CloudMade was a pioneering automotive start-up operating between London and Kyiv, Ukraine. Long before the current wave of generative AI, the company was working closely with OEMs to explore how artificial intelligence and predictive systems could make the vehicle experience smarter and more personalised.
Its technology included predictive navigation, intelligent drive modes, occupancy recognition, adaptive climate control, and smart parking and payment. These systems responded to user behaviour, time of day and seasonal changes, becoming increasingly intuitive the more they were used.
Its technology included predictive navigation, intelligent drive modes, occupancy recognition, adaptive climate control, and smart parking and payment. These systems responded to user behaviour, time of day and seasonal changes, becoming increasingly intuitive the more they were used.
To demonstrate how these ideas could work in practice, we created mobile app prototypes and retrofitted a completely new HMI into a Volkswagen Golf.
CloudMade approached me to design an intelligent vehicle interface that connected the in-car and mobile experiences. The visual design was intentionally brand-neutral and premium, allowing the technology to be demonstrated clearly while meeting the level of execution expected by automotive OEMs.
One of the most interesting projects replaced the Golf’s hybrid physical-digital instrument cluster with a fully digital display. We rebuilt the key functionality expected of a production cluster, including its legal and safety-critical information. I worked directly with the developer, who had full access to the vehicle’s CAN data, allowing us to iterate quickly and solve problems together.
Working directly with developers and engineers to interpret and respond to live vehicle signals was a revelation. It felt much closer to software development than traditional automotive design and allowed us to push features and driver feedback far beyond what the original system offered, particularly around ADAS.
We built the system from scratch in under six months. The UI was designed in Sketch and developed in Kanzi. Visually and functionally, it was a clear improvement over the Golf’s original cluster. The small team and direct working relationship meant decisions could be made quickly, without the usual layers of traditional automotive development.
CloudMade approached me to design an intelligent vehicle interface that connected the in-car and mobile experiences. The visual design was intentionally brand-neutral and premium, allowing the technology to be demonstrated clearly while meeting the level of execution expected by automotive OEMs.
One of the most interesting projects replaced the Golf’s hybrid physical-digital instrument cluster with a fully digital display. We rebuilt the key functionality expected of a production cluster, including its legal and safety-critical information. I worked directly with the developer, who had full access to the vehicle’s CAN data, allowing us to iterate quickly and solve problems together.
Working directly with developers and engineers to interpret and respond to live vehicle signals was a revelation. It felt much closer to software development than traditional automotive design and allowed us to push features and driver feedback far beyond what the original system offered, particularly around ADAS.
We built the system from scratch in under six months. The UI was designed in Sketch and developed in Kanzi. Visually and functionally, it was a clear improvement over the Golf’s original cluster. The small team and direct working relationship meant decisions could be made quickly, without the usual layers of traditional automotive development.
CloudMade’s mobile app extended the experience beyond the vehicle, carrying the same predictive and personalised thinking into a connected experience that could support the user before, during and after a journey.
Another major takeaway was the opportunity to visit Kyiv and get to know Ukraine and its people. The city felt modern, progressive and full of smart, good-humoured and welcoming people. I’m grateful to have experienced it shortly before the war began.
