The need for building trust between drivers and driverless vehicles is forcing the automotive industry to focus on the user experience. Developers from the top human-machine interface design companies are eager to make navigation and infotainment systems user-friendly so that they help and don’t distract drivers.
Automotive HMIs gain new purpose as autonomous driving takes over certain tasks from the driver. The advanced HMIs in car infotainment systems enable drivers to spend their time more profitably. Today, top HMI software development services are provided both by experts in UX and UI design and those with specific automotive expertise.
The increasing role of HMI programming means that Tier 1 vendors and OEMs are constantly looking for partners among the best HMI design companies to cover their needs for automotive HMI design and development. Here’s a list of the top HMI software development companies for automotive in 2018.
1. Harman
Location: Stamford, Connecticut (USA)
Founded: 1980
Company size: 10,000+
A subsidiary of Samsung, Harman is praised as one of the automotive industry trendsetters, developing top-notch connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation, and connected services. Top North American, European, and Asian automakers are among Harman’s clients. The firm is also a pioneering provider of HMI software development services.
Services and solutions:
- HMIs for automotive head units, including the IVI HMI, cluster HMI, and other displays
- Integration of HARMAN Connected Services with UI views and data models
- Custom HMI systems based on UX/UI designs from OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and Harman
Key clients: Toyota, BMW, JBL, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz
2. MGR Design
Location: Torino (Italy)
Founded: 1996
Company size: 200+
MGR Design is a widely recognized Italian company offering a full spectrum of automobile industrial design services. The business presents itself as a unifier of competences to create user-centric design for cars. The company’s core expertise is industrial HMI services, including the design of infotainment systems. MGR Design offers a full package of services for designing HMI infotainment systems.
Services and solutions:
- Competitor styling analysis and brand image definition
- Styling research
- C surface CAS development
- Milling of preliminary 3D full-scale models
- B surface development
- Styling model development
- A surface development
- Physical model styling updates
- Surface refinement and final certification
3. Gestigon
Location: Lübeck (Germany)
Founded: 2011
Company size: 20+
Part of the Valeo group, Gestigon has a firm reputation as one of the most innovative companies working in the field of human-centric interface development.
This vendor received much recognition after presenting its Interior Cocoon concept as an answer to increasing demand for safety features in traditional and driverless vehicles. Gestigon is also a partner of top global producers of consumer electronics.
Services and solutions:
- Custom software solutions for skeleton tracking and gesture control on the basis of 3D depth data
- Touchless interfaces and infotainment systems enhanced by voice and gesture control
- Custom solutions that integrate a vehicle’s internal safety systems
4. Intellias
Locations: Lviv, Kyiv, and Odesa (Ukraine); Berlin (Germany)
Founded: 2002
Company size: 1300
Intellias is one of the best Ukrainian outsourcing companies that specialize in providing HMI software development services. The firm has a remarkable portfolio when it comes to automotive HMI design and development and creates “remarkably stress-free navigation software” according to Top Gear’s big road test. Intellias provides automotive HMI experts who design UX/UI solutions that shorten driver response times, improve human-vehicle interactions, and deliver user experiences augmented with mobile features that drivers already use. Last year, Intellias was recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the most promising and fastest-growing privately held companies in Europe. The software development company has also been featured in the Global Outsourcing 100.
Services and solutions:
- Infotainment software that brings together drivers, vehicles, and internet-based services
- Software for rear-seat entertainment systems that includes navigation, audio, video, and in-car internet
- Design of applications for HUDs that augment the driving experience
- Adaptation of navigation software for instrument clusters
- Applications that integrate mobile and web navigation systems
- Cloud-based voice recognition services
- Thorough research into the optimal look and feel of HMIs to couple great design with usability
Key clients: Siemens, Roche, Alphary, Microsoft, Playbuzz, Nokia, RTL Group, EveryMatrix, Kia
5. RightWare
Location: Helsinki (Finland)
Founded: 2009
Company size: 100+
Rightware provides tools for HMI software development services. The company’s Kanzi UI design product family includes a visual design studio that delights designers, a highly optimized 3D runtime for superior graphics performance, and an innovative connectivity platform. The automotive HMI design and development services provided by this firm focus on empowering designers, prioritizing ease of use, increasing workflow efficiency, enabling rapid prototyping, offering top performance, and providing cross-platform support.
