People want to bring their living rooms into their homes. That’s a fact. It’s not new information. But how can they do so safely, without interfering with the driving experience but actually augmenting the user experience? Well that’s the tricky part.
New company Pocketsquare Design (led by former GM interior chief designer Dave Lyon and engineer Nina Mital and former Ford designer Gary Braddock) have devised a solution, which divides the front cabin space into two zones – one a driver-centric area where drivers can operate the car’s infotainment system without taking their eyes off the road, and another tailored to the front seat passenger’s needs.
The driver’s zone features a center digital cluster paired with a head-up display operated by steering wheel-mounted controls and two large dials and buttons to operate the HVAC. This not only freed up space on the dashboard but made the controls more intuitive and ergonomically suitable for use in a motor vehicle.
Moving the key infotainment components to the driver centerline fundamentally changed the environment, creating the possibility of new themes and dramatic shapes for the IP.
An app developed by the team takes care of those in the passenger seat, enabling the user to surf various entertainment functions and also transfer information — such as maps — to the driver’s area. The passenger brings all of the infotainment functions from their smartphone into the car environment.
Check out the film below to see the concept in action.
