How do you think HMI functions will transform in the next 5 years? Will we get more old school buttons back into the cockpit, i.e. less touchscreens? :) Are they going to disappear to the benefit of other HMI, like audio or head up displays?

The 3 letters HMI (Human Machine Interface) cover everything that a user interacts with (like for example also the adjustment of a rear seat headrest); but in the context of this question I focus on the more narrow definition of HMI: driver related displays, buttons and other devices.

Safety will get back to play a more central role in HMI. The technical possibilities have led the industry recently to propose truly stunning interfaces with enormous feature content, but in doing so created a certain amount of driver distraction that can lead to unsafe situations.

Displays won’t disappear, but physical interfaces with recognizable and pleasant shape factors will claim their space, at least for primary functions. A reasonable balance can be created, not purely based on personal preferences, but also based on measurable cognitive load for the driver.

Touchscreens dominate today’s vehicles because they mimic smartphone interactions, which are universally familiar. However, they’re not without flaws: they force drivers to shift their focus from the road, compromise aesthetics with smudges, and struggle to integrate into elegant interiors. And, most importantly within the context of a car where the interaction with the screen is secondary to the primary function ‘driving’, they are always a compromise: the driver’s eye focus has to adjust from looking far ahead on the road to looking at the much closer display. Consequently, you would like the display to be as far away as possible from your eyes. But the touch functions force you to keep it close enough to be conveniently reachable with your fingers.

Therefore other technologies try to de-materialize the output device: the traditional head-up display that creates images in the major field of view for the driver, but that requires redundancy. Or other projection and reflection-based technologies as FORVIA is proposing with the AirVision. Here the image is magically floating within a cavity, and on top the interaction can be done through a selection of targets by eye gazing and then a confirmation with a physical button on the steering wheel. Pleasureful in use, while being measurably safer.
The good news for the industry is that there will be more options for car makers to distinguish one from another. While safety is pushing for the best standardized solutions, branding and therefore individualization will play a big role in the future HMI offer.

What challenges do you see in ensuring inclusivity and diversity in HMI design? How can cockpits accommodate such a wide range of users—different ages, abilities, sizes, and cultural expectations? Is a universal HMI possible?

Cognitive scientists advocate for universal and standardized interfaces to ensure maximum safety and seamless usability across vehicles. 

However, individual needs, preferences, and brand identities often demand customization. To a certain extent one could say that an HMI that caters to people with disabilities will also work for all others, which might be true for large enough font sizes on a screen, etc. Yet the differences are far too significant to be covered by one single solution for all. 

Regarding cultural differences, the good thing with digital content is that it can be made different just by software variants or upgrades. And this is also true for the personalization within the same culture and the same user: I can have different preferences for content and visualization during my daily commute to work compared to a longer family trip, or between quiet motorway cruising and eventful city traffic. 

The key lies in distinguishing between safety optimized interactions that require standardization and entertainment or comfort features that can be tailored. This balance ensures HMIs are both universal and adaptable to individual needs.

It would be interesting to hear from you about the health and wellness features to be incorporated in futuristic cockpits.

Health and wellness are exciting frontiers in automotive design, with significant opportunities for innovation. 

Wellness focuses on creating a harmonious and synchronized sensory environment that adapts to the user’s needs. Ideally with situational awareness, in order to adapt to momentary needs that might override the generic ones. Like our solutions for seat massage functions being synchronized with video or music content. Artificial intelligence will play a critical role, learning from user behavior to anticipate needs dynamically. This will be valid for all occupants, not just the drivers. Features like adjusting music volume during conversations or activating preferred settings based on patterns will redefine comfort and convenience. 

Wellness also extends to moments when the car is stationary. EV charging stops could enable naps, social or professional activities with table functions, or even camping experiences by transforming parts of the interior into leisure spaces.

Health goes beyond wellness and involves a high level of responsibility. This is a more risky path to go down, but has endless opportunities between measuring body functions and responding to them, by preventing accidents when the driver is not able to safely steer the vehicle, etc.

