CES 2018 Auto paradigm shift to boost UX design
Seen above is a concept image of the in-vehicle user experience (UX) design displayed at last year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). 9px UX Design Studio joined hands with Hyundai Motor for the exhibition. / Courtesy of 9px UX Design Studio
By Lee Min-hyung
Lee Seung-myung, CEO at 9px UX Design Studio
LAS VEGAS — With the rise of autonomous and electric vehicles, the world’s leading automakers as well as electronics giants are increasing their advances into these fresh revenue areas.
The trend is on show at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s largest IT tradeshow. The annual tech fair has for decades been cited as a key venue for traditional electronics companies to showcase their new products and give a glimpse of what the next game-changing technologies will be.
But automakers have in recent years taken the limelight away from appliance manufacturers by showcasing their state-of-the-art connected vehicle technologies.
This will continue at this year’s CES, which begins its four-day run today (KST), with such automobile giants as BMW, Mercedes Benz, Kia Motors and Hyundai Motor, seeking to grab audience attention by exhibiting their concept vehicles equipped with next-generation technologies.
Some experts even compare the smart vehicle hype with the arrival of the smartphone era back in the late 2000s. They say vehicles can also serve as the next mainstream platform where people can collect and consume massive datasets just like they have done with their smartphones.
The arrival of the fifth-generation (5G) telecom and in-vehicle chip and display technologies is also expected to speed up the new tech trend.
The in-vehicle user experience (UX) design is also a potential-laden growth area taking advantage of the automotive paradigm shift.
“The upcoming vehicle industry will be driven by partnerships between automobile manufacturers and IT companies,” 9px UX Design Studio CEO and Creative Director Lee Seung-myung said in an interview, Sunday. 9px is also participating in CES 2018 in collaboration with Kia Motors and Harman International.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, the largest tech companies in Korea, have also joined the connected vehicle bandwagon by identifying the auto-parts business as their next revenue generator.
In 2016, Samsung acquired Harman, the world’s top-tier connected car system and audio manufacturer, for $8 billion (8.5 trillion won) in a bid to speed up its expansion into the smart car business. LG Electronics established its vehicle components unit in 2013 as a next key growth area, which critics say was a move to tackle the toughening rivalry in the traditional home appliance market.
UX design for next-generation vehicles
As the smartphone era has created millions of jobs and massive value chains across the globe, the tech-driven auto industry will also follow a similar path, according to Lee.
“Cars in the future will be equipped with bigger in-vehicle displays and drivers will be a data consumer in their vehicles,” he said. The 9px chief served as a mobile and wearable device UX designer at Samsung Electronics before founding the design firm in 2016.
“Aside from the hardware technologies, the growth potential for the in-vehicle UX design remains tremendous. Regarding drivers as a media content consumer, we are preparing to offer optimum UX design by joining forces with global automakers.”
The key in the market lies in how to blend in-vehicle software with UX design from a data-consuming driver’s perspective, he said.