Project name: Atom
Project Type: Automotive, phygital
Role: UX/UI Team Lead
Team: 7 designers
What I did: Design-management, art-direction, UX/UI

We designed a media center that visually reinforces Atom’s circular steering wheel while keeping content legible at any steering angle. All primary controls are thumb‑reachable with palms on the wheel, prioritizing safety and comfort. Drawing on in‑car and modern media players, we used a smartphone‑like visual language to support Atom’s “car‑gadget” positioning and launched it in a pre‑production Atom prototype.

The media center includes a service hub, radio, media player, and sound settings, and supports voice control as well as touch joysticks for input. The key challenge was designing a unified media experience for three touchpoints at once: the steering‑wheel display, the HUD, and the voice assistant. At the same time, it was critical not to distract the driver from the road, so in‑car music controls had to feel convenient, native, and almost invisible. The system also had to account for a steering‑wheel screen that rotates while the car is in motion, a relatively small display area, and hardware limitations in rendering light blue, neon tones, and other high‑brightness shades.

The design draws inspiration from the iPod’s iconic click wheel — the satisfying tactile rotation, subtle vibration feedback, and smooth rounded UI elements like the radio dial, circular animations, and curved buttons. It also echoes the Mini Cooper’s signature retro semicircular dashboard with bold typography and divided gauge styling. Classic media players such as Apple Music Auto, Yandex Music Auto, and Spotify influence the use of soft rounded shapes, varied control styles, micro-animations, and clean track lists.

Grounded in Atom’s tone of voice and brand pyramid, we created animations that express the car’s “electric” character and scientific roots while also capturing the energy and desire for freedom of its target audience—urban residents 35 and older.

Based on testing with pre-production steering wheel displays, we identified a set of safe colors that remain legible both in complete darkness at night and in bright direct sunlight, then adapted the interfaces accordingly.

We also verified that key UI elements are positioned within thumb-friendly reach zones so drivers can comfortably access them with both thumbs while keeping their palms on the wheel.

We also designed different widget states for the main media hub, as well as patterns for adjusting volume, the equalizer, and other audio settings.
Our design process followed four stages aligned with the maturity of the design and included mandatory usability testing, desk research, and certification.

I collaborated with development teams from several countries to make the production outcome as predictable as possible.

As a result of our work, media-related tasks while driving an electric vehicle became faster and easier compared with market alternatives, and the number of potentially hazardous situations during road tests decreased.

During testing, users highlighted the ease and simplicity of the interfaces, actively used voice commands, and consistently noticed the system’s responses on the HUD display.
The vehicle is scheduled to launch in the Russian and Chinese markets in 2026–2027.