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Lynk&Co 07
The In-Car-Moods App
overview
The Lynk & Co 07 is a sporty mid-size fastback powered by a plug-in hybrid system that blends performance, efficiency, and comfort.
Within a four-person team, I was one of two UX designers driving the strategy and design of the In-Car Moods App, from concept and workshops to final implementation, turning a vague brief into a personalised in-car experience
Role:
UX/UI- & HMI Designer, Light Experience Team, HMI Department, Gothenburg
Timeline:
4 months
Team:
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2 UX/UI- Designers
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3D Artist
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HMI Chief Designer- Samuel Wijk
Project launched to the market:
March 2024
THE BRIEF
When I first joined the Light Experience Team at Lynk & Co’s Gothenburg office, I was handed a brief that was as intriguing as it was vague:
"Create moods in the car. Romantic moods. Other moods. Something with the displays, light, and sound."
That was it. No strict requirements. No predefined target. Just an open invitation to imagine something that could transform the in-car environment for our Chinese audience.
And that audience mattered, in China, many people spend up to four hours a day in their cars. That’s a lot of time behind the wheel, sitting in traffic, charging, or taking breaks. To us, this was an opportunity. What if the car could be more than transportation? What if it could become a second home, a haven, or even a stage for self-expression?
Below are images of the Lynk&Co exterior and interior details. Click to enlarge images
The challenge
While the freedom in the brief was exciting, it also presented some tricky hurdles:
Undefined scope
The term “moods” was undefined, leaving us to determine both the emotional and functional direction.
Cultural sensitivity
What feels romantic, calming, or energising in Sweden might be perceived very differently in China, our primary market for this model.
Multi-sensory integration
We had to design a coherent experience where lighting, sound, and visuals all spoke the same “mood language.”
Safety & usability
The app had to be engaging while parked or charging, but simple enough for users to navigate quickly and without distraction.
Research & Discovery
I worked alongside another UX Designer, and we reported to the
HMI & UX Chief Designer, Samuel Wijk.
To bring the moods to life visually, we worked closely with a 3D artist who transformed our concepts into immersive videos. This collaboration enabled us to communicate the emotional experience more effectively to stakeholders.
Our approach:
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Benchmarking: Studying existing in-car light experiences, meditation apps, music platforms, and light therapy systems.
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Psychological insights: Reviewing research on how light, sound, and ambience influence mood and stress levels.
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User context: Recognising that our target group often faces stress from work, family responsibilities, and heavy traffic, we focused on how the car could act as a second home, a safe space for recuperation.
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Cultural Insights- Romance in China: In China, romance is expressed more openly, symbolically, and dramatically, through nature, festivals like Qixi, and playful gestures such as karaoke. To capture this, I ran a workshop with Chinese colleagues, which helped develop and refine the themes.
our approach
We facilitated three rounds of internal workshops with Lynk & Co employees to explore:
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How different people define moods, such as romantic, energising, or calming.
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Cultural contrasts, for example, the Chinese market tends to incorporate more expressive romance and karaoke elements than European markets.
Through synthesis, we identified the following key mood themes:
From Concept to Development
Before moving into detailed design, we sketched flows by hand to test the logic and align with Lynk & Co’s existing interface standards, like the music app, while exploring new layouts and a refreshed look.
As the app could only be used in parked mode, our focus was on immersive experiences for moments of pause, during charging, pit stops, or breaks from driving.
To support this, we benchmarked familiar platforms like Netflix and Spotify, using their mental models to help users feel at home quickly.
Personalisation & Customisation
Blossoming Love, Moonlight Love, and Energy Boost included karaoke for a playful twist, while Clear Mind offered inspirational quotes for mindfulness. Adjusting the ambient lighting allows users to instantly create a different ambiance inside the car.
To validate these experiences, we tested them in our Artificial Reality Prototype room. Sitting inside with simulated light and sound gave us a clear picture of how the moods would feel in reality, helping us refine the balance between features and simplicity.
And since the app works only in parked mode, we could safely explore playful and reflective moments that wouldn’t be possible while driving.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
To organise the structure of the app, we created low-fidelity wireframes that visualised the information architecture. These wireframes acted as a map of the APP, showing how users would navigate between moods, features, and settings before any detailed UI work began.
Select a mood and arrive at the specific themes playlist
Swipe on the horizontal carousel to reveal more themes
Overview of the moods at the top
mini playlist is always displayed here for easy access
Choose music or sounds
The playlist is accessed from the settings icon
Choose a video and see it in full-screen
The ambient light is accessed from the settings icon
Colour pallette
Choose filter
Choose saturation and contrast
Final High-Fidelity Prototype
The final clickable prototype showcased an intuitive app interface, designed specifically for parked mode use.
With just a few taps, the Lynk & Co 07 interior could shift into a personalised sanctuary, whether for romance, calm, energy, or a completely customised vibe.
The moods app
start page of the app
swipe to reveal more moods
video playlist
fullscreen view of video
music/ sound playlist
ambient light settings
Videos
These videos showcase the moods in action, turning the Lynk&Co 07 interior into a personalized sanctuary with light, sound, and ambience tailored to the user’s preferences.
blossoming love
moonlight love
clear mind
moon light love
The outcome
The Moods App launched with the Lynk & Co 07, giving users something they didn’t expect from a car:
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A moment of romance, calm, or fun, right there in the driver’s seat.
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A reason to look forward to time spent parked or charging.
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An expression of Lynk & Co’s brand promise, to create fun, unconventional ways to use your car.
My reflections
This was one of those early-career projects that set the tone for how I work as a designer. I learned the value of facilitating workshops, of digging into cultural context, and of storytelling in design, not just to users, but also to stakeholders.
We were free to play and try new things, and the team’s energy helped turn a rough brief into a meaningful experience.
takeaways
This project taught me how to balance creativity with restraint, building a personalised HMI system that focused on essentials while still enabling customisation.
Testing moods in our AR (artificial reality) room gave me hands-on experience in translating light, sound, and UX into meaningful, real-time user experiences.
Testimonials for my work: LinkedIn
Samuel Wijk
HMI and UX Design Chief at Lynk&Co Design
I had the pleasure of working closely with Rita Anthony both as her mentor and later as a colleague on our UX design team.
One of her standout achievements was her work on the Lynk & Co 07 project, particularly in leading the design and development of the moods app. From initial concept to guiding the development, Rita was instrumental in bringing this feature to life.
Rita is not only a talented UX designer but also an excellent communicator. She has a natural ability to present complex concepts to stakeholders, especially in international settings, such as with our key partners in China.
As a team member, she is collaborative, reliable, and consistently brings positive energy to any project. I'm confident Rita will continue to make an impact wherever her career takes her.
Samuel Wijk Testimonial
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