Early Concept and Sketches:
The sketches explore multiple dashboard configurations, including split views, resizable widgets, and dismissible panels. I focused on how drivers might prioritize information differently depending on the trip, such as short commutes versus long highway drives.These concepts helped shape the idea of a flexible grid system and informed how widgets could expand, collapse, or remain persistent on screen.
Companion app:
To keep the in-car experience simple and distraction free, customization is handled through a companion mobile app. Drivers can create, save, and switch between dashboard layouts before starting a drive.
This approach allows deeper personalization without adding complexity to the CarPlay interface itself. Layouts can be tailored to different driving scenarios and recalled instantly when entering the car.
Through iteration, the design converged on a maximum of three widgets displayed simultaneously. This limit balances customization with safety by reducing visual clutter and keeping key information easy to scan.
A forward-facing 3D navigation view was introduced to improve spatial awareness and reduce the mental effort required to interpret turns, depth, and distance. The navigation experience was designed to feel grounded in the real world rather than abstract.
Each widget is designed to be resizable and dismissible with minimal interaction, prioritizing quick glances over prolonged engagement.
To explore a more realistic navigation experience, I built a forward-facing 3D map prototype rather than using a traditional top-down view. The goal was to reflect how drivers perceive space while moving, using depth and perspective to improve glanceability and spatial awareness.
I prototyped the map using Mapbox and JavaScript, iterating heavily on camera behavior. Small changes to pitch, zoom, and forward offset dramatically affected how immersive the experience felt. Starting navigation further down the route and bringing the camera closer to surrounding buildings helped the environment feel like “driving through” a city instead of observing it from above.
I also refined color, contrast, and route smoothing to keep the interface calm and readable in motion. These technical explorations directly informed the final CarPlay concept, reinforcing forward motion as the primary visual cue and reducing cognitive load during driving.
AI was used as a collaborative tool during this phase to accelerate testing and iteration, while all final design and interaction decisions were made intentionally.
