Enhancing GM’s Vehicle Drive Mode Control Experience
Involvement
Date
Product Design
Lead UX Design
Specification Author
2020 — 2024
Integration
Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick Platforms
The Challenge
Modern GM vehicles offer a range of driving modes—Tour, Sport, Track, Off-Road, Snow/Ice, and more—each adjusting steering, suspension, powertrain, and traction systems.
But with growing technical complexity, drivers often struggled to understand how modes worked, when to use them, or what exactly changed.
To address this, we introduced high-fidelity imagery and cinematic videos—a GM first—to visually convey each mode’s purpose and environment, creating a more immersive and intuitive experience that bridges understanding and emotion.
Pain Points
Minimal in-vehicle feedback
Vague or technical mode descriptions
Inconsistent interaction models across brands
Lack of emotional connection to mode selection
“Drivers didn’t know what changed—or why it mattered.”
Design Goals
To improve the drive mode experience, we clarified how each mode changes the vehicle, making technical shifts easier to understand.
We unified interactions across brands for consistency and gave each mode a unique personality to boost emotional connection.
High-fidelity imagery and cinematic video modernized the interface, adding clarity and polish.
“I partnered with teams to create a consistent, engaging drive mode experience and messaging to make each mode clear and intuitive.”
Key Enhancements
On-Screen Feedback
Visually rich overlays and transitions now show how each mode changes the vehicle, delivering clarity at a glance.
Cinematic Motion & High-Fidelity Imagery
For the first time in a GM vehicle, we used cinematic video and high-res imagery to show each mode’s environment—like snow, track, or off-road—turning mode changes into immersive, story-driven moments.Cross-Brand Scalability
A flexible UX system was built to work across brands—easily adapted to the Corvette’s performance focus or a GMC SUV’s off-road capability.Mode Personalities
Each mode was designed with distinct icons, typography, motion language, and audio cues to reinforce its identity and purpose.
Results & Impact
The redesigned drive mode system delivered a more intuitive, emotional, and premium experience—bridging performance with personality.
High-fidelity visuals and cinematic media set a new benchmark for in-vehicle interaction at GM, strengthening driver engagement and elevating feature perception across the portfolio.
Drive modes are more than just settings—they’re expressions of a vehicle’s personality. Through cinematic visuals, thoughtful interaction, and meaningful feedback, we redefined how drivers connect with their cars.