A 6-month internship inside one of Europe's most exciting automotive brands, focused on HMI design, infotainment interfaces, lighting UX and the full sensory experience of the CUPRA Kombi.
During my internship at CUPRA, I joined a multidisciplinary team of 4 to work on the digital and sensory experience inside the CUPRA Kombi. The challenge was not solving a broken interface — it was elevating an already premium experience to feel truly exceptional.
My work spanned the infotainment screen, interior and exterior lighting design, and sound experience — approaching each touchpoint through the lens of emotion, psychology, and usability.
Working within a leading automotive brand taught me how design decisions at the interface level directly affect safety, emotion, and the perceived quality of a vehicle.
Understanding the CUPRA brand DNA — what emotions the car should trigger, and what the driver expects from every interaction inside the vehicle.
Deep competitive analysis of automotive HMI across premium brands — studying the psychology behind color, layout, and motion in cockpit interfaces.
Cross-functional collaboration with the team to generate concepts. Every decision was discussed, challenged, and refined through multiple iterations.
Converging on final directions that balanced innovation with brand consistency, feasibility, and — above all — the driver's experience.
The central screen is the brain of the modern car. We explored interface hierarchies, information density, and contextual UI — designing for a driver who needs critical information instantly without cognitive overload. Every element had to feel premium, intuitive, and unmistakably CUPRA.
Ambient lighting is a silent communicator. We designed lighting scenarios that respond to driving modes, time of day, and user preference — transforming the cabin into an emotional environment rather than just a functional space.
From DRL signatures to welcome sequences, exterior lighting is brand identity in motion. We explored how light patterns can communicate performance, safety, and personality — making the car recognizable even in the dark.
Sound design in EVs is a new frontier. Without engine noise, every UI sound, notification, and feedback tone becomes part of the brand. We approached sound as a UX layer — reinforcing actions, moods, and the CUPRA character.
We conducted an in-depth analysis of premium automotive interfaces — not just copying what works, but understanding the psychology behind every design decision: why certain colors feel sporty, why specific animations reduce perceived latency, why some layouts feel luxurious and others don't.
"The best automotive interfaces don't just display information — they create an emotional relationship between the driver and the machine. Color, motion, and hierarchy are not aesthetic choices, they are functional ones."
Working in a team of 4 inside a real automotive company taught me that great design is never a solo act. Every decision was discussed, challenged, and improved through different perspectives — engineering, brand, and UX working as one unit.
Designing for a car is completely different from designing for a screen. The user is driving at 120km/h, emotionally engaged, and cognitively loaded. Every design decision needs to be justified by safety, not just aesthetics.
Understanding why humans perceive certain colors as sporty, why specific animations feel fast or slow, and how sound triggers emotional responses — this is what separates surface-level design from truly intentional UX.
The most creative ideas came after deeply understanding what was technically feasible, what the brand allowed, and what the user actually needed. Constraints are not limitations — they are the starting point of real design thinking.
Due to a Non-Disclosure Agreement with CUPRA — SEAT S.A., visual outputs and specific design details from this project cannot be shared publicly. All visuals shown are official CUPRA press materials. The case study reflects the process, methodology, and learnings from the internship.