Metis

Metis

Metis

Steering wheel redesign

2025
MSc thesis project
Giorgio Guí

My thesis explores how digital and physical design work together to shape user experiences. The automotive cockpit, where hardware and software meet, was the ideal setting. Focusing on the steering wheel and instrument cluster, the research led to Metis, a concept for an adaptive, user centred instrument cluster UI.

Link to thesis document

Research

The research combined desk and fieldwork, starting with an analysis of how hardware and software interact in consumer electronics. This was followed by a deep dive into current automotive design, including a review and evaluation of 15 vehicle interiors to gain a better understanding on how steering wheels are designed and used today.

Problems

The desk and field research allowed to gain a deeper understanding of the automotive market state of the art and highlight the main issues in the instrument cluster and steering wheel design.

Lack of integration

The controls are not often well integrated within the vehicle and instrument cluster. Some buttons lack functions and the actions performed on the wheel are not reflected on the instrument cluster.

The controls are not often well integrated within the vehicle and instrument cluster. Some buttons lack functions and the actions performed on the wheel are not reflected on the instrument cluster.

Complex graphics

Vehicle graphics are often counterintuitive and can take some time to learn. Overly complex visuals and effects can distract the driver and affect focus.

Limited customization

Most vehicles analysed lack the possibility to customise the view of the instrument cluster and the controls on the steering wheel.

The user interface adapts to the user needs and the context. Certain areas of the screen enlarge to display the needed information to the user.

The controls on the steering wheel reflect the user actions on the vehicle, making the overall driving experience more intuitive.

The interface implements GenUI features that allow to customise the content of the screen based off user preferences and likings.

When the user accesses the autopilot feature, the steering wheel controls give feeback to the user of the current status and it's possible to access more complex elements on the instrument cluster, such as information about the landscape surrounding the driver.

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