Alexandre Gentner

Technical Manager (UX design) at Toyota Motor Europe

Brussels, Brussels Region, Belgium

About

I am a senior specialist in user experience strategies at Toyota Motor Europe – Advanced Technology. My activities all have in common a focus on user's affective response to perception (e.g. appeal, comfort, emotion, trust). They consist in user research and investigations related to future technologies as well as experience-focused concept creation and support for new vehicle development (e.g. concept definition, design brief, grade strategy). In 2014, I defended my PhD at Arts&Métiers ParisTech. My research provided models and tools for the definition and representation of user experience intentions in the early phases of the industrial design process.

Experience

  • Toyota Motor Europe (Full-time · 9 yrs 8 mos)
    • Technical Manager
      Jul 2022 - Present · 4 yrs

      Production (UX design lead) and concept exploration - Instrument cluster, driver cockpit interactions (steering wheel operations, ambient lighting, physical and digital touch interactions, ambient lighting)

    • Senior Specialist - UX research
      Nov 2016 - Jun 2022 · 5 yrs 8 mos

      # Ethnography research # Societal & technology trends research # Experience-focused interaction design concepts # Vehicle development activities

  • Design Lead - Instrument cluster at Toyota Motor Corporation
    Jan 2024 - Dec 2025 · 2 yrs

    Inter-company transfer @ Vision Design dept. - UX group - Digital cockpit design concept - UX/UI production design

  • Kokekoko (Région de Bruxelles, Belgique)
    • Founder
      Dec 2014 - Oct 2016 · 1 yr 11 mos

      KOKEKOKO is a consulting agency that focuses on improving the experience that users have with products and services. More information on kokekoko.eu

    • User Experience Strategist - Consultant
      Aug 2014 - Oct 2016 · 2 yrs 3 mos

      Toyota Motor Europe - Mission scope 2015-2016: # Ethnography research: preparation, user research, analysis # Interaction design concept: user research, desk research, ideation, prototypes, communication video # Experience-focused design concepts: desk & field research, ideation, digital prototypes creation, and video shooting & editing # Vehicle development activities: assist creation of concept paper and design keywords, definition of grade and character strategies, benchmark # Coordination of research projects with academics: ISD - Valenciennes, ENSAM - Paris, Aalto university - Helsinki # Coordination of research projects with consultancies: Appstrakt - Antwerp, Gourdon lighting design - Paris Toyota Motor Europe - Mission scope 2014-2015: # Service design concept: user research, desk research, ideation, service blueprints, digital prototypes creation, and video shooting & editing # Brand identity: upgrade of a multi-sensory tools # Vehicle development activities: assist creation of concept paper and design keywords, definition of UX intentions and strategies, user research, benchmark, cross-divisional workshops # Coordination of research projects with academics: Aalto university - Helsinki # Coordination of research projects with consultancies: Appstrakt - Antwerp, François Clos sound designer - Paris

  • User Experience Researcher - Contractor as PhD researcher at Toyota Motor Europe
    May 2011 - Apr 2014 · 3 yrs

    As part of the Kansei Design department and in complement of my PhD research, I participated to several research programs and early phase development stages of vehicle projects and coordinated user experience researches in collaboration with consultancy firms and academic partners. I also had the opportunity to mentor master degree students whose researches covered user experience from a wide range of viewpoints including styling design and cognitive science. Activities: # Interaction and service design concepts: desk and field research, ideation, scenario creation # UX tools and methodologies: Creation of various tailor-made tools and methodologies facilitating the definition and representation of user experience intentions (e.g. participatory design sessions, cross-divisional creativity workshops and related material) # Vehicle development activities: user research, desk research, benchmark, cross-divisional workshops, creation of multi-sensory experience briefs, evaluations # Coordination of research projects with academics: ISD - Valenciennes, ENSAM - Paris, Aalto university - Helsinki, School of Design - Pforzheim # Coordination of research projects with consultancies: CIID - Copenhagen, ustwo - London, Laps sound design - Paris

  • User experience researcher - Intern at Toyota Motor Europe
    Feb 2010 - Oct 2010 · 9 mos

    For my Master of Science research project, I was interested in the definition of user experience directions (sensory, meaning, emotions, interactions) for future hybrid cars. I conducted co-creation experimentations with users and worked with designers for the creation of direction proposals.