Reimagining Porsche’s
EV Cockpit
Defining the Future EV Experience
Defining the Future EV Experience
Design Role
UX Lead
Contribution
UX Leadership
Experience Strategy
Duration
Spring Quarter
10 Weeks
Team
Ilayda Ozcan
+ 28 Others
Tools
Figma
Linear
Overview
In a ten-week project to redefine the Porsche EV cockpit, our cohort collaborated across three dedicated teams: Physical Build, Interface Design, and Research & Systems. Our collective mission was to explore opportunities to enhance the driver experience and design a unified, intuitive digital interface for a future EV.
As UX Lead of the Research & Systems team, I guided our strategic approach. To fully immerse ourselves in this challenge, we framed our process around a new concept vehicle: the Porsche Enova. The following points detail my team's foundational contributions to this vision:
Evidence-building – Identifying pain points via competitive teardowns, safety tests, and ride-alongs.
Principle framing – Distilling research into core safety and brand-centric design principles.
Wireframe creation – produced and iterated low-, mid-, then research-validated wireframes for the instrument cluster and the infotainment display.
Ecosystem extension – Extending the new design language to the mobile app for ecosystem cohesion.
Systemization – Authoring two atomic design systems (In-Car & Mobile) for a scalable design handoff.
Designing with Purpose
We anchored our design process in four clear pillars, translating pain points into purposeful interactions for both visitors and support staff.
The Challenge
What Happens When a Racing Heritage Collides With the Autonomous EV Era?
Porsche challenged us to re-imagine the digital cockpit of its next-generation EVs—preserving the brand’s driver-first DNA while embracing radical leaps in autonomy, UX, and sustainability.
We responded by crafting a cohesive, future-ready ecosystem built on several key deliverables: a physical vehicle concept, a research-validated information architecture, a unified visual language for the in-car displays, an adaptive interface with four driving modes, and a redesigned My Porsche app to ensure a seamless experience across all platforms.
Porsche Taycan's Instrument Cluster
My Porsche App
Porsche Macan 4 Electric Infotainment
Original Porsche Ecosystem:
The Research
How Do Drivers—and Data—Expose an EV Cockpit’s Blind Spots?
Before sketching a single wireframe, we set out to explore where Porsche’s cockpit succeeds and where it fragments. We paired desk research with real-world feedback—looking forward to emerging EV behaviors while respecting Porsche’s legacy of focus and control. The outcome was a stack of tightly written reports and a validated information architecture that every later design decision rests on.
Expert & Competitive
Benchmarking
Domain ↓ / Brand → |
|---|
Navigation
Media
ADAS / Driving
Climate / Comfort
Charging / Range
Dual-screen map
Confusing menu, no wheel source switch.
Lower-display search, steering-wheel gaps, lag
Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music built-in
Consistent UI across services
Camera feed in cluster + strong warnings
Ambient-light BSM + HUD mirroring
Detailed Autosteer viz + lane-change prompts
EV routing present but no price data
Accurate charger status, waypoint filters
Routing exists but map lag & price gaps
Auto Supercharger routing + real-time stall status
Robust AR HUD + rich POI info
AR nav + clear map layers
Fast EV routing + Supercharger integration
Audi Q6 e-tron
Lucid Air
Mercedes EQS (S-Class)
Tesla Model S
Clear AR HUD feedback
Some menu depth & contrast issues
Sliders on lower screen; lag noted, deep menus
Small icons, clutter, touch-lag reported
Always-visible temp slider on main bar
Legend ● = robust, first-tier support ○ = missing / partial
EV HMI Teardowns
Integrated Feature Matrix
Across ten weeks we pulled evidence from every angle—market, drivers, screens, and data—so every later design choice stood on solid ground.
Methods:
The evidence is now on the table: where drivers struggle, what they crave, and which gaps Porsche can fill to out-pace its rivals. Armed with that playbook, we moved into design—rebuilding the information architecture, sketching and testing wireframes, and iterating until real users could complete key tasks faster, safer, and with that unmistakable Porsche thrill.
