Casper Kessels
@casperkessels.com
Designer. Chief Product Officer at snappautomotive.io. I mostly write about automotive UX design on theturnsignalblog.com.
Other stuff I have built:
enzoslegacy.com
cardesignhistory.com
Other stuff I have built:
enzoslegacy.com
cardesignhistory.com
Pinned
Casper Kessels
@casperkessels.com
· Feb 11
The Subtle Art of Designing Physical Controls for Cars
Prototyping a concept for simpler, physical climate controls
www.theturnsignalblog.com
My article is live and I'm quite proud of this one!
Over the last weeks I have been playing with a rotary dial with an embedded display to try designing better in-car climate controls.
Physical interfaces are much harder but really fun to bring to life!
www.theturnsignalblog.com/the-subtle-a...
Over the last weeks I have been playing with a rotary dial with an embedded display to try designing better in-car climate controls.
Physical interfaces are much harder but really fun to bring to life!
www.theturnsignalblog.com/the-subtle-a...
3 years ago, I didn't see a single BYD in Brazil. Now they're everywhere. BYD uses Android without Google services, and interestingly, every Uber driver I've talked to has been to "a guy" who unlocked the system to sideload Waze and other apps instead of using CarPlay or AA.
January 4, 2026 at 5:02 PM
3 years ago, I didn't see a single BYD in Brazil. Now they're everywhere. BYD uses Android without Google services, and interestingly, every Uber driver I've talked to has been to "a guy" who unlocked the system to sideload Waze and other apps instead of using CarPlay or AA.
I salute the gentleman who is keeping his 164 alive in Brazil
January 3, 2026 at 5:12 PM
I salute the gentleman who is keeping his 164 alive in Brazil
Reposted by Casper Kessels
THE ALFA – One of the Rarest Alfa Romeos and the Man who Raced it
YouTube video by By Design
youtu.be
December 24, 2025 at 6:03 AM
A simulator study measuring cognitive load does not say much about safety. It’s super hard and expensive to actually study this, and explaining why is difficult because people have strong feelings about it.
Touch screens probably impact safety but there is no good research yet about it.
Touch screens probably impact safety but there is no good research yet about it.
New research finds that car touchscreens are so distracting that they induce "significant performance degradation" among drivers.
Meanwhile, in-vehicle touchscreens remain completely unregulated in the US.
doi.org/10.1145/3746...
Meanwhile, in-vehicle touchscreens remain completely unregulated in the US.
doi.org/10.1145/3746...
December 18, 2025 at 10:42 AM
A simulator study measuring cognitive load does not say much about safety. It’s super hard and expensive to actually study this, and explaining why is difficult because people have strong feelings about it.
Touch screens probably impact safety but there is no good research yet about it.
Touch screens probably impact safety but there is no good research yet about it.
Reposted by Casper Kessels
Yesterday, I noticed a table view with a hover highlight that just felt "flickery." Sure, it worked. It's even what we expect. But inspired by Amber Case and her "Calm Technology" manifesto, I wondered if there was a way to make this simple, even trivial, interaction feel more analogue and calm.
December 7, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Yesterday, I noticed a table view with a hover highlight that just felt "flickery." Sure, it worked. It's even what we expect. But inspired by Amber Case and her "Calm Technology" manifesto, I wondered if there was a way to make this simple, even trivial, interaction feel more analogue and calm.
Having fun with shaders!
November 24, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Having fun with shaders!
Language learning apps never properly match my level or pace, so I spent an evening vibe coding a Portuguese verb-conjugation trainer tailored to how I learn.
Wild how fast you can build something that works better than existing apps.
Wild how fast you can build something that works better than existing apps.
November 13, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Language learning apps never properly match my level or pace, so I spent an evening vibe coding a Portuguese verb-conjugation trainer tailored to how I learn.
Wild how fast you can build something that works better than existing apps.
Wild how fast you can build something that works better than existing apps.
60 euros for what?! Why stop there, why not make the seat optional as well! It's only a 70K car...
October 28, 2025 at 10:36 AM
60 euros for what?! Why stop there, why not make the seat optional as well! It's only a 70K car...
Today I learned that carmakers can’t agree on which way the seat icons should face. BMW is so confused they use both directions in the same system. Obviously the only correct way is how Tesla and Rivian do it!
October 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Today I learned that carmakers can’t agree on which way the seat icons should face. BMW is so confused they use both directions in the same system. Obviously the only correct way is how Tesla and Rivian do it!
You know you are in Germany when there are rules on how to hang towels
September 19, 2025 at 2:47 PM
You know you are in Germany when there are rules on how to hang towels
The crowd favorite
September 9, 2025 at 7:46 PM
The crowd favorite
My experiment with generative UI continues, now adding theme customization!
July 11, 2025 at 5:55 PM
My experiment with generative UI continues, now adding theme customization!
Reposted by Casper Kessels
I wrote something new! It’s a UI design history essay about Mac’s Control Panel, and it uses emulation in some… maybe new and maybe interesting ways?
aresluna.org/frame-of-pre...
aresluna.org/frame-of-pre...
Frame of preference
A story of early Mac settings told by 10 emulators.
aresluna.org
July 8, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I wrote something new! It’s a UI design history essay about Mac’s Control Panel, and it uses emulation in some… maybe new and maybe interesting ways?
aresluna.org/frame-of-pre...
aresluna.org/frame-of-pre...
