After the afternoon break and five interactive discussion rounds the moderators will give a short summory of each world café in front of the audience to showcase all key take aways.
All results, pictures and key takeaways of the World Cafes will be photographed after the event and made available to our event app “hubs101.”
UX Lead, Valtech Mobility GmbH
Debayan is currently working as the Head of UX at Valtech Mobility. His main responsibility involves overlooking the various mobility projects working with different OEMs and supporting the new business team in pitches and ideas from a UX point of view. Debayan specializes in automotive and in-car user experience design and his previous experience includes working for an automotive startup, supplier and a leading global OEM. His special interest lies in how autonomous driving and connectivity will change the way humans will interact with cars in the future “
HMI Lab Researcher, Georgia Institute of Technology
Nolan Helmuth is an HMI researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from Georgia Tech in December 2023. He focuses on analyzing user interactions to help craft beautiful ideas that have meaningful impact. With experience in various fields of design, his passion remains in product design, interaction design, and visualization. His past work includes partnered projects with companies like Delta and Cognizant along with an internship at Lowe’s Companies Inc. where he designed and launched two collections for their 2024 Product Line Review. Nolan aims to rethink the norm of automotive interior design by exploring new ways to incorporate technology that can create unique experiences within the future generations of vehicles.
HMI Lab Researcher, Georgia Institute of Technology
Evan Lee serves as a research assistant at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working under Professor Wayne Li in the GM HMI Lab within the School of Industrial Design. He recently earned a bachelor's degree in industrial design, with a focus on digital design and product visualization. Evan’s work involves creating virtual environments that facilitate visual interactions, serving as platforms for testing and development. His background includes working as a jewelry designer and gemstone faceter, and he is now eager to expand his expertise into utilizing game engines to create aesthetic presentations and craft unique experiences.
Professor of Practice in Design and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Wayne K. Li is the James L. Oliver Professor, which is a joint position between the Colleges of Design and Engineering. Through classes and the Innovation and Design Collaboration (IDC), he leads joint teaching initiatives and advances interdisciplinary collaboration between mechanical engineering and industrial design. Endowed by School of Industrial Design alumnus James L. Oliver, II (BS ID 1965, ME 1967), the Oliver professor embodies the idea of "multidisciplinary." Li teaches students that design behavior bridges the language and ideological gap between engineering and design. Li’s research areas include ethnographic research, multidisciplinary online education, and human-machine interaction in transportation design.
Previously, Li led innovation and market expansion for Pottery Barn seasonal home products, was an influential teacher in Stanford University’s design program where he taught visual communication and digital media techniques, led “interface development” in Volkswagen of America’s Electronics Research Laboratory, and developed corporate brand and vehicle differentiation strategies at Ford Motor Company.
He received a Master of Science in Engineering from Stanford University, and undergraduate degrees in Fine Arts in Design and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Researcher, University of Michigan
Dr. Lilit Avetisyan is a Research Scientist specialized in understanding, predicting, and influencing human behavior, with a background in information science and human factors. Her expertise lies in uncovering the complex dynamics within human-computer interactions and crafting effective affective-cognitive designs for products. Lilith is experienced in experimental studies, simulations, descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as computational behavioral modeling.
Senior Researcher - UX/Human Factors, Ford
Susan leads and plans usability research through a variety of methodologies such as clinics, focus groups, surveys and more. She specializes in the usability of ADAS and climate research but has a background doing customer experience and ergonomics as well. She has worked in everything from the medical device industry to consulting across the globe before landing in the automotive industry.
The Pop in Your Job:
I’m passionate about making things easy to use and getting people to use them as they are intended! My goal is to make our vehicles easy to use while being safe and fun to drive. I also love to bake so following a recipe to get the intended results…a delicious treat!!
Senior Engineer - User Experience, Usability and Driver Distraction, Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc.
David Mitropoulos-Rundus is Senior Engineer for User Experience, Usability and Driver Distraction at Hyundai American Technical CenterH since 2014. He is optimizing the user experience for drivers and passengers amid the evolving introduction of functions, devices, and applications that may be integrated in cars, with a focus on multimedia, communications, navigation and other features that assist or distract the driver. Redesign functions and tasks so that driver interactions are secondary, tertiary, and minimize driver distraction. Stay abreast of new and evolving technologies, Driver Distraction research, and User Experience standards and best practices for design.
Valtech Mobility is a joint venture of Volkswagen Group and Valtech GmbH, which have been collaborating in the field of connected vehicles since 2009.
Founding a joint venture in 2018 intensified this successful partnership. E-mobility, networked platforms and services are the core areas for which we develop new products, services and business models. Our goal is to supply innovative solutions that are well thought out to the very last detail, offer a defined added value and can be operated intuitively. Design and implementation come from one source – from user interaction to vehicle integration.
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the USA's premier research universities providing a focused, technologically based education to more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Ranked seventh among U.S. News & World Report's top public universities, Georgia Tech offers degrees through the Colleges of Business, Computing, Design, Engineering, Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Institute offers research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students and is home to more than 100 centers that consistently contribute vital innovation to American government, industry, and business.
The University of Michigan is a leading institution dedicated to advancing the field of information through innovative research, education, and community engagement. UMSI offers programs that blend technology, design, and human-centered approaches, preparing students for careers in areas like user experience design, data science, and information management. With a focus on solving real-world problems, the school fosters interdisciplinary learning and equips students with the skills to shape the future of information in a rapidly evolving digital world.
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services. Ford employs approximately 190,000 people worldwide.
Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc.
Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. ("HATCI") is the design, technology and engineering arm for all North American models of the Korean-based Hyundai-KIA Automotive Group. As one of Hyundai Motor Group’s (HMG) global centers focused on research and development (R&D), HATCI includes a strong network of engineering disciplines and increased business-focused activities to support North America’s Voice of the Customer.
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