Real World Voices
Primary — Next-Gen Enthusiasts
Late-20s – early-40s drivers entering the Porsche world for the first time.
Secondary — Loyal Legacy Owners
Current Porsche owners in their 40s – 50s exploring an electric upgrade.
Tertiary — EV Switchers
Non-Porsche EV drivers (e.g., Tesla owners) that Porsche hopes will make the jump to its ecosystem.
Audiences Interviewed & Surveys Given to:
65% of users
under 35 want their EV to feel smart and connected.
71% of users
of loyal owners fear tech will interfere with the purity of driving.
30 Interviews
3 Surveys · 160+ Responses
Reddit/Forums UX Mining
Friction
Wish
Delight
≈ 54.3%
≈ 25.7%
≈ 20.0%
User-Reported Porsche EV UX Themes:
IA & Safety Validation
Card-Sort (Maze)
Highest user agreement on a single category for the 'Use Navigation' feature.
20%
2 cards
Core info like 'Battery Level' was placed into 8 different user-made groups
Insights
3 cards remaining
Top user-created category 'Home' showed only ~19% agreement on its content.
Features like 'Range Calculation Details' were
placed into 12 different user-created groups,
showing wide disagreement (~8% agreement).
Users suggested varied section labels, from
'Navigation' (~13% item agreement ) to unique
ideas like 'Energy Hub' (~8% item agreement ).
We ran a card sort to discover users' intuitive groupings for features, which directly informed the foundational structure of our information architecture.
IA Card Sort
Tree Tests (Maze)
Multiple Round Tree Test Insights
'Route Planning' highly successful in Tree Test 3, with 90% of users finding the correct screen.
'Dog Mode' findability jumped to 80% user success in Tree test 3 after IA changes, up from 36% in the initial test.
'Payment Options' findability soared from a low 27% to 80% user success after IA refinements in Tree Test 3.
Infotainment Tree Test
To ensure users could easily navigate our information architecture, we performed tree tests to assess the findability of key features.
System Audits
Rapid My Porsche App Audit
Assessed the My Porsche App's usability through direct feature walkthroughs and analysis of user video reviews.
App Store review analysis
Analyzed App Store reviews to identify and categorize common pain points directly from My Porsche App users.
Porsche EV Heuristic Evaluation
Conducted a hands-on heuristic evaluation of the Porsche EV infotainment systems directly at the Porsche Experience Center.
Users knew what they needed. Our job was to turn those insights into a kiosk experience that felt intuitive, accessible, and truly helpful.
Design & usability
How Can Design Turn Research Into a Glance-Safe Porsche EV Experience?
With our foundational research complete, the challenge shifted from insight to execution. This section details how we first translated our validated IA into a comprehensive set of wireframes for the in-car instrument cluster and PCM. Finally, we extended the new visual language from these wireframes to the My Porsche app and proved the gains of our unified design through live usability tests.
Information-Architecture Evolution
Our first step was to prove the effectiveness of our new IA. Through iterative tree testing, we transformed a confusing baseline architecture (36.4% direct hit rate) into a clear, validated structure with dramatically improved findability (84% direct hit rate).
Wireframe Evolution
With the validated IA as our blueprint, we designed the core screen layouts. The following wireframes for the Infotainment and Instrument Cluster systems define the foundational structure that was handed off for final high-fidelity execution.
After: The Validated IA
Before: The Initial IA
36.4%
Direct Hit Rate
Our baseline tree test showed significant user confusion, with most users unable to find features on the first try.
84%
Direct Hit Rate
The redesigned IA resulted in a +130% improvement in findability in our final Maze test.
50%
Depth Reduction
Settings menu depth was halved, making features easier to locate.
≤ 2
Taps
All driver-critical tasks were streamlined to be accessible in two taps or less.
54.5%
Task Failure Rate
Over half of all attempts to find features resulted in failure.
