Designing the Hollocraft 826: Meeting the "Mom Standard"

My 826 parked beside my Model 3 next year.

Flying yourself to work sounds exciting—but let’s be honest, it can also be a little intimidating. At Hollocraft, we’ve embraced that challenge head-on with what we call the "Mom Standard."

What’s the Mom Standard? Simply put, it’s a design philosophy that asks: How do I make an eVTOL so intuitive, safe, and user-friendly that I could talk my mom into flying it? Maybe your mom is similar to mine—a bit wary of new tech and still figuring out how to operate the sprinkler system. This is a high bar, and it’s the one we’ve set for ourselves.

The "Mom Standard" in Action

When I first got a Tesla Model 3, my mom refused to get inside it. The lack of a gauge cluster on the dashboard was too unfamiliar and felt intimidating. But eventually, she gave it a try. Once she did, the seamless user experience won her over. She grew to love the car, but getting her comfortable enough to take that first step required thoughtful design. That experience became my guiding question for the Hollocraft 826: How do I get my mom into an eVTOL?

The Three Principles Guiding Our Design

To meet the Mom Standard, we’ve anchored our design process around three core principles:

1. Intuitive User Experience Every interaction—from boarding to flight controls—is designed to feel simple and natural. We’ve stripped away complexity and focused on creating a seamless, stress-free experience.

2. Uncompromising Safety Safety isn’t just a priority—it’s the foundation of everything we do. From redundant systems to smart failsafes, the 826’s design ensures that every flight is as safe as it is efficient.

3. Building Trust Through Familiarity By incorporating familiar design elements and ensuring clear communication, we’re bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and everyday usability. It’s about making something that doesn’t just look safe, but feels safe.

A Design Philosophy for Everyone

While the Mom Standard began as a personal benchmark, it’s become something much bigger. It’s a reminder that new technology can only succeed if it meets people where they are. We’re designing the Hollocraft 826 to be approachable for anyone, whether they’re tech enthusiasts or hesitant first-timers.

My mom may have been intimidated by a Model 3 at first, but now she’s its biggest fan. That’s the goal we’re striving for with the 826—to create an experience so compelling that even the most cautious among us will take that first step and, in time, embrace the future of commuting.

We’re excited to continue answering this question as we refine the 826. And who knows—maybe next year, my mom will be piloting her very own Hollocraft.