In an exclusive podcast interview, the lead designer at Frank Stephenson Design - Euan McPherson – told Just Auto that car users are increasingly yearning for features and ‘older aspects’ of car design such as physical controls on the dashboard rather than touchscreens.

There is “a definite return to driver engagement and tactility,” he told Just Auto.

“We have had years of everything being controlled by a touchscreen and there has been a lot of negative feedback from the end-users. There are some cars we’ve tested where you have to press three buttons on the touchscreen just to turn the audio volume up. So we are seeing a return to physical controls.”

Click below to listen to the full podcast.

McPherson also pointed to the vibrant automotive enthusiast and car restoration scene as evidence of a general yearning for good design and experiences from the past.  

“I think people are generally yearning for some of these older aspects. You can see it in the ‘restomod’ scene with things that were seen as normal in the past, such as a manual gearbox and hearing the engine – these things are now being considered luxuries and that’s something that’s really interesting and OEMs are going to have to start to react to that and give their cars a little bit less invasive technology and a bit more personality, give the car a soul.”

On the subject of the human creative spark, he said that he believes AI is a tool for use in design that will never replace the human element but offers valuable assistance in the design process. “The same questions have been asked in the past with things like 2D digital rendering and 3D modelling.”

He also said we cannot ignore the potential of AI software in the automotive design process. “It is out there and coming,” McPherson said.

Click below to listen to the full podcast.