Infotainment
Cluster
Driver
Focus
#1
Performance Ethos
#2
Luxury Execution
#3
Timelessness & Evolution
#4
Designing with Purpose
Every design decision was measured against four core principles we distilled from our research. These principles, rooted in Porsche's brand DNA and driver safety, ensured a cohesive and purposeful user experience across the entire digital ecosystem.
Cabin: Seat Climate & Massage
App Launcher & Main Menu
Navigation: Route Selection
Driver Home Screen
To manage the system's deep feature set, these wireframes establish the clear, research-validated architecture that served as the foundational blueprint for the final interactive design.
Infotainment System Wireframes
Cross-Domain Dashboard
Combats fragmentation by surfacing cross-domain data (e.g., Energy, Media) onto a single, personalized dashboard.
Persistent IA Dock
Provides constant top-level access, solving the "lost in menus" issue identified during IA validation.
Infotainment
Cluster
Ecosystem Extension: Redesigning the Trip Planner Flow
Our work included a full redesign of the app's Trip Planner flow. The following screen iteration is a key example of our process, showing specifically how we solved the 'Range Anxiety' pain point discovered in our user research.
V1 – Baseline route
Static map + list card only; no battery prediction, charger help—our starting canvas.
V2– Arrival % + nav bar
Added %-on-arrival alongside distance, drive time, ETA—and a bottom nav for global access.
V3 – Final Trip Screen
Proactive Charging Integrated
Proactively adds a necessary charging stop to the route with an updated ETA.
Anxiety Solved, Confidence Delivered
Proactively adds a necessary charging stop to the route with an updated ETA.
Expectations Aligned, Control Simplified
Nav/bolt swapped for layers + re-center to match map expectations.
Trip Plan Screen Iterations:
To quantitatively measure the usability of our final high-fidelity prototype for the redesigned app flow, we conducted two rounds of testing using the industry-standard System Usability Scale (SUS). The SUS score provides a global measure of perceived usability on a scale of 0-100, where scores above 80 are considered excellent.
Usability Testing:
80.8
Unmoderated tests
86.5
Moderated tests
68
Industry-Average Score
SUS (System Usability Score) Scale
19 participants
in moderated tests
13 participants
in unmoderated tests (Maze)
AR HUD
Instrument Cluster
Infotainment Screen
Facilitator
User
Note Taker
32
testing participants
5
testing rounds
2
unique flows
68
Industry-Average Score
SUS (System Usability Score) Scale
61
1st Test
74
2nd Test
Recognizing that a true driving experience can't be simulated on a simple screen, we went beyond standard prototypes by building a physical cockpit for our usability tests. This immersive rig was crucial for observing natural user interactions and gathering both qualitative feedback and quantitative SUS scores to validate our final design.
In-Person Usability Testing
The final SUS scores of 86.5 and 80.8 quantitatively validate our design, placing it in the top tier of usability and well above the industry average. This confirms our user-centered process resulted in a successful and highly usable final product.
Final Outcome
What Does a Driver-First, Future-Ready Cockpit Look Like?
Our final design is a direct answer to that question, exploring how to blend Porsche's purist, driver-first DNA with modern EV technology. The solution lies in a unified digital ecosystem centered on an adaptive HMI with four distinct modes that tailor the experience to driver intent. The following high-fidelity mockups showcase this complete vision, from the adaptable in-car displays to the cohesive mobile app.
Our final design answers the project's central challenge by preserving Porsche's 'driver-first' DNA with a focused, glance-safe dashboard. We simultaneously embraced modern EV needs by integrating rich features like a 'Gas Equivalent' cost comparison and multi-sensory 'Ambient Modes', creating an experience that is both innovative and unmistakably Porsche.
Infotainment Screens
Our cross-domain widget system provides at-a-glance status for energy and media alongside live navigation, creating a single, driver-focused dashboard.
Home Dashboard & Menu
Provides at-a-glance charging data, including time remaining, session cost, and a unique 'Gas Equivalent' cost comparison to show tangible savings.
