An advanced project
Working on a digital instrument cluster for trucks and buses has been an exciting and rewarding challenge. Trucks are more than just vehicles; they serve as workplaces and, at times, sleeping quarters for drivers. These vehicles are used for a variety of purposes, from city deliveries and long-haul transport to fire trucks, custom builds, and buses. The Smart Dash is designed to address all these diverse needs, making it an exceptionally advanced system. Its digital displays offer a wide range of features, including real-time driving data, navigation, vehicle settings, connectivity, climate control, route planning, and much more.
My role
In this project, my primary role has been as the area lead for the icons and icon library. This involves the creation, guidelines, organization, and maintenance of the icons in the library, as well as driving process improvements. Additionally, I’ve contributed to the overall design system, focusing on the creation and updates of components in a highly advanced system. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on such a large-scale design system, which has provided me with in-depth knowledge and experience in managing design systems efficiently.
Three types of sceens
Driver display
Central display 10"
Central display 12"
The design system
In a project of this scale, the design system needs to be highly advanced. We continuously implement improvements to keep the system as efficient as possible. Some of these enhancements include the use of variables, variants, and subcomponents but also how the system is designed and implemented.
A great example of this is the strategy around iconography. The number of icons required in a project like this is substantial, so to maintain system performance, we ensure only one version of each icon is used. The icons are designed using a grid system and follow strict guidelines, allowing them to scale within the implementation while remaining optimate for each size and screen. Additionally, the icon colors are set during the implementation process.
Consistency and usability are guiding principles throughout this project. The icons are designed to streamline navigation and simplify the presentation of information. Their visual design is intentionally kept simple and clear to effectively communicate the functions they represent. The icons are not only consistent across the system but are also crafted for seamless integration across both digital and physical environments at Scania.
