Exploring new mobility at the Hyundai Motor Group
UX Studio Seoul
6 minute read
Get ready for two stories full of automotive UX (User Experience) innovation, discovery, and fascination. The newly renovated Hyundai Motor Group UX Studio Seoul has reopened its doors, offering a truly unique space where UX researchers and users come together to explore and share the latest UX mobility highlights.
Open doors – open minds
What's better than creating groundbreaking automotive UX innovations that shape how people drive and interact with their cars and the world? Easy – showcasing them to an enthusiastic audience while inviting people to actively help develop the next game-changer. This is the philosophy of the Hyundai Motor Group UX Studio Seoul, which, after extensive renovations, now offers visitors an immersive automotive UX experience with a collaborative twist.
Involving people in our automotive journey has always been part of Hyundai's vision of Progress for People. Now, the UX Studio Seoul is taking things a step further – not only providing visitors with insights into its UX core values but also inviting them to engage directly with UX-based future mobility content and encouraging them to participate in the research and development process. In doing so, the new UX Studio Seoul goes beyond traditional studio boundaries, marking a new beginning for user-centered mobility experiences.
UX Test Zone: Engaging users in UX concept development and research
The UX Studio Seoul welcomes guests with two floors of discovery and interaction. Each floor offers a zone with a specific function and focus for visitors to explore.
The first floor features the Open Lab—an open, interactive space, full of exhibitions and insights into Hyundai's UX world, complete with a wide array of hands-on experiences. Hyundai's Advanced Research Lab is located on the second floor, where UX researchers and selected users collaborate on UX research and feature development.
Access to unlimited possibilities
It’s quite clear how the Open Lab got its name. Here, open access and engagement are encouraged and celebrated – visitors are granted access to every stage of the UX research process. The Open Lab features three distinct sections: the UX Test Zone, the SDV Zone, and the UX Archive Zone. Each zone provides insights into Hyundai's advanced future mobility UX technologies while enabling visitors to actively engage in the research process.
Visitors begin their journey at the UX Test Zone, which encompasses the entire UX concept development, implementation, and validation process. The UX Test Zone is divided into three sections: UX Insight, UX Concept, and UX Validation.
In the UX Insight section, visitors encounter their first Hyundai UX immersion, with content designed to help them explore and understand the overall UX research process. Installations and exhibits, like a large table-style media display, illustrate how UX research is integrated into real-world vehicle development. Another highlight lets visitors slip into a range of personas that represent fictional characters in UX design, each representing a specific user with a unique lifestyle.
Equipped with their newly gained insights, visitors move to the UX Concept section, where things go from blueprint to fully built. Among the many fascinating interactive exhibits are the 'buck' vehicle mockups. These wooden, full-scale vehicle prototypes are brought to life for usability testing and offer fascinating insights into automotive development, both inside and out. Guests can explore concepts such as cabin layout, seating, storage functions, and movable consoles, with all experiences becoming even more immersive with VR technology. Feedback and user behavior collected during this process serve as valuable data directly applied to vehicle development.
Things reach a new level of engagement in the Validation Section, which offers an immersive look at how UX research is applied to complex driving scenarios. A key feature is the ability to step inside a validation Buck (a full-size vehicle mockup with operational interfaces) and experience everything from HMI (Human-Machine Interface) interactions to simulated driving scenarios, from the driver's or passenger's perspective. A large LED screen displays real-time scenarios, allowing those nearby to observe and participate in testing and validation.
SDV Zone: Experiencing next-generation mobility software firsthand
Mobility and software go together like road trips and snacks. Everyone who enters the Software Designed Vehicle (SDV) zone gets a hands-on experience with how software is shaping the future of mobility. A highlight of the zone is ‘Pleos 25,’ Hyundai’s software brand, which is already accelerating the evolution and role of smart vehicles.
The SDV Zone captures the imagination at every corner. Exhibits like the E&E (Electric & Electronics) Architecture provide an X-ray look of a vehicle's internal structure, exposing controllers, cables, and design components for easy viewing. The display also serves as a model of how Pleos 25 software is integrated into the vehicle’s dedicated operating system.