Charging Screen
This domain unifies all in-cabin controls—from air quality and seat massage to multi-sensory 'Ambient Modes' that sync lighting, sound, and climate into a single, curated experience.
In-Cabin Atmosphere
Explore App Screens
Infotainment
App
A Mode for Every Moment (Instrument Cluster & Infotainment Screen):
Our final design is not one single interface, but an adaptive HMI that honors Porsche's 'driver-first' DNA. The digital cockpit transforms across four distinct modes, each tailoring the visual style and information hierarchy to the driver's specific intent—from a focused track day to a comfortable commute.
Beyond the Deliverables: Core Lessons from a Cockpit Redesign
Our final design is not one single interface, but an adaptive HMI that honors Porsche's 'driver-first' DNA. The digital cockpit transforms across four distinct modes, each tailoring the visual style and information hierarchy to the driver's specific intent—from a focused track day to a comfortable commute.
Key Takeaways:
A Design System is the True Unifier. Creating a single design language for both the in-car and mobile platforms wasn't just about aesthetics. We learned that a robust, tokenized design system is the most powerful tool for solving UI fragmentation and ensuring a cohesive, predictable, and trustworthy user experience at scale.
Innovating for a Legacy Brand Requires Reverence. The core challenge was balancing Porsche's iconic 'driver-first' DNA with modern EV expectations. Our key learning was that technology should be used to enhance the core principles of performance and control, not erase them. The solution was amplification, not replacement.
Context is Everything in Usability Testing. While our digital prototypes were essential, building a 1:1 physical rig revealed critical ergonomic insights we never would have caught on a screen alone. For automotive HMI, we learned that validating a design in a realistic physical space is non-negotiable for success.
CONTACT
NAVIGATE
Ready to build a better experience?
Rukhsar Khundmiri © 2025
Crafted between airport gates and timezones!
CONTACT
NAVIGATE
Ready to build a better experience?
Rukhsar Khundmiri © 2025
Crafted between airport gates and timezones!
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Cross-Disciplinary Team
UX/UI
Design Strategy
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The Challenge
What Happens When a Racing Heritage Collides With the Autonomous EV Era?
Porsche challenged us to re-imagine the digital cockpit of its next-generation EVs—preserving the brand’s driver-first DNA while embracing radical leaps in autonomy, UX, and sustainability.
We responded by crafting a cohesive, future-ready ecosystem built on several key deliverables: a physical vehicle concept, a research-validated information architecture, a unified visual language for the in-car displays, an adaptive interface with four driving modes, and a redesigned My Porsche app to ensure a seamless experience across all platforms.
Porsche Taycan's Instrument Cluster
My Porsche App
Porsche Macan 4 Electric Infotainment
Original Porsche Ecosystem:
The Research
How Do Drivers—and Data—Expose an EV Cockpit’s Blind Spots?
Before sketching a single wireframe, we set out to explore where Porsche’s cockpit succeeds and where it fragments. We paired desk research with real-world feedback—looking forward to emerging EV behaviors while respecting Porsche’s legacy of focus and control. The outcome was a stack of tightly written reports and a validated information architecture that every later design decision rests on.
Expert & Competitive
Benchmarking
Detailed Autosteer viz + lane-change prompts
Auto Supercharger routing + real-time stall status
Tesla Model S
Always-visible temp slider on main bar
Navigation
Media
ADAS / Driving
Climate / Comfort
Charging / Range
Dual-screen map
Confusing menu, no wheel source switch.
Lower-display search, steering-wheel gaps, lag
Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music built-in
Consistent UI across services
Camera feed in cluster + strong warnings
Ambient-light BSM + HUD mirroring
EV routing present but no price data
Accurate charger status, waypoint filters
Routing exists but map lag & price gaps
Robust AR HUD + rich POI info
AR nav + clear map layers
Audi Q6 e-tron
Lucid Air
Mercedes EQS (S-Class)
Clear AR HUD feedback
Some menu depth & contrast issues
Sliders on lower screen; lag noted, deep menus
Small icons, clutter, touch-lag reported
Legend ● = robust, first-tier support ○ = missing / partial
Fast EV routing + Supercharger integration
Domain ↓ / Brand →
EV HMI Teardowns
Integrated Feature Matrix
Expert & Competitive
Benchmarking
Detailed Autosteer viz + lane-change prompts
Auto Supercharger routing + real-time stall status
Tesla Model S
Always-visible temp slider on main bar
Navigation
Media
ADAS / Driving
Climate / Comfort
Charging / Range
Dual-screen map
Confusing menu, no wheel source switch.
