Lead Innovation and Experience Designer,

Future UX (2028 to 2030)

The brief

Bentley wanted to define what next looks like for luxury driving, across both concept vehicles and production programmes. The work needed to feel ambitious and genuinely new, but also credible enough to secure funding, survive engineering scrutiny, and ultimately make it into the car.

My role

I consulted on core innovation and experience design within the Bentley UX team, shaping early designs and creative direction, turning complex ideas into tangible experiences that stakeholders could feel, not just review on slides.

I worked inside a tight, specialist squad of five, spanning UX/UI, animation, lighting, and surface experts. My job was to set the creative and interaction direction, pull the right people into the right problems, and keep everything aligned from design intent through to prototype execution.

The challenge

In automotive, the gap between “nice idea” and “buildable reality” is massive. The goal was to compress that gap by creating experiences that were:

• unmistakably Bentley in character

• future-facing without feeling gimmicky

• grounded enough to justify further prototyping and testing investment

What I delivered

1. Future opportunity mapping and benchmarking

I identified and benchmarked emerging interaction patterns and technologies, then translated them into clear opportunity areas through fantastic design for Bentley’s 2028 to 2030 roadmap. This gave stakeholders a structured view of where Bentley could lead and why.

2. A new visual language for an AI driven in car assistant

I developed and designed the initial distinctive visual and motion language for an AI assistant that integrated physical and digital features, designed to enhance the cabin rather than compete with it. Premium, calm, confident, and purpose-led.

3. End-to-end concepts across key vehicle surfaces

I created high-end visuals, sketches, storyboards, and motion studies across:

• CID (Central Information Display)

• DIM (Driver Information Module)

• HMI behaviours and interaction patterns

• interior and exterior experience features across concept and production directions

4. Prototype-ready assets and simulation support

To make the work fundable, we needed it to be believable. I helped manage and shape the graphical and motion assets that fed into physical simulation prototypes and simulation bucks, bringing ideas into a form that could be reviewed, selected, and progressed.

5. Board and stakeholder narrative

I designed and delivered board review presentations that simplified complexity into clear decisions. I also collaborated across internal departments and suppliers to align on objectives, time frames, budgets, and what was realistically achievable in each phase.

ROLES & SERVICES:

• Research and innovation across Experience design for Exterior / Interior, HMI, CID, HUD, and DIM displays Lighting,
• Ui & Visual Design Thinking
• Advanced Concepts & Innovation Design
• Ai Design and language modelling
• Advanced Interaction Design
• Development through to production
• Ecosystem and connectivity ( IoT )
• Design system optimisation
• Iconography design
• Animations & TouchDesigner