Services and solutions:
- Customized HMI development
- UI creation
- UI logic
- Rendering and visualization
- Integration and deployment
- HMI system localization and internationalization
Key clients: Audi, Karma Automotive, Skyships Automotive Ltd, Nissan
6. Foundry
Location: London (UK)
Founded: 1996
Company size: 450+
Foundry is a global leader in providing software development services for visual effects. They’ve long been in the business of designing computer graphics and have recently built a reputation for creating high-end visuals across a range of industries including marketing, advertising, media, entertainment, and game development. And as semi-autonomous and fully autonomous car technology rapidly evolves, Foundry designers are also involved in advanced HMI system development.
Services and solutions:
- HMI panel UI design
- Infotainment system programming and design
- Customized HMI visual rendering with the Dash and Modo toolsets
Key clients: Mercedes-Benz, Google
7. Elektrobit
Location: Erlangen (Germany)
Founded: 1985
Company size: 2300+
Elektrobit is a top software provider with over 30 years on the front lines of the automotive industry. The company’s software powers over 1 billion devices in more than 90 million vehicles around the globe. As a subsidiary of Continental AG, Elektrobit offers an extensive range of standard software products along with professional tools supporting the entire life cycle of in-car software development. Complex SCADA and HMI software development services are among the firm’s core competencies.
Services and solutions:
- Individual consulting on HMI-specific aspects of the development process and software architecture
- Small teams for porting EB GUIDE Graphics Target Framework and Speech Target Framework solutions or building setups for efficient usability tests
- Large teams for developing complete user interfaces that cover graphics, voice, and augmented reality
- Experienced teams for developing state-of-the-art voice user interfaces that integrate personal voice assistants and seamlessly switch between embedded and cloud-based interfaces
- ASIL- and SPICE-compliant development processes
Key clients: Ford, Volkswagen, Audi, Daimler, Delphi
8. Carmeq
http://www.carmeq.com/en/index.html
Location: Berlin (Germany)
Founded: 2002
Company size: 500+
Over the past decade, Carmeq has reinforced its image as one of the most promising automotive software vendors in Europe. The company’s mission is to deliver high-quality software for innovative vehicle functionality, including both its own products and custom solutions designed to meet customers’ specific requirements. Carmeq developers and designers have a substantial portfolio in the automotive HMI market.
Services and solutions:
- AUTOSAR document standardization
- Data-based vehicle functionalities
- Security management
- Virtual validation testing
- Efficient modular systems development
- ADAS engineering and design
Key client: Volkswagen
9. InprisWay
Location: Jerusalem (Israel)
Founded: 2011
Inpris was founded in 2011 with the goal of developing a virtual HMI panel that allows users to navigate effectively regardless of where they’re looking. Using modular Sightless-Touch technology, Inpris designers and developers are offering solutions for various technology markets including VR, smart household appliances, wearables, video games, and of course automotive. Inclusiveness is a decisive principle underlying the Inpris philosophy. The Inpris virtual keyboard can be used by blind and visually impaired individuals. Together with autonomous driving technology, the Inpris virtual screen is about to revolutionize common perceptions of mobility and inclusiveness.
Services and solutions:
- HMI system interface development
- Adjustment of infotainment points to the needs of blind and visually impaired individuals
- Automotive HMI connectivity services
Key client: Hardstone Asia
The idea of self-driving cars as a common part of the urban landscape is no longer a fantasy. Recent developments in the driverless segment show that the future of fully autonomous driving depends primarily on the trust of end users. Advanced HMI systems appear to be the perfect tool for building trust between OEMs, Tier 1 vendors, and drivers. This is demonstrated by the growing requests for services provided by top human-machine interface design companies. Partnering with a leading HMI services provider is a must for any business that wants to find its place in the changing automotive landscape.