ABOUT

The Lotus Theory 1 represents a bold step forward in design, technology, and driver engagement, blending digital innovation with natural and analogue sensibilities. Collaborating closely with Lotus' marketing, interior, pre-visualisation, and concept car manufacturing teams, I contributed to the design and implementation of key UI components. My work fed into the development of creative UI elements for the steering wheel, interior, and exterior tech lines, supporting the team in aligning these features with the vehicle's overall vision and ensuring they worked seamlessly across both the concept and physical prototype.
Ref. AboveThis is the final solution we arrived at. The marketing team initially worked with the Visualisation team to create the background needles, aiming to enhance internal light projection and the techline. The proposal was mostly superficial, so we pushed to add some logic and important contextual interactions. The needles were used to convey specific information on the exterior, they indicated locked, charge, and opening states, while internally, lines on the wheel screen, and windscreen cluster showed turning forces and speed.I was closely involved in the steering wheel UI, initially envisioned as a wheel with a screen seamlessly integrated behind it. We explored innovative UI glass Lumineq technologies for the front layer, which was particularly interesting as the design had to function like a calculator, a segment display, where elements could be turned on or off but not overlap. This introduced some limitations in terms of line thickness and gaps between elements.Ultimately, the turnaround time and costs for the physical car shaped our direction. We incorporated the concept into pre-visualisation videos and opted for a simple, stripped-back etched glass solution in the physical concept car. The concept car cycled through a series of linked scenarios within the vehicle including Comfort, Sport, and Autonomous mode.
Ref. AboveThe concepts above come from an earlier stage in the process, before practical considerations and constraints came into play. Although these designs aren’t particularly refined, they show some creative exploration of a more exotic tone, more akin to a plane cockpit, with richer colours and greater detail on the glass screen. The wheel design, combined with the internal lighting, had a sci-fi tone reminiscent of a Star Wars TIE Fighter, which I was excited to develop further.Earlier designs leaned heavily into a 'The Designer Republic' and 'Cyberpunk' aesthetic. However, as expected, this approach didn’t fully align with the tone and branding of Lotus, leading us to refine the vision to better suit the project’s direction.
Ref. Above​​​​​​​These are some concepts from much earlier in the process, when the interior was still being properly refined, hence the interesting levels of gold bling. I’ve kept these in because I like the stripped-back slim screen on the steering wheel and the minimal design.
Ref. AboveThis expanded final exploration builds on the needle concept. I introduced the idea of a needle plane, which communicates the environment surrounding the vehicle. This includes surface elevation and road or lane edge indications. I also developed the concept further to incorporate performance driving lines and braking guides, similar to those seen in AAA video games.