Lower-display search, steering-wheel gaps, lag
Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music built-in
Consistent UI across services
Camera feed in cluster + strong warnings
Ambient-light BSM + HUD mirroring
EV routing present but no price data
Accurate charger status, waypoint filters
Routing exists but map lag & price gaps
Robust AR HUD + rich POI info
AR nav + clear map layers
Audi Q6 e-tron
Lucid Air
Mercedes EQS (S-Class)
Clear AR HUD feedback
Some menu depth & contrast issues
Sliders on lower screen; lag noted, deep menus
Small icons, clutter, touch-lag reported
Legend ● = robust, first-tier support ○ = missing / partial
Fast EV routing + Supercharger integration
Domain ↓ / Brand →
EV HMI Teardowns
Integrated Feature Matrix
Methods:
Across ten weeks we pulled evidence from every angle—market, drivers, screens, and data—so every later design choice stood on solid ground.
The evidence is now on the table: where drivers struggle, what they crave, and which gaps Porsche must close to out-pace its rivals. Armed with that playbook, we moved into design—rebuilding the information architecture, sketching and testing wireframes, and iterating until real users could complete key tasks faster, safer, and with that unmistakable Porsche thrill.
Real World
Voices
Primary — Next-Gen Enthusiasts
Late-20s – early-40s drivers entering the Porsche world for the first time.
Secondary — Loyal Legacy Owners
Current Porsche owners in their 40s – 50s exploring an electric upgrade.
Tertiary — EV Switchers
Non-Porsche EV drivers (e.g., Tesla owners) that Porsche hopes will make the jump to its ecosystem.
Audiences Interviewed & Surveys Given to:
65% of users
under 35 want their EV to feel smart and connected.
71% of users
of loyal owners fear tech will interfere with the purity of driving.
30 Interviews
3 Surveys · 160+ Responses
Reddit/Forums UX Mining
Friction
Wish
Delight
≈ 54.3%
≈ 25.7%
≈ 20.0%
User-Reported Porsche EV UX Themes:
Real World
Voices
Primary — Next-Gen Enthusiasts
Late-20s – early-40s drivers entering the Porsche world for the first time.
Secondary — Loyal Legacy Owners
Current Porsche owners in their 40s – 50s exploring an electric upgrade.
Tertiary — EV Switchers
Non-Porsche EV drivers (e.g., Tesla owners) that Porsche hopes will make the jump to its ecosystem.
Audiences Interviewed & Surveys Given to:
65% of users
under 35 want their EV to feel smart and connected.
71% of users
of loyal owners fear tech will interfere with the purity of driving.
30 Interviews
3 Surveys · 160+ Responses
Reddit/Forums UX Mining
Friction
Wish
Delight
≈ 54.3%
≈ 25.7%
≈ 20.0%
User-Reported Porsche EV UX Themes:
System
Audits
Porsche EV Heuristic Evaluation
Conducted a hands-on heuristic evaluation of the Porsche EV infotainment systems directly at the Porsche Experience Center.
Rapid My Porsche App Audit
Assessed the My Porsche App's usability through direct feature walkthroughs and analysis of user video reviews.
App Store review analysis
Analyzed App Store reviews to identify and categorize common pain points directly from My Porsche App users.
System
Audits
Porsche EV Heuristic Evaluation
Conducted a hands-on heuristic evaluation of the Porsche EV infotainment systems directly at the Porsche Experience Center.
