Building a successful cross department collaboration
Background & Goal
The automotive industry is evolving with advanced exterior lighting and communication systems. Market trends, such as exterior displays and dynamic light shows, have raised customer expectations. This project aimed to regain control over exterior lighting animations, a critical brand asset, while addressing challenges in delivering consistent and high-quality designs.
To establish a user-centric and innovative approach for exterior lighting design, ensuring purposeful animations that resonate emotionally with users and align with the brand identity.
My role & Responsibilities
Chief Designer & Program Leader, driving the creative vision and execution of the Exterior Light & Communication team.
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Led a team of 5 designers, managing a full project backlog and aligning with stakeholder priorities.
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Designed and implemented custom tools to enhance collaboration with suppliers and ensure high-quality animation delivery.
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Advocated for user-centric design practices within cross-functional teams and senior management.
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Delivered presentations and built pitch materials to secure support for innovative solutions.
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Coordinated with Central Engineering and Product Planning to align technical and creative objectives.
Challenges & solutions
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Teams lacked alignment and shared priorities, creating inefficiencies.
→ Organized workshops and aligned key stakeholders with a unified vision and measurable KPIs.
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Late-stage design changes due to delayed supplier selection.
→ Developed custom software tools to ensure consistent and streamlined delivery.
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Limited prototypes and testing opportunities hindered design validation.
→ Conducted targeted user clinics and collaborated with engineering teams to prioritize essential testing phases.
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Resistance to innovative lighting solutions within the organization.
→ Advocated through presentations and strategic communication, gaining buy-in from senior stakeholders in key markets like China.
Tools, Techniques, and Methodologies
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Project Management Tools: Jira, Excel, PowerPoint.
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Design Tools: After Effects, Blender, Figma.
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Methodologies: Agile design thinking, iterative prototyping, and user-centered research.
Key Achievements
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Successfully implemented "Car with Emotions" as a unique selling proposition for Z10 marketing.
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Delivered animations for multiple car models (06, 08, Z20, Z10, 900).
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Our way of working impressed an expert in the field of Exterior Lighting enough to publish a specialized article, calling it ”The new domain for Lighting teams"
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Conducted a well-received user clinic in China with 300 participants.
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Strengthened Lynk & Co's reputation for bold, high-tech designs.
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Contributed in launch activities for 08, Z10 and 900
"But this isn’t multiple disjoint worlds, it is multiple continents on one world: designers and engineers, hardware and software specialists, all working together. That was quite evident during my visit to Lynk & Co Design to talk with HMI and UX Chief Designer Louise Kivi. On the brand’s Z10 model, they decided to have 414 exterior RGB LEDs. Compared to monocolour LEDs, an RGB job is more than thrice as complex—much more, actually, to manage colour matching within the HW limitation and create dynamic but still smooth movements, for examples. It was really interesting to understand how the Lynk team worked from concept to production, and to see the final result."
Lessons learned
Personal Growth
Deepened expertise in integrating user-centric strategies with technical constraints to deliver impactful solutions.
Team Insights
Highlighted the importance of cross-department collaboration to balance creative and technical goals effectively.
Future Applications
Improved strategies for early alignment with suppliers and internal stakeholders to reduce late-stage challenges and enhance innovation delivery.
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