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WardsAuto User Experience Conference Explores Hottest Topics In Automotive Design

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WardsAuto announces the details for the 2018 WardsAuto User Experience (UX) Conference, to be held Tuesday, October 2, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan. 

The event will showcase center stage discussions, panel sessions on UX-focused topics, exhibits from leading technology suppliers and the annual Wards 10 Best User Experience awards ceremony.

"In three years 'user experience' has evolved from a consumer electronics term to the hottest buzzword in automotive," says Drew Winter, Senior Content Director at WardsAuto. "Connectivity, new mobility concepts and autonomous features now have automakers talking about vehicles being 'fun-to-be-in' rather than 'fun-to-drive.'"

"UX now is a key product differentiator. It is the hottest topic in the automotive design community and the number of automotive user experience designers is exploding," Winter notes.

The format of the conference – now in its third year – has been modified to squeeze more information into less time with shorter sessions and a greater variety of topics.

"We now have eight sessions on specific topics, plus two center-stage discussions that tackle the biggest issues of the day in UX," Winter adds. "The morning discussion looks at how to get everyone inside and outside autonomous cars to trust what they are doing; the afternoon conversation is about what future cockpits will look like. It's all aimed at giving attendees lots of information and lots of choices."

Topics to be explored at the conference include:

  • Creating a Happier Life with AI in the Cockpit
  • How to Personalize Shared Vehicle Platforms
  • Smart, Functional Materials and Morphing Controls
  • What We Can Learn from Other Industries
  • Minimizing Distraction While Adding Features
  • The Coolest New HMIs in Production
  • Newest Tech and Concepts for Enhancing UX
  • Making Safety a UX Feature, Not a Glitch

"WardsAuto has a unique perspective in the UX arena because each year we immerse ourselves in the user experience world by spending weeks testing UX and ADAS systems for all the significant new vehicle models. Then we recognize the designers of the best systems with our 10 Best UX awards," Winter says.

The event will feature the third annual Wards 10 Best User Experience awards ceremony, calling winning automaker UX teams to the stage to accept their honors.  WardsAuto judges are currently evaluating new model vehicles in areas such as human-machine interface design, connectivity, infotainment, controls and advanced driver-assist technologies – in addition to overall value.

Registration for the event is now live at http://wardsauto.com/ux, which also includes the agenda and other key conference details.

About WardsAuto

WardsAuto is a world-leading provider of automotive insights and analysis, having served the industry's information needs for more than 90 years. A Southfield, MI-based Informa business, WardsAuto provides a forward-looking perspective on all aspects of the automotive business, from the tech center to the plant floor to the showroom.  Its services include the premium Subscribers.WardsIntelligence.com resource and suite of customizable data reporting tools, the WardsAuto Interiors and Wards Intelligence Outlook and Focus Conferences, and digital newsletters and magazines.  Subscribe to WardsAuto and attend its events by visiting http://www.wardsauto.com.

ABOUT INFORMA

WardsAuto is part of Informa, the international business intelligence, academic publishing, knowledge and events group. Informa serves commercial, professional and academic communities, helping them connect and learn, and creating and providing access to content and intelligence that helps people and businesses work smarter and make better decisions faster.

Informa employs over 11,000 people in more than 30 countries in North and South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.

Media Contact

Chris Lamphear
Director of Marketing
WardsAuto 
248 799 2658
chris.lamphear@informa.com

SOURCE WardsAuto