Climate Control Experience

PROJECT

Role

UI/UX Designer

Objective

Create a modern, intuitive, cohesive but brand-specific Climate Control UI that would provide the customer with a consistent experience across all GM vehicles.

Duration

2021-2024

case study

The Climate Control Experience across all GM vehicles had to function as a cohesively designed system, ensuring a seamless user experience regardless of the brand, model, or trim.

The Climate Control Experience design project involved the creation of two distinct systems:

  • Premium Climate Controls with 5 hi-res displays

  • Branded Climate Control App

Overview

The pressure to develop a premium, customer-focused UI that was both intuitive and capable of delivering an exceptional experience was immense, as the 2024 Celestiq is frequently referred to as "America's $340k Cadillac rivaling Rolls-Royce and Bentley".

Front and Rear Command Centers

Here is a short tour through the Escalade IQ interior

The opulent design of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ redefines what a luxury SUV can be. It brings iconic design, the highest level of craftsmanship, and the latest technology.

Branded Climate Control App UI

The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq features a sweeping 33-inch continuous screen that curves across the dashboard. While the climate control switches are the only physical buttons in the interior, it also includes the same climate app controls found in other brands.

The 2024 Buick Envision features a redesigned interior with a curved OLED display and updated infotainment system that includes single or dual-zone automatic climate control, allowing the driver and front passenger to set their own preferred temperatures independently.

The 2024 Chevy Blazer offers single or dual-zone automatic climate control for a personalized, luxurious experience. The UI delivers consistent features across brands while staying true to Chevy’s unique identity. This infotainment system is also featured in other Chevy models, including the Equinox, Trax, Silverado, and more.

At the core of the 2024 Acadia’s infotainment system is a large, portrait-oriented touchscreen that is fully customizable, allowing users to prioritize apps, radio stations, and smartphone features upon starting the vehicle. Its generous size accommodates multiple controls simultaneously. Despite its unique dimensions compared to other brands, maintaining a consistent user experience was essential.

2024 Cadillac Celestiq

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

2023 Cadillac Lyriq

2024 Buick Envision

2024 Chevy Blazer

2024 GMC Acadia Denali

While this project involved collaboration within a larger team, as the owner of the climate app, it was my responsibility to ensure cohesive and visually appealing designs across all brands, maintain consistency with other apps, and deliver a high-quality product on time.

The project involved designing a variety of displays customized for different brands, models, and trims, with a mix of physical and virtual controls for temperature and air conditioning. The primary focus of this project was the virtual controls within the Climate Application in the Center Console Display. It was crucial to develop a system that offered a consistent, seamless user experience. Although the display shapes varied, their similar sizes enabled me to design content that ensured uniformity across all brands. While the visuals were adapted to reflect each brand’s distinct identity, the layout and functionality remained consistent to guarantee intuitive usability. This approach ensured that customers experienced familiarity and comfort, no matter of which GM brand vehicle they were in.

*Due to General Motors NDA, I cannot share any visual materials from this project. For more information, do not hesitate to contact me.

Brand-specific Climate Control Application User Interfaces

2023 Cadillac Lyriq

2024 Buick, Chevy, GMC Center Console Display

Front and Rear Command Centers

2024 Cadillac Celestiq

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

Both vehicles are equipped with 5 high-resolution displays:

  • 55-inch HD A pillar-to-pillar display containing two separate screens under a single pane of glass

  • 11" touchscreen in the front row (Front Command Center)

  • 8" touchscreen in the second row (Rear Command Center)

  • Two 12.-inch displays in front of the rear passengers

As the product owner and UI/UX designer of the Climate Experience for the Cadillac Celestiq and Cadillac Escalade IQ, I successfully managed the complexities of a project that introduced expanded control options, multiple configurations, and advanced features. All temperature and air conditioning controls in these premium vehicles are located in Front and Rear Command Centers. Although my primary focus was on the Command Centers and not the development of the broader system UI, I ensured that the design of these applications aligned with the vehicle's overall interior aesthetics, lighting, and maintained consistent styling throughout.

Process

Define

  • identifying and defining the problem

  • establishing the scope and goals of the project

Design

  • translating UX wireframes into high-fidelity designs for seamless handoff to development across various vehicle trims, applying high-fidelity renders, and iterating as needed

  • working closely with the product designer and feature owner to ensure flawless performance

  • creating climate-specific design elements and adding them to the design system

  • collaborating with Interior Studio and 3D Team to obtain hi-res images for contextual backgrounds

  • developing layout variants for global markets, including left- and right-hand drive configurations

  • designing interactive elements, reviewing and refining prototypes to ensure functionality

  • collaborating with localization teams to ensure designs are adaptable to different markets

Team (Climate)

  • 1 product designer (user flows, wireframes, functionality documentation)

  • 1 brand lead (design system)

  • 1 UI/UX designer (UI design, interactions)

  • 1 design manager

  • 1 feature owner

  • localization team

  • off-shore software development team

Team (Climate)

  • 1 product designer (user flows, wireframes, functionality documentation)

  • 4 brand leads (design systems - separate for each brand)

  • 1 UI/UX designer (UI design, interactions)

  • 1 design manager

  • 1 feature owner

  • localization team

  • local and off-shore software development teams

Detail

  • reviewing

  • iterating

  • testing

  • refining

Develop

  • Collaborating with brand leads and designers, feature owners, product designers, and local and off-shore software development teams to align the final implementation with the design vision

  • Validating graphics at all stages of development and participating in a lab setting and in-vehicle reviews

  • Conducting ride tests to evaluate visibility and usability under various conditions, including nighttime, bright sunlight, snow, rain, and fog

  • Conducting ride tests to evaluate visibility and usability under various conditions, including nighttime, bright sunlight, snow, rain, and fog

Deliver

  • 7 Sketch files - Cadillac Climate

  • 2 Sketch files - GMC Climate

  • 2 Sketch files - Chevy Climate

  • 1 Sketch file - Buick Climate

  • exported svg, png, webp

Discovery

  • contributing to ideation and benchmarking

  • developing proofs of concept, demos, and prototypes to communicate ideas and expectations

©

Anna Maria Wagner 2024