Concept Lab · Performance HMI

A Ferrari cluster designed in 2015, re-checked against the cars Ferrari actually built

FXXJ was a cluster for driving enthusiasts, built around a start-up ritual, modes that change what the cluster is for, and physical controls. In 2026 I rebuilt it as a working prototype and compared it with Ferrari's newest interfaces, including the Luce by Jony Ive's LoveFrom.

Context
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), 2015. Ferrari was part of FCA until 2016.
My role
UX/UI designer: interaction concept, cluster layout, UI and prototype
Prototypes
PowerPoint demo (2015) · working HTML prototype and film (2026)
2015 FXXJ cluster render: a wide red-lit winged cluster with camera views in the side pods, an orange tachometer in the centre and a navigation display above
The 2026 rebuild, from engine start to a flying lap.
2026 verdict

I bet on a physical start button and a mode dial. Ferrari went touch-first with the SF90, then returned to buttons in 2025.1,2 Where I missed: the mode dial belongs on the steering wheel, and the passenger deserves a role.

The brief

Bring hypercar thrill to a road-legal Ferrari

How can the cluster offer new experiences while keeping what makes a Ferrari a Ferrari?

The driver drives to the track on public roads, so one cluster had to handle a garage, a city street and a flying lap.

Two principles from the brand
01

Faster, and beautiful

Ferrari pairs speed with beauty, so the cluster had to make speed feel good, not just be legible.

02

The job changes with the road

On the way there the driver needs directions. On track they need lap time, braking points and tyres. One layout can't do both.

Mood board on Ferrari philosophy: Enzo Ferrari at the wheel, a 'Go faster, faster and beautiful' collage, and close-ups of classic Ferrari bodywork and gauges
Brand research: Ferrari's philosophy and its vision of beauty.
Four design moves

What the cluster does, and why

Move 01

Make the start a ritual

A red Engine Start button wakes the car in stages: the wings sweep red, a system check ticks through, and the needle sweeps before settling.

Why: starting the car is part of owning a Ferrari, and a physical button gives it weight.
Instrument cluster design board showing three states: Engine Start with opening animation and brake lights, Sports Mode with city navigation, and Track Mode with track navigation and race information
2015 board: the three states of the cluster.
Move 02

One cluster, three jobs

A mode dial changes what the cluster shows. The city layout has route, tyres, oil, coolant and media. Track mode strips it down to speed, gear, shift lights, lap time and delta.

Why: changing the content, not just the colour, keeps each mode focused.
2015 cluster in Sport mode: orange tachometer showing zero and Park, tyre and car information on the left, a Navigation, Media, Radio and Phone menu on the right, and track camera views in the side pods
2015 render: Sport mode, with car data and the media menu.
Move 03

Wings that look backwards

The cluster's side pods show the rear cameras, putting the mirrors in the driver's line of sight. The wing edges light up with the brake lights.

Why: fewer places to look. Camera mirrors are legal in Europe and Japan but still under study in the US.10
Annotated cluster layout: waterfall screen, navigation pop-up display, rear-view camera displays with air vents, gauges and sensors, car and track information, tachometer, brake lights and communication expression, and the multimedia menu
2015 layout: rear camera displays sit in the wings.
Move 04

Track data where the eyes already are

On track, the display above the cluster shows the next corner and braking point. The centre shows lap, delta and tyre temperatures.

Why: at speed every glance costs distance, so the next decision sits at the top of the view.
2026 rebuild: what Track mode shows on a flying lap.
From 2015 to 2026

The same concept, rebuilt as something you can drive

The 2015 demo was a PowerPoint video. The rebuild works: press Engine Start, then turn the dial from Comfort to Sport to Track.

Interactive prototype loading…
Click Engine Start · turn the dial with click, scroll or arrow keysBest on a larger screen. On a phone, the film at the top shows the full sequence.
A tachometer that reads at a glance

A clear redline and a needle that sweeps on start.

2015: dense dial, no clear redline
One colour per mode

Neutral at rest, amber in Sport, red in Track, across the whole cluster.

2015: orange in every mode
Problems flag themselves

A low tyre turns amber, and oil and coolant are labelled in words.

