Presented here is a system and method for creating easy-to-understand notifications of the vehicle state. The notification can be visual or can be auditory and can indicate to the user the vehicle state even when the user's attention is directed elsewhere. The indication can serve to attract the user's attention before more involved information is presented to the user, such as text, or the indication can serve to communicate to the user the vehicle state in an easy-to-understand way such as using color-coded displays or audio indications. The intensity of the indication can be adjusted based on the likelihood that indication will be perceived by the user by, for example, measuring ambient light and/or ambient noise. Reducing the intensity of the indication conserves energy of an energy source associated with the vehicle.