Rapid My Porsche App Audit
Assessed the My Porsche App's usability through direct feature walkthroughs and analysis of user video reviews.
App Store review analysis
Analyzed App Store reviews to identify and categorize common pain points directly from My Porsche App users.
IA & Safety Validation
Card-Sort (Maze)
3 cards remaining
Top user-created category 'Home' showed only ~19% agreement on its content.
Features like 'Range Calculation Details' were
placed into 12 different user-created groups,
showing wide disagreement (~8% agreement).
Users suggested varied section labels, from
'Navigation' (~13% item agreement ) to unique
ideas like 'Energy Hub' (~8% item agreement ).
We ran a card sort to discover users' intuitive groupings for features, which directly informed the foundational structure of our information architecture.
IA Card Sort
Tree Tests (Maze)
Multiple Round Tree Test Insights
'Route Planning' highly successful in Tree Test 3, with 90% of users finding the correct screen.
'Dog Mode' findability jumped to 80% user success in Tree test 3 after IA changes, up from 36% in the initial test.
'Payment Options' findability soared from a low 27% to 80% user success after IA refinements in Tree Test 3.
Infotainment Tree Test
To ensure users could easily navigate our information architecture, we performed tree tests to assess the findability of key features.
IA & Safety Validation
Card-Sort (Maze)
3 cards remaining
Top user-created category 'Home' showed only ~19% agreement on its content.
Features like 'Range Calculation Details' were
placed into 12 different user-created groups,
showing wide disagreement (~8% agreement).
Users suggested varied section labels, from
'Navigation' (~13% item agreement ) to unique
ideas like 'Energy Hub' (~8% item agreement ).
We ran a card sort to discover users' intuitive groupings for features, which directly informed the foundational structure of our information architecture.
IA Card Sort
Tree Tests (Maze)
Multiple Round Tree Test Insights
'Route Planning' highly successful in Tree Test 3, with 90% of users finding the correct screen.
'Dog Mode' findability jumped to 80% user success in Tree test 3 after IA changes, up from 36% in the initial test.
'Payment Options' findability soared from a low 27% to 80% user success after IA refinements in Tree Test 3.
Infotainment Tree Test
To ensure users could easily navigate our information architecture, we performed tree tests to assess the findability of key features.
Users knew what they needed. Our job was to turn those insights into a kiosk experience that felt intuitive, accessible, and truly helpful.
Design & usability
How Can Design Turn Research Into a Glance-Safe Porsche EV Experience?
With our foundational research complete, the challenge shifted from insight to execution. This section details how we first translated our validated IA into a comprehensive set of wireframes for the in-car instrument cluster and PCM. Finally, we extended the new visual language from these wireframes to the My Porsche app and proved the gains of our unified design through live usability tests.
Information-Architecture Evolution
Our first step was to prove the effectiveness of our new IA. Through iterative tree testing, we transformed a confusing baseline architecture (36.4% direct hit rate) into a clear, validated structure with dramatically improved findability (84% direct hit rate).
Wireframe Evolution
With the validated IA as our blueprint, we designed the core screen layouts. The following wireframes for the Infotainment and Instrument Cluster systems define the foundational structure that was handed off for final high-fidelity execution.
After: The Validated IA
Before: The Initial IA
36.4%
Direct Hit Rate
Our baseline tree test showed significant user confusion, with most users unable to find features on the first try.
84%
Direct Hit Rate
The redesigned IA resulted in a +130% improvement in findability in our final Maze test.
50%
Depth Reduction
Settings menu depth was halved, making features easier to locate.
≤ 2
Taps
All driver-critical tasks were streamlined to be accessible in two taps or less.
54.5%
Task Failure Rate
Over half of all attempts to find features resulted in failure.
Infotainment
Cluster
After: The Validated IA
Before: The Initial IA
36.4%
Direct Hit Rate
Our baseline tree test showed significant user confusion, with most users unable to find features on the first try.
84%
Direct Hit Rate
The redesigned IA resulted in a +130% improvement in findability in our final Maze test.
