Mahindra

Dashboard HMI

Creating digital HMI for next generation of EV cars.

Mahindra

Client

Lead designer

Role

Automotive

Segment

Mahindra partnered with ICONINCAR for their BE initiative, a new lineup of electric vehicles spearheading the company's new direction. Their goal was to become the premier EV brand in India, for which they needed a rich and modern cockpit experience.

I was called in to be part of the initial team responsible for discovery and establishing concepts and principles. Later, I continued as the UX lead and contributed to the production phase.

I was joined by another senior designer and a researcher. Together, we were on a mission to gather all possible information about this project. I traveled to ICON's Munich office, where we were visited by representatives from Mahindra. We organized a series of interviews and workshops to dig for key information, request documentation, and ask the hard questions.

It all started with...

Client's vision
Brand values
In-depth understanding of what BE initiative is
Study about Mahindra's customers
Hardware set up
Technical documentation
Feature list
Cross-cultural study on India
Plan for next steps
Good start into the project

At the end we were left with:

Based on the information we gathered, we worked together to develop a coherent concept that we could expand upon. First, we identified key concepts that needed to be defined: Home screen, App architecture, Driving modes, and Information architecture.

My focus was on defining the app architecture, determining how users would navigate and where each feature would be located.

Capturing concept

The biggest challenge was tackling the home screen and deciding on the philosophy we wanted to adopt. I designed a widget hub that served as the centerpiece.

Finally, I conducted a study on reachability and touch zones to determine how drivers would be able to interact while driving.

Touchability zones

Physical HMI

We established a solid base to build the system on, and our team grew to up to 10 designers working on various aspects. I took the lead on the infotainment screen, managing all aspects of the design.

At the start, we organized our process, set up checklists, and ensured all the necessities were in place to run a smooth operation.

After that, we entered into a routine production mode where I was mostly tasked with ensuring everything ran smoothly. This included distributing tasks, presenting to the client, making decisions, providing feedback, and ensuring alignment between screens.