Context-Driven Interaction
The UI had to remain rock-solid and intuitive while driving on rough terrain, where precise touch targets and clear visual hierarchy are non-negotiable.
Automotive UX
Off-Road Cockpit HMI: Modular CID & Hardware Validation
Designing a modular multi-display cockpit system that balances personalization, safety, and seamless physical-digital interaction.
- Modular dual-rail CID: center focus, tools on the edges.
- Validated reach and glance in real hardware setups.
- Clear driver vs. passenger ownership in a shared cabin.
- Foundational HMI direction for series work (under NDA).
Client
Volkswagen
Duration
4 months
Role
UI Designer
Tools
Figma
Disclaimer
Due to NDA restrictions, this case study mostly uses official press images, as working files like Figma and internal process documents could not be shown.
01. Challenge
Defining a New UI for the Off-Road Experience
The challenge: in-car UI for Scout—Volkswagen’s revived off-road SUV—that holds up on trail and on longer stops, stays safe and glanceable with a moving cabin, and reads as a coherent outdoor-adventure brand across the main displays.
Business impact goals
01
Keep deep personalization available without raising cognitive load while driving.
02
Balance physical controls and touch where safety and trail context allow.
03
Align HUD, Driver Display, and CID on one coherent interaction model.
02. Research
Research: solution intent & north-star goals
These three principles carried from problem framing into research as the non-negotiable outcomes the concept had to satisfy.
Modular Versatility
I needed to integrate complex off-road telemetry and tools (maps, vehicle pitch, media) into a flexible layout that could adapt to the driver’s immediate needs.
The Shared Cabin
As a vehicle for adventure, the experience had to be shared. I explored how to distribute control between the driver and passenger, ensuring the cockpit felt like a collaborative mission control.
Process Outcomes
Faster Decision-Making
Structured sprint reviews reduced ambiguity and accelerated UX alignment across disciplines.
Use-Case Driven Prioritization
Micro-workshops sharpened which interactions must be immediate, safe, and glanceable while driving.
03. Process
Co-Creation & Concept Sprints
I combined fast daily design-and-feedback loops with small discovery and design-thinking workshops that rotated the brief each time—so I could pressure-test shared-cabin moments, trail motion, and heritage cues in parallel without getting stuck on a single story. The image cards below show how those pressures showed up in concrete explorations.
How we worked
Daily critique loops
Short cycles with UX, UI, HMI, and engineering—concepts went up early and feedback returned the same day, tied to hardware and safety reality.
Discovery & DT workshops
Compact sessions with rotating questions and use cases so each pass stressed different cabin, motion, and brand-readability demands instead of defaulting to one storyline.
Off Road
Rough-surface driving: maximum glanceability, resilient targets, and telemetry that stays readable when the cabin is in motion.
Camping
The vehicle as basecamp: longer stops, shared screens, climate and power-aware flows that feel calm rather than dashboard-busy.
Retro
Brand heritage cues: a deliberate mix of tactile control expectations and modern digital surfaces—nostalgic tone without dated usability.
04. Architecture
System Architecture & Interaction Logic
My work focused on the Central Information Display (CID), building upon the established visual language of the driver’s cockpit. I conceptualized a modular dual-rail system to expand the CID’s functionality for off-road use without disrupting the overall interior harmony.
I explored a twin-widget architecture that keeps the middle of the CID free for the main task while left and right rails surface supporting tools on demand: double widgets allow simultaneous access on both sides, vertical swiping enables fast switching within a rail, and collapsing widgets into slim handles creates display space without removing quick access.
Double widgets
Widgets can live on both the left and right edge so supporting information stays available without taking over the center screen.
Vertical swipe
Within a rail, vertical swiping allows a fast switch between widgets instead of forcing deep navigation or full mode changes.
Hide / show
Widgets can be hidden to create more room on the display, but remain instantly reachable as slim edge handles.
05. Validation
Physical prototyping & ergonomic testing
To move beyond desktop assumptions, I tested the interfaces in physical in-car prototype setups. That made it possible to validate interaction feasibility in realistic postures and movement conditions.
Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Setup
Real steering wheel integration · Adjustable display mount configurations · Alternative physical button mappings · Task timing and glance behavior checks
Validation Focus
Ergonomic Reach & Targeting
Interaction zones were iterated with Fitt's Law in mind to reduce movement effort and improve confidence while driving.
Eyes-on-Road Priority
Flows were refined to minimize eye distraction by reducing deep menu dependencies and increasing glanceable status feedback.
Physical-Digital Consistency
Button mappings and touch interactions were aligned so behavior remained predictable across modalities.
06. Ownership
Defining power dynamics in a shared cabin.
Who gets to touch what?
In a shared off-road mission, control is a safety factor. I explored a permission framework that separates critical driving functions from passenger comfort.
Driver
- Exclusive control over off-road telemetry such as pitch and roll.
- HUD configuration and glance-critical driving information stay driver-owned.
- Safety-critical settings remain exclusively on the driver side.
Passenger
- Modular control over media without distracting the pilot.
- Cabin environment controls and shared charging points stay accessible for the passenger.
- No access to vehicle driving parameters.
07. Outcome
From desk concepts to hardware-backed decisions
Time-boxed work on foundational HMI: widget rails, discovery modes, and shared-cabin governance—validated where assumptions break fastest: real hardware, not slides alone.
- Stress-tested flows in hardware-in-the-loop setups with steering hardware and adjustable displays.
- Tightened reach zones and glance-first flows for motion and off-road context.
- Framed driver vs. passenger ownership before stack maturity—safety stays accountable.
- Aligned a modular dual-rail direction with engineering constraints for later series development (under NDA).
Impact
Foundational interaction logic for a new vehicle class: modular dual-rail behavior, a legible hierarchy across displays, and ergonomic validation that supported later series work. NDA: final production UI and internal working files are not shown—this case reflects the conceptual north star, not shipped pixels.