What are the real key topics that matter to GUI developers in 2025? While many articles on UI trends simply tend to focus on current buzzwords like Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality, the rise of software frameworks like Zephyr and Open-CMSIS, or 3D UIs, it’s crucial to separate the hype from the real challenges and innovations in embedded GUI development.
At Embedded World 2025, Manuel Melic, Product Manager at Embedded Wizard, and Rudolf Leberfinger, Head of GUI Services, had the perfect opportunity to engage with customers, hardware manufacturers, and industry experts to reflect on the future of embedded GUIs.
In this exclusive interview, they talk openly about the key issues in GUI development. This includes the increased demand for advanced tools and testing, the impact of increasing performance requirements and the integration of design tools such as Figma. Not forgetting the demand for accompanying services that support customers’ requirements across platforms, from training to design and implementation.
What are the key challenges currently shaping embedded GUI development?
Manuel:
There are quite a few. For one, GUI development is a continuous process of change – both in the embedded field in general and in the UI field in particular. A product might appear finished at first glance, but new market demands, changing hardware, or new use cases constantly shift the requirements.
This means that development is never truly complete. At the same time, there’s increasing pressure to bring products to market faster – “time to market” is a major stress factor. That’s why tools are needed that can support the development process in the best possible way.
Rudolf:
I see two groups here. This became very clear at Embedded World: On one side, there are the product managers who are constantly looking for ways to realize existing or new products on more cost-effective hardware – of course, without sacrificing quality. You can really feel the intense cost pressure.
Then there are the developers, who are looking for the right tools and solid support. They want to deliver clean results in a short time – and they want to be able to test their code themselves at an early stage. Discovering bugs only during quality assurance and having to start over is no longer acceptable. Developers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of maintaining quality early in the development process.
Manuel:
Yes, another important point is resilience: how can I respond to changes – whether political, economic, or technical – as quickly and effectively as possible? Maybe a planned hardware component is suddenly unavailable, or the development team changes. You have to be able to adapt flexibly.
Rudolf:
Another factor that stood out at Embedded World is the stronger integration between design and development. The designers’ outputs should transition into the development process as smoothly as possible. This came up a lot – developers no longer want media discontinuities.
Which trends and requirements are becoming more relevant for embedded GUI developers, and how does Embedded Wizard help meet these demands?
Manuel:
As Rudolf just mentioned, the topic of design integration is central here. It’s all about streamlining the development process. A higher degree of tool integration is becoming increasingly important. Figma, in particular, has established itself as a leading design tool, and we’ll soon offer a plugin that allows Figma designs to be integrated into Embedded Wizard with true “pixel perfection.”
Additionally, users now expect features they know from mobile devices or PC applications – such as 2.5D effects, high visual quality, and more. These kinds of effects are now expected even on embedded systems. At the same time, display resolutions are increasing: where 320×240 used to be standard, 800×480 is now common – even on the same physical display size. In short, the tension between performance, memory, and design requirements is becoming increasingly difficult to balance.
Rudolf:
Another key point is the simulation of complex user interfaces. Developers want to know what states their UI can reach before deploying it to the target hardware. If you can simulate these states live and even work with real data during development, that brings huge benefits. Many developers see this as a real boost to development speed.
What do customers particularly value about Embedded Wizard and our service offerings, and what concrete benefits does this bring to their projects?
Manuel:
First, there’s the technical maturity of our tool. For over 20 years, we’ve been offering solutions that reliably work even with complex architectures and hardware constraints.
Second, Embedded Wizard is not a one-man project – it’s backed by an experienced team. The entire framework – from hardware adaptation to the development environment – comes from a single source and is perfectly coordinated.
Another major advantage is the low memory footprint. This often allows customers to use more cost-effective hardware without having to compromise. And with the new Figma plugin, we’re taking another step toward more efficient design integration, which significantly shortens time-to-market.
Rudolf:
In terms of services, our customers especially appreciate our expertise. We don’t just provide training – we also directly implement projects, bringing our experience to the table. We suggest alternative approaches when we’re convinced they’re better. Our goal is always to think beyond the obvious – whether in UI design, UX, or implementation – because, in the end, it’s the customer experience that counts. This is very well received, especially when it comes to planning new products.
Manuel:
One more aspect I’d like to highlight is our independence. We’re not tied to any specific semiconductor manufacturer or operating system. This gives our customers confidence in long-term planning and allows them to stay flexible – especially when unexpected changes occur during a project.
Which topics will become increasingly important for embedded GUI development over the next years?
Manuel:
Hardware is becoming more powerful – the clear distinction between microcontrollers (MCUs) and microprocessors (MPUs) is starting to blur. Requirements like connectivity (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) are driving this development. While MCUs won’t disappear, the focus will increasingly shift toward MPUs – partly because prices are dropping.
Rudolf:
I believe GUI development will become increasingly platform-independent. Developers want to apply the same patterns across embedded, mobile, and PC platforms – regardless of the system. They’re looking for tools that support them in automatically transferring their GUI elements to the respective platform, whether through AI or other technologies. In the end, what matters most to them is getting fast and reliable results without having to dive into every bit and byte.
The Road Ahead for GUI Development
The future of embedded GUI development is shaped by growing complexity, higher user expectations, and the need for faster, more flexible development processes.
As hardware becomes more capable and cross-platform demands rise, tools like Embedded Wizard offer developers the performance, integration, and independence they need to stay ahead.
With a strong focus on design integration, simulation capabilities, and expert support, Embedded Wizard is helping teams deliver high-quality user interfaces more efficiently than ever.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your GUI project, don’t hesitate to reach out at your convenience.
We look forward to speaking with you soon!