New vehicle cockpits are bearing an ever-closer resemblance to consumer electronics devices, littered with digital displays, touchscreens and an abundance of graphics that often serve an aesthetic purpose. Functions and interactions that were once performed using physical buttons, dials and switches are now being supported by touch, swipe, glance and command. To reach this point, the automotive industry has had to enlist the expertise of software development teams that understand how to sculpt attractive, intuitive and useful digital cockpits, which can balance performance with energy efficiency, safety and cost.
Mike Juran is Chief Executive of Altia, a company with an enormous presence in the automotive space, but also one that most drivers may never have heard of. Altia has worked with most of the world’s major automakers on everything from mass produced sedans to high-performance supercars and now the next generation of electric vehicles (EVs). There may be no Altia branding in the car, but the company has played a key role in shaping the user experience (UX) that drivers and passengers have come to enjoy. Increasingly, the company is working on ways to optimise the UX for upcoming EVs, pushing energy efficiency to the fore.