50%
Depth Reduction
Settings menu depth was halved, making features easier to locate.
≤ 2
Taps
All driver-critical tasks were streamlined to be accessible in two taps or less.
54.5%
Task Failure Rate
Over half of all attempts to find features resulted in failure.
Infotainment
Cluster
Driver
Focus
#1
Performance Ethos
#2
Luxury Execution
#3
Timelessness & Evolution
#4
Designing with Purpose
Every design decision was measured against four core principles we distilled from our research. These principles, rooted in Porsche's brand DNA and driver safety, ensured a cohesive and purposeful user experience across the entire digital ecosystem.
Cabin: Seat Climate & Massage
App Launcher & Main Menu
Navigation: Route Selection
Driver Home Screen
To manage the system's deep feature set, these wireframes establish the clear, research-validated architecture that served as the foundational blueprint for the final interactive design.
Infotainment System Wireframes
Persistent IA Dock
Provides constant top-level access, solving the "lost in menus" issue identified during IA validation.
Cross-Domain Dashboard
Combats fragmentation by surfacing cross-domain data (e.g., Energy, Media) onto a single, personalized dashboard.
Infotainment
Cluster
Cabin: Seat Climate & Massage
App Launcher & Main Menu
Navigation: Route Selection
Driver Home Screen
To manage the system's deep feature set, these wireframes establish the clear, research-validated architecture that served as the foundational blueprint for the final interactive design.
Infotainment System Wireframes
Persistent IA Dock
Provides constant top-level access, solving the "lost in menus" issue identified during IA validation.
Cross-Domain Dashboard
Combats fragmentation by surfacing cross-domain data (e.g., Energy, Media) onto a single, personalized dashboard.
Infotainment
Cluster
Ecosystem Extension: Redesigning the Trip Planner Flow
Our work included a full redesign of the app's Trip Planner flow. The following screen iteration is a key example of our process, showing specifically how we solved the 'Range Anxiety' pain point discovered in our user research.
V1 – Baseline route
Static map + list card only; no battery prediction, charger help—our starting canvas.
V2– Arrival % + nav bar
Added %-on-arrival alongside distance, drive time, ETA—and a bottom nav for global access.
V3 – Final Trip Screen
Proactive Charging Integrated
Proactively adds a necessary charging stop to the route with an updated ETA.
Anxiety Solved, Confidence Delivered
Proactively adds a necessary charging stop to the route with an updated ETA.
Trip Plan Screen Iterations:
Expectations Aligned, Control Simplified
Nav/bolt swapped for layers + re-center to match map expectations.
V1 – Baseline route
Static map + list card only; no battery prediction, charger help—our starting canvas.
V2– Arrival % + nav bar
Added %-on-arrival alongside distance, drive time, ETA—and a bottom nav for global access.
V3 – Final Trip Screen
Proactive Charging Integrated
Proactively adds a necessary charging stop to the route with an updated ETA.
Anxiety Solved, Confidence Delivered
Proactively adds a necessary charging stop to the route with an updated ETA.
Trip Plan Screen Iterations:
Expectations Aligned, Control Simplified
Nav/bolt swapped for layers + re-center to match map expectations.
To quantitatively measure the usability of our final high-fidelity prototype for the redesigned app flow, we conducted two rounds of testing using the industry-standard System Usability Scale (SUS). The SUS score provides a global measure of perceived usability on a scale of 0-100, where scores above 80 are considered excellent.
Usability Testing on Maze:
19 participants
in moderated tests
13 participants
in unmoderated tests
AR HUD
Instrument Cluster
Infotainment Screen
Facilitator
User
Note Taker
Note Taker
32
testing participants
5
testing rounds
2
unique flows
Recognizing that a true driving experience can't be simulated on a simple screen, we went beyond standard prototypes by building a physical cockpit for our usability tests. This immersive rig was crucial for observing natural user interactions and gathering both qualitative feedback and quantitative SUS scores to validate our final design.
