On a windy Monday evening in September, James Rampton entered his automotive UX class with a playful look on his face. 

“We’re going to cut class early today,” he said, smiling. “And then we’re going on a little trip because I have a surprise for you.” 

The surprise, students would later learn, was a 2023 Cadillac Lyriq. Parked just outside the Burton Memorial Tower at the University of Michigan, the car gave students an opportunity to explore its user experience and design in real time with the help of Rampton.

This vehicle has gotten a lot of attention lately because of its screen size; a 33” diagonal display that combines the driver and center consoles in a singular LED display. It’s also the first vehicle in Cadillac’s transformation into a fully electric brand. 

Cadillac donated the vehicle for the day to let students explore it for class in hopes that it inspires the next generation of designers.

“I thought this was the coolest thing in the world,” said Grace Garmo, a first-year Bachelor of Science in Information student at the University of Michigan School of Information. 

“I really love how the class has expanded the way that I look at UX, and this particular lesson was memorable,” she adds. 

An intermittent lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Information, Rampton brings years of experience as a lead product designer at General Motors. In fact, he designed the alert framework, and the vehicle info app, for the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq. This includes information and notification alerts about the vehicle's tire pressure and temperature. 

He was excited for the chance to show students what it’s like to work as a UX designer for a car manufacturer and watch your work come to life. 

“It’s been a thrill to bring my experience to students and watch them play with the design in the car,” he says. “Students loved it and it put a smile on my face.” 

The automotive UX course is new to UMSI and has been part of a series of special-interest classes for BSI students. The class emerged in response to more graduating students entering the automotive industry. 

For the last month, students have been learning about how information is organized in vehicles and discussing safety, usability, audience and ethics. They’ve been challenged to think about the UX design in both luxury and economy cars. 

“It’s made me look at information differently,” says Briarre Johnson, a first year BSI student. “There are so many features that impact the driver’s experience and safety and the considerations for designing a car are different than if you were designing for an app.” 

The class has been widely successful and has a full roster of BSI students and five Master of Science in Information students taking it. 

On the day Rampton brought in the Cadillac, students took turns entering the car, playing with its features and learning about what characteristics are common in a vehicle experience and how users can interact with them. They enjoyed experimenting with the various apps the car offers its users, as well as its luxury components. 

“It was really fascinating to study the car’s components rather than looking at something in class on a projector,” says Briarre. “It’s also just cool that he’s our professor and worked on it.”