Steering UX Education: Designing an Automotive UX Course

In-car interfaces are the primary medium for communication between the occupants and the increasingly agentic vehicle systems. Although many universities teach automotive user experience and design courses, there is no consensus on what topics to cover. Some schools may choose to focus on the interior design of the cabin, including, but not limited to, physical controls and ergonomics, while other schools may just focus on the usability of what is shown to the driver and passengers. Participants in our workshop will discuss various topics for teaching Automotive UX and UI at both undergraduate and graduate levels, participating in interactive activities such as panels, breakout discussions, and syllabus design. Participants will then combine and form their findings into a course outline based on themes (ex., UI, Human Factors, etc.). This workshop is expected to achieve general consensus on a Automotive UX curriculum drawing from diverse stakeholders, including academia, industry, and government.