ALPINE

Building a User-Centric UX for Car Audio and CarPlay Integration

As the UX Designer for Alpine’s car audio head unit, which was among the first to support Apple CarPlay, I focused on creating a seamless, intuitive interface that balanced both Alpine’s and CarPlay’s functionalities. I began by researching real in-car behavior through methods such as user shadowing to understand how people navigate music, calls, and messaging while driving, and to identify the moments where distraction risk increases. Based on these insights, I designed wireframes and user flows that simplified navigation and reduced steps for frequent actions like switching sources, controlling music, and handling messages.

I prioritized a clear visual hierarchy so users could easily move between Alpine’s native experience and CarPlay without confusion. This included optimizing touch interactions with reachable, easy-to-recognize controls, integrating voice commands where appropriate, and maintaining Alpine’s design language so the experience felt cohesive even when transitioning into CarPlay. Throughout the project, I collaborated closely with engineering and development to ensure the interface remained intuitive, responsive, and aligned with safety considerations while fully leveraging the modern capabilities Apple CarPlay introduced.