Polestar

Animal Mode

overview

The feature was developed during my time at Volvo Cars in the Labs team, where we explored and prototyped new product concepts and digital services for both Volvo Cars and Polestar.

Animal Mode is a vehicle feature designed to maintain a safe interior temperature when pets are left inside the car. The system keeps climate control active and displays a clear message on the center screen informing people outside the vehicle that the animal is safe and the owner will return shortly. The feature was developed during my time at Volvo Cars in the Labs team, where we explored and prototyped new product concepts and digital services for both Volvo Cars and Polestar.

challenge

Leaving a pet inside a vehicle introduces safety, legal, and public perception risks. The system needed to maintain a stable interior temperature while clearly communicating the situation to people outside the vehicle. The feature required coordination across multiple systems: climate control, battery thresholds, vehicle software, and the in-car interface. The interaction needed to be simple and reliable, ensuring that the status of the animal inside the vehicle was always clear, visible, and trustworthy.

Role

I worked on the project as Senior Product Designer at Volvo Cars Labs, collaborating with designers, engineers, and Polestar’s R&D teams. My role focused on defining the user experience and interaction model for the feature within the vehicle interface. I contributed to research, concept exploration, and interaction design, translating safety requirements and technical constraints into a clear and understandable experience. I designed interface states, messaging, and visual communication on the center display, ensuring the feature clearly conveyed the status of the pet and the vehicle’s climate system to both the driver and people outside the car.

IMPACT

The work helped shape a production-ready feature that balances safety, clarity, and simplicity within the vehicle experience. Animal Mode was tested across Polestar 2 and Polestar 3 and later reached market release in Polestar 4, providing pet owners with a reliable way to maintain safe cabin conditions while clearly communicating the situation to passersby. The project demonstrated how thoughtful interaction design can bridge vehicle systems, user behavior, and public communication within automotive software.

UX research

UX / UI design

Interaction design

In-car display experience

Cross-platform strategy

Prototype validation