Congrats to NIO for being the only carmaker to design big touch buttons, and making them look great at the same time. Applying mobile design patterns to cars doesn't work. The gestures, although hidden, are also really helpful while driving!
July 7, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Congrats to NIO for being the only carmaker to design big touch buttons, and making them look great at the same time. Applying mobile design patterns to cars doesn't work. The gestures, although hidden, are also really helpful while driving!
One step closer to a fully customizable instrument cluster with generative UI!
ChatGPT now creates custom React components based on mock vehicle data.
Next up having it create custom UI themes!
ChatGPT now creates custom React components based on mock vehicle data.
Next up having it create custom UI themes!
July 5, 2025 at 8:53 AM
One step closer to a fully customizable instrument cluster with generative UI!
ChatGPT now creates custom React components based on mock vehicle data.
Next up having it create custom UI themes!
ChatGPT now creates custom React components based on mock vehicle data.
Next up having it create custom UI themes!
I’m playing around with the idea of using LLMs to create a fully personalized instrument cluster UI.
Still totally insane to me that you can build the foundation for something like this in just 30 minutes with ChatGPT.
Still totally insane to me that you can build the foundation for something like this in just 30 minutes with ChatGPT.
July 1, 2025 at 6:51 PM
I’m playing around with the idea of using LLMs to create a fully personalized instrument cluster UI.
Still totally insane to me that you can build the foundation for something like this in just 30 minutes with ChatGPT.
Still totally insane to me that you can build the foundation for something like this in just 30 minutes with ChatGPT.
It’s wild seeing this car, and then working daily with European car brands that used to set the standard for innovation but are so stuck in outdated processes and risk-averse culture that they’ll never be able to adapt.
youtu.be/9IMIDQOQzf4?...
youtu.be/9IMIDQOQzf4?...
Xiaomi YU7 Review - China's Hottest EV Just Got 200,000 Orders in 3 Minutes
YouTube video by Inside China Auto
youtu.be
June 26, 2025 at 3:48 PM
It’s wild seeing this car, and then working daily with European car brands that used to set the standard for innovation but are so stuck in outdated processes and risk-averse culture that they’ll never be able to adapt.
youtu.be/9IMIDQOQzf4?...
youtu.be/9IMIDQOQzf4?...
It’s been crazy long since my last blog post but after I got the new Peugeot 3008 in the rental car lottery, I finally found the time to write down my thoughts. It’s super impressive in terms of hardware, but the software can’t quite match it.
www.theturnsignalblog.com/a-ux-review-...
www.theturnsignalblog.com/a-ux-review-...
A UX Review of Peugeot’s New Interior: When Design Ambition Meets Software Reality
Does Peugeot's software match the excellent hardware?
www.theturnsignalblog.com
June 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM
It’s been crazy long since my last blog post but after I got the new Peugeot 3008 in the rental car lottery, I finally found the time to write down my thoughts. It’s super impressive in terms of hardware, but the software can’t quite match it.
www.theturnsignalblog.com/a-ux-review-...
www.theturnsignalblog.com/a-ux-review-...
Reposted by Casper Kessels
Not the biggest issue right now, but Dutch continues to not be a serious language
June 22, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Not the biggest issue right now, but Dutch continues to not be a serious language
Some days I think the car industry is slowly starting to get software, then Nissan ships this. How?!
June 18, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Some days I think the car industry is slowly starting to get software, then Nissan ships this. How?!
Experimenting with some storytelling to show how I created my travel map style
May 27, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Experimenting with some storytelling to show how I created my travel map style
It genuinely baffles me how many carmakers mess up steering wheel controls. Obviously volume should be up/down, and playback left/right!
Peugeot decided playback is up/down. And naturally, pressing up moves down your playlist to the next song.
Peugeot decided playback is up/down. And naturally, pressing up moves down your playlist to the next song.
May 26, 2025 at 6:43 PM
It genuinely baffles me how many carmakers mess up steering wheel controls. Obviously volume should be up/down, and playback left/right!
Peugeot decided playback is up/down. And naturally, pressing up moves down your playlist to the next song.
Peugeot decided playback is up/down. And naturally, pressing up moves down your playlist to the next song.
Google finally created a Figma Design Kit for designing Android Auto/Automotive apps!
www.figma.com/community/fi...
www.figma.com/community/fi...
Car App Templates Design Kit | Figma
Get your app moving and ready for Cars with components and templates to start building you app’s in-car UI.
This kit includes a variety of components, templates, and dashboards provided by the Androi...
www.figma.com
May 21, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Google finally created a Figma Design Kit for designing Android Auto/Automotive apps!
www.figma.com/community/fi...
www.figma.com/community/fi...
This is UI that shipped in a new car in 2025.
Not sure what’s worse: that nobody noticed, or that nobody cared to fix it.
Not sure what’s worse: that nobody noticed, or that nobody cared to fix it.
May 20, 2025 at 2:59 PM
This is UI that shipped in a new car in 2025.
Not sure what’s worse: that nobody noticed, or that nobody cared to fix it.
Not sure what’s worse: that nobody noticed, or that nobody cared to fix it.
This has been my rental for the past week. The interior is full of quirky design decisions—some clever, some… less so. Will probably do a deep dive for my blog!
May 17, 2025 at 7:38 PM
This has been my rental for the past week. The interior is full of quirky design decisions—some clever, some… less so. Will probably do a deep dive for my blog!