expect UX design to stay in the… er, the backseat. 

UX Design in Automotive Touch Screens

Vehicles in decades past had switches, buttons, and knobs to control the radio, windows, air conditioning, heating, and so on. While some vehicles still have a few buttons and knobs, more and more are asking drivers to use a touch screen.

And unfortunately, in most automobiles, the touch screen experience has been ghastly. It’s as though car manufacturers are not hiring qualified graphic/UX designers to create these systems; everything looks like it was made in the 1990s. Read Jacky Li’s article, “Why touchscreens in cars don’t work” to see a product designer’s take on automobile touch screen user experience.  

UX Design in Automotive-Related Apps

Many newer vehicles have apps; these vary based on the manufacturer. There are apps that allow owners to lock or unlock the vehicle from a smartphone, and apps for remote starting. In some vehicles with navigation systems, there are connected apps that can send navigation data from a phone to the car’s system. 

Real-time diagnostics for a growing sector of the app field; for example, a user may be able to check tire pressure from an app. Some vehicle makers include Wi-Fi and hotspot capabilities in cars. A useful app for people who forget where they park in large lots or structures is a vehicle locator. This type of app connects to the car to show its location and guide the user back to it.

All of these useful apps present a growing opportunity for graphic designers–especially those with UX design experience.

UX Design in Vehicular Operating Systems

Since vehicles today have their own computer systems, they also have operating systems. Ford, Kia, and several other brands use a form of Windows operating system that is designed specifically for automotive applications. The operating system is customized to solely support the features of the vehicle. 

As another example, many automobiles have in-vehicle infotainment systems (IVIs). The IVIs are responsible for all audio and video applications, and if there are digital screens for rear passengers, the IVI supports that. 

When was the last time that you tried to watch a DVD in a minivan or SUV? Chances are, you hated the graphical interface. However, the car-buying population has now been using slick phone UIs for a lifetime, so we can expect a growing need for better UX design in these systems.

UX Design in the Electric Vehicle Field

Finally, at least the electric car field is getting some UX design love. For drivers of electric cars, there are plenty of apps that connect features of the vehicle to the end-user. For example, a level 2 charging station by Enel X comes with an app to remotely monitor recharge. Everything about this app is uncluttered, easy-to-understand, and user-friendly. The Tesla dashboard is another shining example. While it may not look like Steve Jobs designed it, that may not necessarily be a bad thing. 

Electric automobiles are already a field of forward-thinking innovation. When you think of Tesla, you probably think of it as more of a tech company and less like the big automotive companies such as Ford or Chevy–and rightly so. The rest of the industry will soon begin to turn to companies like Tesla and Enel X for inspiration, creating more and more opportunities to showcase top-level UX design.

Filed Under: UX Tagged With: automotive world, graphic design, ux design

Recent Posts

  • How to Choose a Stunning Font Package for Your Brand
  • 31 Fresh Design Elements for Spring and Easter
  • 10 Templates for Music Concert Flyers
  • How to Build a Web Scraper Using Node.js
  • Best PHP Books, Courses and Tutorials in 2022

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008

Categories

  • Accessibility
  • Android
  • Apps
  • Art
  • Article
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • Bootstrap
  • Business
  • CSS
  • Design
  • Development
  • Ecommerce
  • Fireworks
  • Flash
  • Freebies
  • Freelance
  • General
  • Giveaway
  • Graphic Design
  • HTML5
  • Icons
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • Infographics
  • Inspirational
  • Interview
  • Jobs
  • jQuery
  • Learning
  • Logos
  • Matrix
  • Minimalism
  • Mobile
  • Motion Graphics
  • Music
  • News
  • Photoshop
  • PHP
  • Promoted
  • Rails
  • Resources
  • Showcase
  • Tools
  • Tutorial
  • Twitter
  • Typography
  • Uncategorized
  • Usability
  • UX
  • Wallpapers
  • Wireframing
  • WordPress
  • Work

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

SpyreStudios © 2022