When we got back to the airport after the student design presentations we were talking about which one we thought was the strongest. But we couldn’t agree. Each vision of a future vehicle interior had elements we loved.
What we did agree on was how impressed we were though. Just two months before, we’d spoken to Demian Horst at Umeå Design Institute in Sweden and started a process of working with students there. What they produced in that time was fascinating.
It was a great opportunity for them and for us. For the students we could talk to them about how car design works in the real world and give them genuine insights. I know a lot of my team benefited from touchpoints with car companies when they were students and some of the stories I’ve heard of their experiences really shaped their decisions for the path they took.
The brief we gave them was really a question; how might the design and experience of Ford interiors evolve to align with the expectations of the next generation of users? To help them answer that we also invited them to visit us at the Ford Design Studio, in Cologne, Germany.
During their visit, we didn't just show them our design sketch process or how we leverage virtual reality. I loved sharing insights into how we design, but I also felt it was important to open up about some of our own design journeys. I think what makes our team quite special — and something I'm proud of — is having colleagues who've dedicated over a decade to Ford design, which is genuinely rare. We've certainly evolved in how we work and the tools we use over that time, and it was great to share those stories.
And of course, we couldn't miss taking them on a tour of the Ford Cologne Electric Vehicle Center. It’s always a thrill for me to see our designs come to life there, watching all those incredible robots in action. What I find almost as fascinating is observing the students’ reactions — their wide eyes and gasps are infectious!
When we went to Sweden just weeks later, and having met the students, we expected a high level of work. What we didn’t expect was how differently each of the four groups would interpret the brief.
The four projects were Threo, Fun, Rapport and E A S E. Threo focussed on amplifying the thrill of driving with ideas to change the form, feedback and behaviour of things like the steering wheel in response to driving conditions. At the other end of the scale, Rapport was a project thinking about autonomous vehicles and aimed at reducing the traditional hierarchy.
So rather than having a driver and passengers, they engineered an interior that gave every passenger the chance to do one of six tasks, looking after the driving, the music, lighting, games, snacks or navigation. And the way the seats were laid out encouraged eye contact and, as the name suggested, rapport.
Another team looked at the functionality for two different groups of customers; young families and single, active individuals. Both groups need flexible storage so they came up with clever modular interiors. That means you could arrange the interior to carry bulky sporting items, or to bring your family closer.
And one we enjoyed was the team who focused on fun. I think they likened the interior to a playground, or a fidget park, with lots of elements to explore and interact with. Some of their material choices were really interesting.
From motorsport thrills, to smart and flexible solutions for family needs, and from embracing the fun of journeys to new interior concepts for autonomous vehicles, these students did a great job with the brief, really showing off their imagination and understanding. It’s clear they understood something we know well, that the needs and wants of customers can be very different.
I really liked seeing that they weren’t scared to get their hands dirty too. And on top of that it just feels kind of good that we’re giving back to the community in some way, using our experience to inspire and help future young designers develop their talent. Hopefully this won’t be the last collaboration. We still couldn’t decide on our favourite vision though.
Amko Leenarts is the design director for Ford Europe
