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WireDrive — a launcher for an Android head unit
My concept for a launcher, the home screen of an Android head unit, for my Golf IV: the visual design of 22 screens, from navigation and music to car readings and parking sensors, plus an app skeleton in Jetpack Compose.
By the numbers
- Screens designed
- 22
- Smallest button (about 1.2 cm)
- 76 dp
- Taps to any car function
- ≤ 2
Problem
Android head units ship with launchers designed for tablets, not for driving: small buttons, deep menus and no knowledge of the car itself. In my Golf IV there are also the locks and windows, an LED strip and parking sensors, each with its own app or none at all.
Approach
I started from rules, not screens: buttons of at least 76 × 76 dp (about 1.2 cm), large text, a dark theme with a single accent colour, and green, amber and red reserved for showing state. Cards use outlines instead of shadows so they stay readable in sunlight and on matte screens. Every car function is at most two taps from the start screen, and the side rail never moves. From there I designed 22 screens, from start, music and trip data, through the car tabs, to reversing and parked views. I also built a Kotlin and Jetpack Compose skeleton that real data will plug into later.
Outcome
This is a concept: the visual design is complete, and the skeleton has a working look and navigation between screens. The car data is sample data for now, and hooking up real readings is planned for later stages. I carried the WireDrive style over to WireAmbi: the colour presets, brightness and modes on its Ambient screen come straight from this design.