Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2020 - 3

TECHNICAL
INNOVATIONS

SAE INTERNATIONAL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Todd Zarfos
President

HMI | UX DESIGN

UX designers and "engineering chefs" cook up unique
user interfaces
The hybrid-electric
Steyr Konzept tractor
incorporates a
head-up display that
places key operating
parameters in the
operator's line-ofsight to enhance
visibility, productivity
and safety.

Paul Mascarenas, OBE
2019 President
Jeff Hemphill
2021 President Elect
Pascal Joly
Vice President - Aerospace
Ken Washington, PhD
Vice President - Automotive
Michael Weinert
Vice President -
Commercial Vehicle
Andrew Jeffers
Treasurer
David L. Schutt, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Gregory L. Bradley, Esq.
Secretary
Landon Sproull
Jeff Varick
Rhonda Walthall
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SAE Members in a given area. For more
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or contact SAE Member Relations Specialist
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CNH INDUSTRIAL

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you the engineering knowledge you
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Cabin interiors will continue to transform in the
coming years, largely driven by the advanced
UI/UX (user interface/user experience) development taking place in companies' innovation
centers, said David Wilkie, director of the CNH
Industrial Design Center, speaking at a 2020
SAE COMVEC Digital Summit session on design's role in product development. He believes
a designer's job is to foster a "human connection" between the machine and the operator
that includes a focus on ergonomics and the
details that make for a "more pleasurable" operating environment.
"There's a huge push towards improving the
cabin, improving the way of life for the operator
and really making things easy to use and a pleasure to use," Wilkie said. "To do this, you don't
just need a designer or a stylist, what you need
is a team - an engineering team that works with
us, you need ergonomics, and you need the UX/
UI team because it's the complete package."
Wilkie presented several recent futuristiclooking concept vehicles by CNH brands that
span the agricultural, construction and commercial vehicle segments. A hybrid-electric
tractor concept from Steyr and powertrain
partner FPT Industrial revealed in late 2019, the
Steyr Konzept, won a 2020 MUSE Design
Award for Concept Design. This "future vision
for agricultural machinery" features a minimalist design for the cab but maximizes advanced
human-machine interface (HMI) technology.
For example, key operating parameters are

TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

projected onto a head-up display (HUD) to
provide at-a-glance information, enhancing
operator visibility and minimizing distractions.
An integrated display on the right-hand window allows operators to perform farm-management "office" activities, and precision farming is supported by a drone that transmits realtime data back to the cab so parameters can
be modified based on actual field conditions.
Despite the sleek designs and high-tech features, the CNH concepts still retain traditional
HMI elements, such as a steering wheel. Why
remain so operator-focused? "I believe that the
cab is still with us for a while," Wilkie said. "Full
autonomous is actually easier for the designer.
I think we should be looking at both."

HMI standardization

Providing an automotive aftermarket perspective on consumer electronics, Chris Cook, president of the Mobile Electronics Association,
stressed that nothing should break the 10-2-30
rule to ensure safe operation - meaning no
more than 10 two-second glances in a 30-second period. This rule should apply whether
designing for the aftermarket or for original
equipment, he said.
Working against this goal is a lack of HMI
standardization, Cook said, noting that drivers
must acclimate to varied interfaces as they
operate different vehicles. "HMIs from various
automakers, as we've seen from the aftermarket side, become very complicated and almost
October 2020 3

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Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2020

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