In-Person Usability Testing
The final SUS scores of 86.5 and 80.8 quantitatively validate our design, placing it in the top tier of usability and well above the industry average. This confirms our user-centered process resulted in a successful and highly usable final product.
68
Industry-Average Score
SUS (System Usability Score) Scale
61
1st Test
74
2nd Test
68
Industry-Average Score
SUS (System Usability Score) Scale
80.8
Unmoderated tests
86.5
Moderated tests
Final Outcome
What Does a Driver-First, Future-Ready Cockpit Look Like?
Our final design is a direct answer to that question, exploring how to blend Porsche's purist, driver-first DNA with modern EV technology. The solution lies in a unified digital ecosystem centered on an adaptive HMI with four distinct modes that tailor the experience to driver intent. The following high-fidelity mockups showcase this complete vision, from the adaptable in-car displays to the cohesive mobile app.
Our cross-domain widget system provides at-a-glance status for energy and media alongside live navigation, creating a single, driver-focused dashboard.
Home Dashboard & Menu
Provides at-a-glance charging data, including time remaining, session cost, and a unique 'Gas Equivalent' cost comparison to show tangible savings.
Charging Screen
This domain unifies all in-cabin controls—from air quality and seat massage to multi-sensory 'Ambient Modes' that sync lighting, sound, and climate into a single, curated experience.
In-Cabin Atmosphere
Explore App Screens
Our final design answers the project's central challenge by preserving Porsche's 'driver-first' DNA with a focused, glance-safe dashboard. We simultaneously embraced modern EV needs by integrating rich features like a 'Gas Equivalent' cost comparison and multi-sensory 'Ambient Modes', creating an experience that is both innovative and unmistakably Porsche.
Infotainment Screens
Infotainment
App
Our cross-domain widget system provides at-a-glance status for energy and media alongside live navigation, creating a single, driver-focused dashboard.
Home Dashboard & Menu
Provides at-a-glance charging data, including time remaining, session cost, and a unique 'Gas Equivalent' cost comparison to show tangible savings.
Charging Screen
This domain unifies all in-cabin controls—from air quality and seat massage to multi-sensory 'Ambient Modes' that sync lighting, sound, and climate into a single, curated experience.
In-Cabin Atmosphere
Explore App Screens
Our final design answers the project's central challenge by preserving Porsche's 'driver-first' DNA with a focused, glance-safe dashboard. We simultaneously embraced modern EV needs by integrating rich features like a 'Gas Equivalent' cost comparison and multi-sensory 'Ambient Modes', creating an experience that is both innovative and unmistakably Porsche.
Infotainment Screens
Infotainment
App
A Mode for Every Moment (Instrument Cluster & Infotainment Screen):
Our final design is not one single interface, but an adaptive HMI that honors Porsche's 'driver-first' DNA. The digital cockpit transforms across four distinct modes, each tailoring the visual style and information hierarchy to the driver's specific intent—from a focused track day to a comfortable commute.
Beyond the Deliverables: Core Lessons from a Cockpit Redesign
Our final design is not one single interface, but an adaptive HMI that honors Porsche's 'driver-first' DNA. The digital cockpit transforms across four distinct modes, each tailoring the visual style and information hierarchy to the driver's specific intent—from a focused track day to a comfortable commute.
Key Takeaways:
A Design System is the True Unifier. Creating a single design language for both the in-car and mobile platforms wasn't just about aesthetics. We learned that a robust, tokenized design system is the most powerful tool for solving UI fragmentation and ensuring a cohesive, predictable, and trustworthy user experience at scale.
Innovating for a Legacy Brand Requires Reverence. The core challenge was balancing Porsche's iconic 'driver-first' DNA with modern EV expectations. Our key learning was that technology should be used to enhance the core principles of performance and control, not erase them. The solution was amplification, not replacement.
Context is Everything in Usability Testing. While our digital prototypes were essential, building a 1:1 physical rig revealed critical ergonomic insights we never would have caught on a screen alone. For automotive HMI, we learned that validating a design in a realistic physical space is non-negotiable for success.