Targeting a Luxury Driver Experience: Design Considerations for Automotive HMI and Interiors

Luxury car design feeds on traditions of performance, quality, precision, craftsmanship, and unique or expensive materials. More recently, interactive technologies have become a variable for automotive human-machine interface (HMI) and interior design. Still, the criteria for their successful implementation in a luxury context are unclear. This research aimed to reveal the facets of a luxury driver experience in the current digitally progressive era, contributing to the field of design for luxury (DfL). In-car interviews were performed with staff from Bentley Motors (n = 28), creating a driver-based dataset of luxury appraisals. The results are distilled into DfL-driver cards that communicate design considerations under ten headings: comfort, ease of use, customization, smartness, connectivity, form, materials, realization, perspectives, and trends. The results inform discussion on the multifaceted challenge of luxury automotive HMI and interior design, the transferability of results across international markets, and temporal effects on luxury. By cross-comparing luxury user experience goals stated on each card, six strategies for targeting luxury driver experiences are proposed: financial/status symbol, physical embodiment, automotive concierge, flow, convenience and leisure, and compatibility. The DfL-driver cards are worded carefully so that they can be used or adapted for other industries and luxury product sectors.