During my time at Tesla between 2015-2017 I worked on redesigning the UI style-guide, the in car media player and the Model X falcon door interface.
Redesigning the style guide to replace skeuomorphic elements of the previous interface was a delicate project. Because we were updating all of the in-car UI simultaneously, these assets had to be incorporated without breaking any old features.
The style guide had to have a day mode, as well as a night mode. Day mode allows for a drastic reduction in sun glare and night mode makes the brightness of the screen less distracting when driving after sundown.
The Media Player was one of the center pieces of the updated interface. I was tasked with leading the redesign on the streaming music service, the radio interface, phone and USB media player, and the music search capabilities.
Our task was to have a simple UI that allows a driver to toggle quickly between all their favorite music regardless if it was from a streaming service, radio, or their phone. These controls can be accessed from the steering wheel as well as the touch screen.
We also developed a new search feature to quickly browse media. Search results are separated by categories and can be further filtered by the tabs up top.
8.0 introduced browsing music by key words. Saying phrases like “Play Bastille” would bring up a search result with songs, albums, and artists related to the key word.
I also worked on the UI to control and troubleshoot the Model X falcon doors. This was considered one of the biggest selling features of the Model X. It was also one of the hardest to get right.
Anytime the car is put into park a UI appears to let the driver open the falcon doors. If the doors stop because of an issue, the display will identify the cause and help the driver troubleshoot the problem.