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Cadillac CUE

Gesture-Based Automotive UX

I helped to shape this vision to life through human-centered design, deep contextual research, and close cross-functional collaboration, delivering an elegant, intuitive system that set a new standard for in-car technology.

THE CHALLENGE

Cadillac set out to reimagine in-car technology with a bold, gesture-based infotainment system — one that felt intuitive, elegant, and safe while reinforcing the brand’s luxury identity.

The system needed to balance:
✔️ Glanceable interaction in motion
✔️ Gesture, haptic, and proximity input
✔️ Seamless alignment across hardware, software, and industrial design

MY ROLE

As a User Experience Interaction Designer, I contributed across the entire product lifecycle:

Led contextual research through ride-alongs in 4 cities
Designed gesture-based flows, motion patterns, and prototypes
Created storyboards, wireframes, and interaction models
Collaborated across hardware, visual, and motion design
Defined interaction patterns that balanced safety with sophistication

THE APPROACH

Contextual Research and Co-Creation

We started with ride-alongs to understand how drivers used — and struggled with — existing systems. I synthesized findings into personas and artifacts that informed both IA and interaction priorities.

Everyday Drivers needed ease and clarity
Luxury Drivers expected sophistication and polish
Power Users wanted control and customization

Interaction & Motion Design

I designed and prototyped flows that supported:

Glanceable gestures like swipes, taps, and proximity-triggered menus
Progressive disclosure to minimize cognitive load
Motion-optimized hierarchy for safety in motion
Multimodal integration across gesture, touch, voice, and hardware

Visual Artifacts

Affinity Diagrams to synthesize driver behaviors
Artifact Models mapping what drivers bring into the vehicle
Wireframes for exploring large-screen UI interactions
Final UI Designs refined and branded for production

Affinity Diagram — Synthesized data from contextual inquiries into a clear framework of driver behaviors and needs.

Artifact Model — Created in Illustrator to document and visualize what drivers bring into their car, informing UI priorities.

Wireframes — Early center stack concepts sketched in charcoal to explore interaction on an unprecedented screen size for its time.

Final UI — The production-ready interface, released in 2013, showcasing a polished, branded experience aligned with Cadillac’s vision.

THE IMPACT

Launched one of the first gesture-based UIs in a production vehicle
Reduced distraction and friction through glanceable interaction design
Set new standards for multimodal in-car systems
Featured at CTIA as a symbol of Cadillac’s tech-forward vision

This work showed how human-centered design can elevate safety, usability, and luxury — even in the most constrained, high-motion environments. ✨

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