Path into UX: A Conversation with Designer and Motion Specialist, Fabio Novelli

Explore Fabio's unique journey from industrial design to automotive UX, and discover the tools and processes that help him create exceptional user experiences in the automotive industry.

At a glance

  • Role: UX/UI and motion designer in the automotive industry
  • Background: Industrial 3D animation, plus a Graphic Design degree from the Academy of Fine Arts, Italy
  • Specialty: Automotive Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) and micro-animations
  • Community: Co-organizes Berlin Design Events

Fabio Novelli is a UX/UI and motion designer who started out making 3D animations for industrial machines and ended up in the automotive industry. His story is a case study in turning an unusual background into a design advantage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF2hSRxdtFI

From Industrial 3D to Automotive UX

Fabio's career began in the industrial sector, creating detailed 3D animations for machinery. It sounds far from UX, but the core skills carried over. Visualization and storytelling transfer into almost any design field.

He made a deliberate switch, joining an Italian company focused on automotive Human-Machine Interfaces. The role married his design instincts to an industry that lives and dies by user experience. Anyone who has glanced at a motorcycle instrument cluster mid-ride knows why: the display has to be sharp and instantly legible. No one wants to fiddle with confusing controls on their commute.

A Foundation in Graphic Design

Before the automotive world, Fabio earned a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Italy. That grounding gave him the fundamentals he still leans on daily: balance, composition, and the ability to hold attention with clean visuals.

Those principles ported directly into UX and UI work. Whether you are crafting a logo or mapping an entire user flow, clarity is the constant. A strong foundation in traditional design tends to make the move into interactive work far smoother.

Inside Fabio's Day-to-Day

Fabio's role blends creativity with strategy. Roughly 70% of his work is product and motion design:

  • Analysis and ideation: studying user needs and sketching concepts.
  • Design implementation: turning wireframes into polished interfaces.
  • Micro-animations: adding subtle transitions so each screen feels alive.

    • The remaining 30% is branding: logo creation, corporate identity, and brand strategy. The variety keeps his design sense sharp and makes it easier to pivot when a fresh challenge appears.

    The Tools That Keep Him Moving

    Figma is his hub. Prototypes, design presentations, and micro-animations all live in one place, which saves time and keeps everything together.

    Notion handles project management and team communication, with a clean, minimalist setup that makes tasks and deadlines easy to scan.

    Midjourney and ChatGPT round out the creative kit. Midjourney adds next-level effects to his After Effects and Premiere Pro videos, while ChatGPT helps him craft precise prompts that spark visual ideas.

    Case Study: A Motorcycle Instrument Cluster

    One of Fabio's standout projects was building the entire HMI infrastructure for a motorcycle's instrument cluster, from initial research to final hand-off. Owning every phase let him:

  • Run usability tests using interactive prototypes.
  • Implement UI elements that kept riders' eyes on the road.
  • Present the whole project to the client in one smooth session.

    • The result was a sleek, intuitive interface the client loved, and a faster approval cycle, because every design detail was ready to review in a single file.

    Community Matters: Berlin Design Events

    Fabio also co-organizes Berlin Design Events, where designers meet to trade insights and discover new approaches. It is a reliable source of motivation. Watching how others solve problems tends to spark your own ideas. If you are feeling stuck, joining a local design group, or starting one, is often the fastest way out.

    Embrace the Flexibility

    The lesson Fabio lives by is to hold a plan loosely. Real projects skip steps and shuffle the order. You might test first, then prototype, or bounce between branding and UX in a single day. As long as you keep the end goal in sight, an effective, user-centered design, you will be fine.

    "Not all those who wander are lost." In UX, a little wandering helps you discover tools, industries, and approaches you never knew existed. That is often how a surprising skill, like 3D animation, becomes your secret advantage.

    Fabio

  • Audit your past experience; unexpected skills often become a UX advantage.
  • A traditional design foundation makes the move into interactive work smoother.
  • Owning a project end to end speeds up approvals and keeps the work coherent.
  • Stay flexible on process, but keep user needs fixed at the center.

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    Find Fabio online:

  • LinkedIn

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    We hope you enjoyed this look into Fabio's path into UX. His journey from industrial 3D to automotive experiences is a reminder that your next big break may be hidden in the skills you already have. Want more conversations like this? Join our newsletter for new interviews and the latest UX tools in your inbox.