CASE STUDY

EV Touch Interface:

From concept vehicle to market in only 2.5 years

Company

Monarch Tractor

Role

Product Design Lead

I designed the touch interface and instrument cluster for a fully electric compact tractor. We needed to build a responsive, safe, and easy-to-use interfaces for a rugged agricultural environment, one that balances modern tech with practical, field-tested usability.

THE CHALLENGE

Simplifying Complex Systems Into an Easy-to-Use Interface

Monarch's EV compact tractor and it's unique controls, power train, and EV system needed to be distilled into an approachable, intuitive, and safe digital experience for operators in the field.

GOALS

  • Create a minimal learning curve for a wide range of users

  • Optimize for touch accuracy and glove-friendly interactions

  • Ensure legibility in direct sunlight

  • Maintain safety and focus during vehicle operation

  • Support both manual, ADAS, and autonomous modes

  • Design for connectivity with companion mobile and web platforms

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

I kicked off the project with extensive user interviews and ride-alongs

Key Insights:

  • Operators needed feedback and large, clear hit areas to interact confidently while moving.

  • Quick-glance readability was critical; icons, colors, and hierarchy had to communicate state and function fast.

  • There was a clear hierarchy of driver data that needed to be prioritized on the drive display

THE PROBLEM

Rugged conditions and an open cabin made the touch screen difficult to interact with.

Fat–fingering and lack of tactile haptics from touch interface, while also navigating the unfamiliar systems of an electric and autonomous tractor, making it difficult to operate the vehicle confidently, safely, and efficiently.

🚩 USER PROBLEM

HYPOTHESIS I

Designing a simplified, touch-optimized interface with clear visual hierarchy and contextual guidance will help operators more easily understand and control the vehicle.

Without a reliable and intuitive in-vehicle interface, operators are less likely to adopt autonomous and EV technology, reducing the effectiveness of the product and increasing support and training costs, hindering scalability and customer satisfaction.

🚩 BUSINESS PROBLEM

HYPOTHESIS II

An intuitive, easy to learn and use interface—tailored to the needs and environments of tractor operators—will increase customer satisfaction, decrease support/training overhead, and improve product adoption and retention.

UX Approach

Touch Optimization & Layout

Built a custom UI grid system with oversized, high contrast buttons and padded touch zones.

User interviews to understand real world user needs, and understand their daily work lives.

Asked users to rank level of importance to the operational data, getting a better understanding of what matters most to their work.

Safety-Centered Design

Embedded clear warnings, confirmations, and fail-safes in UI interactions.

Integrated audio haptic cues for touch screen interactions

Limiting touch interactions for the manual drive commands by utilizing hardware buttons to reduce errors and phantom touches, increasing task efficiency.

Cross-Team Collaboration

Worked closely with hardware, software, controls, and autonomy teams to align UI logic with tractor behavior.

Partnered with QA and field ops to run in-field tests, iterating based on real-world feedback.

Worked closely with Industrial Design team to align on HMI and manual drive control designs.

45% faster task completion for training

Clear iconography paired with concise text, and logical navigation, made actions easy to identify at a glance, regardless of English proficiency.

Touch Optimization

TECHNICAL CHALLENGE

🔎 FINDINGS

In field testing we noticed users exhibiting a usage pattern with the touch interface. Due to a bumpy ride they most often rested their hands along 3 sides of the screen to stabilize their hand.

✅ SOLUTION

Mapping out the touch screen for ease of touch, as well as ease- of-visibility mapping, we were able to prioritize and arrange information according to their importance and task relevance.

ADAS Features

Mapping out user journeys for all use cases made it possible to integrate ADAS features seamlessly as they were developed, balancing capabilities with efficiency and safety.

Testing helped validate our design theories

Testing & Validation

We conducted field testing with over a dozen operators across seasons. Testing all use cases and scenarios, helping us uncovering blind spots and refine edge cases. Usability metrics improved after each round.

TECHNICAL CHALLENGE

Instrument Cluster

I designed the instrument cluster following ISO safety and display standards. Designed for glare reduction at night and visibility in bright sunlight with high-contrast visuals to ensure critical information remained legible in all lighting conditions.

FINAL OUTCOMES

The MK4 went to market in Winter of 2022 with over 300+ tractors deployed. It continues to serve as the primary touch interface and dashboard today.

✅ Bridges modern digital design with traditional farming workflows
✅ Rated high in customer testing for ease of use
✅ Seamlessly connects with the broader suite of web and mobile tools

From concept vehicle to market in only 2.5 years

To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information. All information is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Monarch Tractor.