Design for Driving foundations

Page Summary

• Android for Cars is based on the core principle of "Design for driving," prioritizing driver safety.

• App content and interactions should complement driving and minimize distraction through simplified UI.

• This section provides principles and tips for designing car interfaces, covering interaction, visual, and writing principles, as well as style approaches for Android Auto and Android Automotive OS.

Figure 1. Visual design principles.

The core principle of Android for Cars is Design for driving. That is, driving safely is the driver's first responsibility. All design by car makers and app developers must reflect this priority.

App content and interactions should complement the driving experience while minimizing driver distraction. UI must be simplified to help keep the driver's eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

This section provides principles and tips for designing interfaces for cars, along with an overview of the style approaches used by Android Auto and Android Automotive OS (AAOS).

Get started

Here are some foundational principles that you can learn from this document.

Interaction principles

Learn how to:

• Keep information current and glanceable
• Encourage hands-on driving
• Prioritize driving tasks
• Discourage distraction

Visual principles

Learn how to:

• Make content easier to read
• Make targets easier to touch
• Keep UI elements consistent

Writing principles

Learn how to:

• Make content glanceable
• Use consistent language
• Write with situational awareness
• Follow best practices for writing component text

Style foundations

Learn about:

• Style context
• Purpose of style guidelines
• Key style differences between Android Auto and AAOS