Fueling Student Growth

Driving Design

Through hands-on partnerships and industry collaboration, UMSI is expanding opportunities for students to learn by doing and prepare for evolving careers.

A new era of digital design is emerging at the University of Michigan School of Information and it has a steering wheel. This year, UMSI is revving up its automotive user experience curriculum, with the help of a $50,000 grant from General Motors. 

The partnership, led by UMSI lecturer James Rampton, marks an important shift in how the automotive industry views information science. GM still works and funds traditional art and design institutions when it comes to UX, but this grant represents the first time such support has been directed toward a non-art and design school. Rampton says it’s a testament to UMSI’s leadership in the “software-defined” vehicle revolution.  

For Rampton, a former Lead Product Designer at GM, the goal is simple: get students out of 2D screens and flat mock-ups, and into the driver’s seat. “You really need that steering wheel in your face,” he explains. “Being able to insert a design into the context of a cockpit is much more beneficial than just looking at a computer screen.”

The GM sponsorship will transform the student experience through the acquisition of 3D printers, Arduino controls, and dedicated in-vehicle displays. Instead of relying on old design methods, students will build 3D-printed dashboards to scale. By embedding tablets into the physical mock-ups, students can design and test touch targets, voice controls, and gesture interfaces in an environment that mimics a real car. 

The collaboration offers more than just hardware. Students gain direct access to GM’s global design studio in Detroit, with many contact points within the GM design team. This proximity allows students to learn directly from the experts who are currently working on the future of how drivers interact with AI and automated systems. 

Rampton says the partnership is further strengthened by Emily Bowman, a UMSI alum, advisory board member, and UX Director at GM, who has been “a tireless advocate for bridging the gap between North Campus and the automotive capital of the world.”  

The impact of this applied approach is already yielding professional results. In a recent project, UMSI students collaborated with Scout Motors (VW’s EV off-road division). Their work was so impressive that it led to full-time job offers and the potential adoption of their designs into Scout’s upcoming vehicle line. 

In addition, an independent study recently paired students with Stellantis and Mcity to tackle one of the most difficult challenges in autonomous vehicles: the “take-back control” scenario. Students designed a Jeep infotainment interface that was tested in a VR simulator and used in a presentation to the National Science Foundation.

The reputation of UMSI’s automotive UX program is growing so quickly that even industry leaders are taking notice. Rampton notes that many automotive design directors are pointing their own children towards UMSI’s programs.  “They’re not telling their kids to go to art school,” says Rampton. “They’re telling them to check out our program instead.”

As the automotive world moves away from clay modeling and toward information architecture and software, UMSI is winning the race. With the support of  UMSI leadership and dedicated industry partners, students aren’t just learning about the future of transportation, they’re leading the pack.