We believe that information clearly presented and beautifully released builds a powerful connection between the driver, the space around them, and the road ahead.
Interaction and HMI
The Interactive team delivers digital experiences for projects of any scope and size. Whether devising global initiatives for the masses or exclusive projects for individuals, creating revolutionary innovations or evolutionary designs, our agile team offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability.
UX / Interaction design
Our UX/Interaction services seamlessly integrate digital functionality with human behavior, offering services ranging from HMI framework and architecture to usability testing and validation. This holistic approach allows us to redefine the interaction between users and products, delivering experiences that transcend traditional boundaries.
UI / Visual Design
The visual design team creates pure and emotive interfaces that seamlessly integrate with the product and its key messages. Our charge is to create innovative digital experiences that simplify and elevate the experience, making it more exciting and engaging. Our visual design services include UI and visual design strategy, concept and ideation, motion and real-time 3D, comprehensive design systems, UI reskinning, as well as brand design.
Process
We employ a collaborative process, working concurrently with clients, automotive design teams, XR prototyping facilities, and software developers. Throughout all stages of production, we maintain open communication with clients and stakeholders in design, engineering, and marketing, while also effectively managing relationships with suppliers. Utilizing advanced AR/VR prototyping tools like our interactive buck, Cellula, allows us to convey design concepts early on, providing our clients with a firsthand experience of the finished product.
Automotive HMI Design Tailored to Each Vehicle
At Pininfarina, automotive HMI design starts with the vehicle itself. Rather than adapting standardized interfaces, we develop bespoke solutions that reflect the character of each model and its brand. This approach connects cockpit architecture, physical controls and digital interactions to create a consistent and recognizable in-vehicle experience.
Cockpit HMI Architecture and Physical-Digital Interaction
A key decision in HMI design is determining which functions should be assigned to physical controls and which to digital displays. Instrument clusters, infotainment systems and head-up displays are considered alongside switches, surfaces and other cockpit controls, taking into account ergonomics, reachability and driver attention.
These decisions inform interaction flows, information architecture and system states, developed around the vehicle's interior geometry and technical requirements. By addressing these elements early, automotive UX design becomes an integral part of cockpit development, helping create interfaces that are intuitive to operate and consistent with the vehicle's overall design.
Custom UI Design and Immersive Experiences
Each vehicle requires a digital language that reflects its identity. Pininfarina develops tailored visual and interaction concepts, translating the brand's character into typography, transitions, feedback and real-time 3D content.
Beyond visual consistency, the behavior of the interface contributes to the overall automotive user experience. Motion, interactive responses and digital content are designed to communicate information clearly while expressing the personality of the vehicle.
Pininfarina also explores immersive HMI experiences through spatial graphics and dynamic digital environments, expanding the possibilities for interaction between occupants and the vehicle.
HMI Prototyping and Usability Validation
HMI prototyping supports the design process through progressively higher levels of fidelity, allowing different aspects of the experience to be evaluated before implementation.
Low-fidelity prototypes help assess interaction flows and functional logic, while high-fidelity interactive prototypes enable the evaluation of visual design, motion and real-time 3D content.
Immersive prototypes extend this process into the physical context of the cockpit. Through AR/VR tools and Pininfarina's interactive buck, Cellula, teams can evaluate display positioning, control reachability and user posture in relation to the vehicle's interior architecture.
Usability testing and validation sessions with clients provide opportunities to compare alternatives and refine design decisions before implementation.
This approach also extends beyond passenger cars to commercial vehicles, transportation systems and people movers, adapting HMI design to different operating requirements, user needs and interaction scenarios.