A preview of next-level, in-vehicle experiences awaits everyone who steps into a displayed SDV testbed. Visitors can engage with the vehicle's various software features, including Pleos Connect, Hyundai Motor Group's next-generation infotainment system. Built on Android Automotive OS, Pleos Connect improves the connection between mobile devices and the vehicle, letting users access familiar apps and content smoothly while on the move.
UX Archive Zone: Tracing the evolution of HMG's Mobility UX
Mobility UX milestones, current breakthroughs, and a vision for tomorrow all come together in the UX Archive Zone–the final room of the Open Lab. As a space dedicated to showcasing the evolution of Hyundai's mobility UX, the UX Archive Zone features continually changing exhibitions with their own themes.
The current exhibit examines the theme of ‘Vision’ and its influence on UX design over time. As the first in a series focused on sensory experience, ‘Vision’ will be succeeded by future displays that showcase the four primary senses and their roles in UX development.
At the center of the exhibition, visitors are welcomed by cockpit displays of the Pony, Hyundai's first original model, the Equus, and the Genesis G80. Moving beyond the displayed cockpits, viewers get a chronological overview of how visual communication between driver and vehicle has developed. Interactive elements further enhance the display, illustrating the transformation of key components, such as the cluster, where drivers first receive vehicle information, and the center fascia, which controls various vehicle functions.
The themes 'Immersion' and 'Expanded Vision' are brought to life through displays showcasing how driver-assistance technology has advanced over the years. Engaging exhibits such as Head-up displays (HUDs), digital mirrors, surround-view, and blind-spot monitors demonstrate how far this technology has progressed.
The themes, light, and color get their own stage with displays documenting the visual language they create. Visitors are greeted by various lighting features, ranging from warning lights on the center fascia to welcome lighting that activates when the driver approaches the car, to signature animations on the infotainment screen. All displays not only show the visual development of UX mobility but also how these visual elements have evolved to deepen the emotional connection between driver and vehicle.
Advanced Research Lab: A collaborative space for UX exploration and validation
The Advanced Research Lab, located on the second floor, is a dedicated space where UX researchers develop technologies for future mobility. But unlike the typical images of a ‘high-tech, off-limits to the public research facility,’ the Advanced Research Lab welcomes real users and includes them at key stages of the process. This way, users take part in the developmental journey, co-creating and validating UX concepts together with researchers.
The Advanced Research Lab is organized into three main sections: the UX Canvas, the Feature Development Rooms, and the Simulation Room-ARC. The UX Canvas, directly connected to the Open Lab, serves as a collaborative space where researchers and users gather to brainstorm and exchange ideas.
The Feature Development Rooms are where hands-on R&D takes place. Divided into five rooms by function, these spaces enable researchers to turn ideas and concepts into experiments and tests. After UX concepts are developed and tested in the UX Canvas and Feature Development Rooms, they proceed to the Simulation Room for advanced validation. There, researchers assess how each concept performs in simulated real-world driving conditions, pinpointing strengths and areas for improvement.
Things take on even more shape with the displayed modular test buck, which can be configured to represent various vehicle types—from sedans to large SUVs. It can even replicate unexpected or hazardous situations that are difficult to stage on actual roads. This flexible setup enables a tailored, scenario-based testing approach aligned with each project's specific objectives.
The second floor also offers more than just R&D action. Visitors can also enjoy a display of Hyundai's newest models featuring the latest in UX innovation. And because all that viewing can make one hungry, there is the UX Lounge where visitors can take a break after exploring the first floor. As a cozy spot in the middle of an innovation-fueled landscape, the lounge offers a place to relax but also to spark inspiration and encourage new ideas.
The wonderful world of UX mobility
Hyundai believes that openness is essential to progress. This is what gives the UX Studio Seoul its special character. As an open venue, the UX Studio Seoul is accessible to everyone. Free, Guided tours programs — from the 30-minute package to the in-depth 60-minute professional experience — are available on-site or through easy online reservation at no cost.
Like mobility UX itself, Hyundai is continually advancing to offer new, groundbreaking experiences that elevate mobility and improve lives through greater vehicle-person interaction. The UX Studio Seoul plays a central role in this vision—exploring the past, present, and future of UX, while continuously reflecting users' preferences and feedback. It is a journey we are proud to be on together, looking to discover and enjoy the future of mobility.
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