User-focused approach: clear feedback, intuitive operation, and genuine acceptance – from the initial idea to the final concept.
Design Thinking for Intuitive Vehicle Functions and HMI
Through design thinking studies, we develop vehicle functions and HMI concepts that are understandable, transparent, and user-centered from the very beginning. Early feedback, creative ideation, and practical testing ensure that users value the functions, operate them intuitively, and trust them.
- Does your HMI concept (Human–Machine Interface) present functionalities in a misleading way?
- Is the technology in your vehicle being operated incorrectly?
- Are you familiar with the cultural and market-specific requirements of your target market?
Based on our experience, the development of HMI systems often does not seamlessly align with function development. As a result, customers may fail to properly understand a function due to inconsistent representation in the HMI and may therefore deactivate it. Our studies have shown that a well-designed HMI significantly improves the perception and evaluation of the overall driving function. We have found that HMI requirements can always be directly derived from the function itself. Customers need clear and comprehensible feedback on what a function is currently doing or intends to do.
The subjective evaluation of a function should always include the perception of the associated HMI. A design thinking study then enables customers to develop their own ideas and impressions in a creative environment and actively contribute them to the development process.
People at the Center of Every Development Decision
Design thinking is more than just a development method – it is a mindset that consistently puts people at the center of every development decision. In vehicle development, this creates a bridge between technology, design, and the user experience. Whether designing intuitive human–machine interfaces (HMI) or developing holistic vehicle concepts, we rely on interdisciplinary teams. Engineers, designers, software developers, market researchers, and end users work hand in hand on creative and user-centered solutions. Scaled models and interactive mock-ups help identify weaknesses early and implement improvements.
Why Design Thinking Is Crucial
- Early user feedback on concepts and HMI designs: Design thinking integrates the user perspective from the earliest stages of development. Concepts, functions, and HMI designs are evaluated before decisions are finalized.
- Identification of user needs and pain points: By analyzing real-life usage scenarios, specific requirements, expectations, and user pain points become visible and can be addressed in a targeted manner.
- Collaborative development of functions and interaction logic: Users, developers, designers, and other disciplines work together on intuitive and transparent solutions, treating function and HMI as a unified system.
- Complementary or alternative to traditional user studies: Design thinking studies can be flexibly integrated into existing development processes and provide a structured framework for ideation, concept evaluation, and early prototype testing.
Would you like to develop vehicle functions and HMI concepts that users truly understand, value, and operate intuitively?
Then let’s take the next step together. Contact us for a no-obligation conversation – we’ll show you how design thinking enables creative solutions, makes user needs visible, and sustainably improves your next vehicle generation.