2015: unlabelled numbers
The original 2015 PowerPoint demo, garage to track.
Reality check · 2015 vs. 2026

FXXJ against Ferrari today, including Jony Ive's Luce

The benchmark is Ferrari's latest cars: the Amalfi, and the all-electric Luce, with an interior by Jony Ive and Marc Newson's LoveFrom. One caveat: the Luce is a four-door family car, and FXXJ was designed for a two-seat driver's car.4,6,9

Idea
FXXJ
Ferrari today
Verdict
Physical start and mode controls
FXXJA red Engine Start button and a rotary mode dial.
Ferrari todayAfter the SF90's touch controls, the Amalfi brought back a red start button and physical wheel buttons, and a retrofit kit converts older cars. The Luce uses mechanical toggles.1,2,3,5
Held up
Where the mode dial sits
FXXJBeside the cluster, so the driver lets go of the wheel to use it.
Ferrari todayOn the wheel: the manettino, and the Luce's dials under the spokes.2,4
Missed
Where the cluster lives
FXXJFixed to the dash, where the rim can hide the wings.
Ferrari todayThe Luce mounts it on the steering column, so it moves with the wheel.4
Luce better
Emotion and theatre
FXXJA start ritual, mode colours, shift lights and red wings.
Ferrari todayThe Luce is calm and heritage-led. Critics called it clean but unexciting, closer to Apple than to Ferrari.7,8
FXXJ better
Track tools
FXXJLap, delta, tyre temperatures and the next braking point.
Ferrari todayThe Luce offers a G-meter and a launch-control mode.4,5
FXXJ better
The passenger
FXXJNothing for the passenger.
Ferrari todayThe Amalfi has a passenger display, and the Luce's centre screen swivels between seats.2,4
Missed
Camera pods for mirrors
FXXJRear views inside the cluster wings.
Ferrari todayNot used by Ferrari. Legal in Europe and Japan, still under study in the US.10
Still open
My call

Keep FXXJ a car for enthusiasts, and take what the Luce gets right.

The theatre and the track tools are why this car exists, so they stay. The Luce is right about where controls live and what should be real.

  1. Put the cluster and modes on the wheelMount the cluster on the column and make the mode dial a manettino, so hands never leave the wheel.
  2. Make one element mechanicalA real tachometer needle, or a dial with detents you can count without looking.
  3. Calm by default, theatre on demandA quiet Comfort mode for the drive there, with the full show saved for Sport and Track.
  4. Give the passenger a co-driver screenLap times and the track map on their side, so a track day is shared.
Where this led

Two habits that carried into my professional work

Physical controls → Volvo Trucks

The detent has to match the screen

At Volvo I found the fan knob's detents didn't match the fan steps on screen. I validated a fix in a buck simulator with 15 participants, and the revised detents were carried forward.

Digital clusters → CARIAD / VW Group

Validate the cluster in the car

At CARIAD I wrote and ran test cases for digital instrument clusters and infotainment across VW Group's multi-brand platforms.

Sources for the 2026 reality check
  1. Autocar: Ferrari reintroduces physical buttons in interior rethink
  2. evo: Ferrari Amalfi revealed, physical buttons return
  3. Octane: Ferrari retrofit kit reintroduces physical steering wheel buttons
  4. Paul Tan: Ferrari Luce interior revealed
  5. CarExpert: Ferrari Luce interior
  6. T3: How Marc Newson and Jony Ive designed the Luce
  7. Il Sole 24 Ore: User interfaces and the Ferrari Luce controversy
  8. evo: People are angry about the Luce's interior
  9. AP via WRDW: Ferrari unveils the Luce, its first electric car
  10. SlashGear: Camera side mirrors and US approval
Back to top
FXXJ Cluster Prototype
ENGINE START
MARINA BLVD
15010050 T3
10:4272°F
RANGE 312 mi
SYSTEM CHECK
WELCOME
Good morning
Press ENGINE START to wake the powertrain.
BRAKE LIGHTS ON
32
FL
34
RL
32
FR
29
RR
OIL
75°C
COOLANT
65°C
MENUTURN · PRESS
0.4 mi
Right onto Marina Blvd
ETA 10:5412 min · 6.1 mi
NOW PLAYING
[Track title]
[Artist]
1:243:52
FM RADIO
98.3
[Station name] · [Show]
PHONECONNECTED
No active call · Favourites
LAP3 / 12
DRS 123456
BOOST1.4 BAR
CURRENT
1:12.48
DELTA−0.42
BEST
1:42.38
LAST
1:43.91
TYRES88 · 91 · 94 · 96 °C
FAST CHARGE45%
SYSTEMS ONLINE
FXXJ
READY
0
MPH
P
LEFT · REAR
CAMERA STARTING…
RIGHT · REAR
CAMERA STARTING…
PRESS ENGINE START · TURN THE KNOBS (CLICK, SCROLL OR ARROWS)