Get to Know: Roxanne Kim — Designing How Humans Feel Technology

Design Technologist, Ford Motor Company

Roxanne Kim is a Design Technologist at Ford Motor Company, specializing in EV UX and in-vehicle interaction prototyping. Rather than focusing solely on screens, she designs how light, sound, motion cues, and sensor-driven behaviors come together to guide intuitive interactions for both drivers and passengers.

At Ford, Roxanne develops and validates next-generation human-machine interface (HMI) concepts for electric vehicles, working at the intersection of interface logic, spatial behavior, and real-world driving constraints. This includes building functional prototypes that run in-vehicle and translating complex vehicle data into meaningful, human-centered interaction systems.

Before joining Ford, Roxanne began her career as a mobile UI designer in Korea, later expanding her practice through creative technology and physical computing at NYU ITP. Roxanne's experience at BMW Designworks further grounded her ability to prototype future mobility concepts and collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams. Across these roles, she has shaped her strength as someone who bridges design, technology, and real human behavior.

Now based in Silicon Valley and raising two children, Roxanne continues to observe how people naturally interact with space, timing, and sensory feedback. This perspective informs her approach to designing vehicle experiences that feel intuitive, contextual, and attuned to the physical world.

We’re excited for you to get to know Roxanne Kim, yet another person who makes Stanford Research Park a unique and special place.

What inspired you to pursue your field of work?

I entered the tech industry during the dramatic shift from analog to digital and saw firsthand how people’s behavior changed almost overnight. Moving from mobile UI to interactive installations and eventually automotive UX, I became fascinated by the gap between what designers intend and how people actually behave—especially in motion, spatial, and sensory environments. That curiosity ultimately pulled me into HMI, where digital and physical interactions converge most intensely.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

What I enjoy most is watching an idea come alive in the vehicle environment. Assumptions made at a desk often break the moment humans, motion, and context enter the picture. Seeing how people interact with light, sound, timing, and spatial cues—often unpredictably—forces me to refine the design until it feels natural. That moment when an abstract concept becomes an intuitive in-vehicle experience is the most rewarding part of my work.

What personal or professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I’m particularly proud of inventing an anti–motion sickness system (US11397472B1) at Ford. It synchronizes visual cues with vehicle motion to reduce sensory conflict—a challenge that required combining human perception, vehicle data, and interaction design. It represents exactly what I care about as a Design Technologist: solving physical, sensory, and emotional problems through thoughtful interaction systems.

What is a risk you took that paid off?

One of the biggest risks I took was stepping away from my early career as a UI Designer at LINE PLAY in Korea, where I established the foundation for user-centered product design. Instead of staying on a familiar path, I moved to the U.S. for graduate school—and later temporarily stepped out of NYU ITP to return to industry because I felt compelled to apply what I was learning. Both decisions were uncertain, but they opened doors to BMW Designworks, Ford, and ultimately to EV interaction design.

What are you absolutely determined to do?

I’m determined to design interactions where technology feels natural—almost invisible. As AI becomes more predictive, I want to define the sensory and emotional principles that guide how vehicles respond to people. Vehicles will increasingly communicate through multimodal signals—light, sound, motion, and sensor logic—and defining the underlying principles of human perception is critical to making those systems feel intuitive. My long-term vision is to build ambient vehicle experiences that support human intuition rather than overwhelm it.

What skill would you like to master?

I want to master integrating sensory feedback, spatial behavior, and technical logic into fast, iterative prototypes—and then make the right decisions when those prototypes enter real vehicles. Automotive UX is no longer just about screens; it requires a deep understanding of the vehicle as an environment.

What do you consider your hometown?

I consider Seoul, South Korea, my hometown—a place where tradition and modern technology coexist. Growing up there shaped how I observe human behavior, aesthetics, and the emotional side of design. That blend of cultural sensibility and technological progress still influences how I think about interaction today.

Who or what inspires you today?

I’m inspired by people who move fluidly across disciplines and adapt gracefully to change. In an era where AI accelerates everything, I admire creators who maintain their human sensitivity—awareness of emotion, timing, nuance. They remind me that while technology evolves quickly, it’s the human experience inside it that truly matters.

What is your personal passion?

My passion is observing how people actually interact with the world. Inside vehicles, the gap between expected behavior and real behavior is often huge—and that’s where meaningful design begins. Even watching my two-year-old explore—flipping, knocking, pressing, reacting instantly—reminds me daily that interaction is physical, sensory, and immediate. Those instinctive patterns guide how I approach design.