We would love to hear about your perspective on addressing sustainability with cabin interior design.

Sustainability in vehicle interiors is paramount as the automotive industry faces growing scrutiny for its environmental impact. Designing interiors that are both sustainable and appealing is essential to preserve mobility as a fundamental right.

Sustainability comes through architecture solutions that allow the product car and its major modules to live longer, to stay attractive and therefore not to be replaced too quickly. That requires a different way of conceiving the vehicle and its interior. In products that can be used over a longer period, ultra-personalization makes even more sense. 

Then of course it’s about using less material: not covering everything that is structural with materials of which the only function is … covering ugliness. Being creative not only in adding new stuff, but also in taking away content that is not needed, and of course therefore representing lightweight solutions. This in additional generates more real and perceived roominess, eventually opposing the trend that every new model is bigger than its predecessor. 

And then of course there are sustainable materials, a key development focus within our teams, and as a designer I am in particular interested in those materials that show and communicate sustainability. Irregularity is the enemy of a car’s production process, but with recycled and bio-based content we will have to change the rules and define boundary conditions in between which variations are permitted; the target is to define the ‘New Acceptance’. Here our job is also to propose expressions of new ‘premiumness’, away from the traditional codes of leather, chrome and wood.

What is the biggest impact of both automation, and shift from the owner-passenger to passengers hiring a ride? Future generations are less likely to own their transport, so will interiors become more durable/utilitarian? How will autonomous vehicles influence interior design?

The shift from ownership to usership will have profound effects on vehicle interiors. While personalized trim levels may become less significant, there’s potential for more purpose-built interiors designed for specific use cases along the year. For example, a single user might rent a utility vehicle for errands, a sports car for leisure, or a family van for vacations.

Fully autonomous Level 5 vehicles, which eliminate the need for steering devices, are still a distant reality. However, the transition to partial automation will shape interiors in the meantime. Steering wheels will become first more important, as they have to adjust to the various scenarios, before they maybe one day will completely disappear. And that means of course potentially completely new layouts: the 4 or 5 or more people, today all strictly facing in driving direction, could be placed differently in the interior, for activities that previously had not been possible.

How does the Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) change the interior architecture and its appearance?

For the end user, the SDV will mainly have an impact on services that can be provided, and here in particular when it’s getting complex and a feature or service is composed of many single functionalities, like for example with highly assisted or automated driving.

I expect the impact on the interior architecture to be rather indirect, in the sense that a Software Defined Vehicle is able to manage use scenarios that with a traditional EE architecture would hardly be possible. As a result, those complex scenarios can be proposed in a safe manner. 
Just think about AI enabled occupant monitoring that triggers reactions of the vehicle's behavior: driving patterns, ambience control, seat positions etc., so all things that might have a significant impact not only on service, comfort and user happiness, but also on fundamental safety.

Also the overall physical and EE architecture of the vehicle can be done in a modular way, as upgrades over time are enabled. Here the vehicle will not only evolve along the progress of digital technologies, but also hardware upgrades, including big modules like seats and consoles, are enabled without affecting the underlying SDV architecture. 
This architecture that is driven by a push for standardization will therefore make it possible to define areas for ultra-personalization without heavy cost impact. Lighting, CMF, unique shapes and effects ... the sky is the limit.

What do you think are the biggest car interior design trends and the most challenging ones to come? 

One of the biggest upcoming challenges will be to link all these points mentioned in the question to … affordability. The safest and most attractive solutions don’t get the industry anywhere if we are not able to provide them to a large number of people. Mobility is a human right; it is our job to protect this right. 

Beyond this, another – more design relevant – trend is visual detox. We have to be able to create interiors that are providing all the services users expect from them, without creating environments that are visually too busy and too technological. The car as a quiet and safe haven, where I can decide between being ultra-connected or literally disconnected, the last truly private space that makes me feel at home, at ‘my place’, where I can do what I want and enjoy self-indulging moments.