On the phone whilst driving

[mtt.tr]

I think the big problem is that to access functions you have to go through other sub menus - so a physical button requires a brief glance away, whereas a touchscreen can require several, often in different screen areas

Well I would say you only have limited physical buttons as you can only have limited touch screen buttons.

 

[mtt.tr]

No.
Maybe you can, but if you put that to a vote here, I would expect 90% would say the same.
Perhaps it's the age demographic here?

I struggle so badly with a smartphone/tablet touch screens.

I have downloaded Whatsapp onto a desk top PC - and use it with a full size keyboard.

I would say it's unfortunately for the majority on here an issue of evolution just by age not choice.

I wouldn't expect someone from 1913 to be proficient with the tech of the 70s, but we also can't and shouldn't stop evolution

 

[daleyd]

Well I would say you only have limited physical buttons as you can only have limited touch screen buttons.

Agreed , but to access things like air recirc or front defog in my current car requires at least 2 presses of the screen, the first on the far left to access the climate menu and then the button for defog is on the right side - you can either look at the screen the whole time or you enter one menu, then look back when it’s changed.

In my previous car this was a physical button that just required one push. I like technology as much as anyone, but this is certainly an area where it’s not necessarily “better”, at least in terms of ease of interaction.

 

[mtt.tr]

Agreed , but to access things like air recirc or front defog in my current car requires at least 2 presses of the screen, the first on the far left to access the climate menu and then the button for defog is on the right side - you can either look at the screen the whole time or you enter one menu, then look back when it’s changed.

In my previous car this was a physical button that just required one push. I like technology as much as anyone, but this is certainly an area where it’s not necessarily “better”, at least in terms of ease of interaction.

It really is dependent on implementation. I had a new Merc sprinter with one stalk which seemingly did everything. Took a few months to learn to not press the wrong part.

 

[Red'n'Black]

Doesn't get much better than this IMO, peak design

I had a 2006 9-3 Aero, so a bit newer than that one. But the designers had really gone to town on the usability, everything was easy and intuitive. There were a few things like the trip computer that had to be accessed via a menu using the steering wheel buttons, but it only had one level.
I hate glare and distractions at night, one nice feature was the 'night panel' button which turned off all the dash illuminations except the speedo. Because everything had its own button or rotary control you could still find it by feel in the dark.

Around the same time Mrs RnB had a C4 Grand Picasso, the design of the dash controls was a confusing mess. Layers and layers of menus, modes that changed randomly every time you tried to use them. Even basic stuff like setting the clock or storing radio stations, I never figured out.
The designer was also obsessed with battery drain, absolutely nothing would work without the engine running. I would need a lot of convincing to touch that brand again.

I found this an interesting read, a bit dated now but the principles are still sound. User interface design is an important skill in its own right, but it often gets neglected.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Look at the new Volvo system, yes Volvo, the safety kings! The system is astonishingly bad….

Its such a shame really because it will put a lot of people off EVs and really it's just not necessary IMHO...speedo on a central screen is just dumb!

I have to say from my (limited) experience so far I really like the drive in the EV as a daily driver.

For me the whole range thing has proved to be a non issue....I did a rapid charge in Deal (near Ramsgate) last week...15 minutes was enough to top the car up to get home easily...charging at 134KWh was a bit nuts...but you pay for the convenience though!

....I really dislike the touch screen though!

 

[Morrisman]

Agreed , but to access things like air recirc or front defog in my current car requires at least 2 presses of the screen, the first on the far left to access the climate menu and then the button for defog is on the right side - you can either look at the screen the whole time or you enter one menu, then look back when it’s changed.

In my previous car this was a physical button that just required one push. I like technology as much as anyone, but this is certainly an area where it’s not necessarily “better”, at least in terms of ease of interaction.

The heating and demisting are the only controls I can't access on my 2012 Ford Mundano,
with my hands on the wheel, but I can reach out and press the screen demisting button without looking, just by feel, same with the heating, not even a glance needed.

Oh, and the gear lever needs shoving occasionally.

I thought the idea of all the knobs and buttons being on the steering wheel was so you never needed to let go of it unnecessarily. It appears they're moving away from that now, judging by the enormous central screens I've seen on some modern cars.

Mind you, my mates new VW ID5 is all voice control, and if any passenger says "I'm cold" it directs heat towards that particular passenger. And many other things.

Plus it will tell you jokes if you ask it...... seriously, it does.

 

[MetalMonkey]

What is the difference between a touch screen and button.

You can learn both intuitively in the same way I can type without looking at the keyboard on my phone.
The same as I can type on a Physical keyboard

Its mainly down to the tactile feedback. With a physical button you usually have a dedicated function in one position - you can tell by feel the location of the button so if you reach out and you aren't quite on it you readjust your fingers without looking. We can get a huge amount of feedback by touch alone, just look at braille

With a touch screen you can memorise the position, but you have little to no point of reference by touch alone. If you are slightly off you either have to glance or you might activate a different function. Usually you have multiple touch inputs to get to a function so you have to memorise several locations and hit them all perfectly first time to do it without looking. It's much harder to do and more cognitive load.

Yes I certainly think younger people are more comfortable using touch interfaces and yes you can learn to "touch type" on a tablet. But I've never met anybody yet who could type more quickly and accurately on a touch screen than I can mash on a keyboard, and I'm not trained or particularly fast.

I'm sure there are exceptions but generally without tactile feedback you are at a disadvantage. Most of the time it doesn't matter and a touchscreen offers many more benefits in the way the context of information displayed, but in terms of quick access without looking nothing beats pressing a button.

 

[Morrisman]

Its mainly down to the tactile feedback. With a physical button you usually have a dedicated function in one position - you can tell by feel the location of the button so if you reach out and you aren't quite on it you readjust your fingers without looking. We can get a huge amount of feedback by touch alone, just look at braille

With a touch screen you can memorise the position, but you have little to no point of reference by touch alone. If you are slightly off you either have to glance or you might activate a different function. Usually you have multiple touch inputs to get to a function so you have to memorise several locations and hit them all perfectly first time to do it without looking. It's much harder to do and more cognitive load.

Yes I certainly think younger people are more comfortable using touch interfaces and yes you can learn to "touch type" on a tablet. But I've never met anybody yet who could type more quickly and accurately on a touch screen than I can mash on a keyboard, and I'm not trained or particularly fast.

I'm sure there are exceptions but generally without tactile feedback you are at a disadvantage. Most of the time it doesn't matter and a touchscreen offers many more benefits in the way the context of information displayed, but in terms of quick access without looking nothing beats pressing a button.

My daughter can type whole message with her thumbs, without even a glance down at her phone, and rarely makes mistakes.

However, doing that at arms length is a bit different to doing it with her hands grasped around the phone 1" away.

 

[DennisCA]

Its mainly down to the tactile feedback. With a physical button you usually have a dedicated function in one position - you can tell by feel the location of the button so if you reach out and you aren't quite on it you readjust your fingers without looking. We can get a huge amount of feedback by touch alone, just look at braille

With a touch screen you can memorise the position, but you have little to no point of reference by touch alone. If you are slightly off you either have to glance or you might activate a different function. Usually you have multiple touch inputs to get to a function so you have to memorise several locations and hit them all perfectly first time to do it without looking. It's much harder to do and more cognitive load.

Yes I certainly think younger people are more comfortable using touch interfaces and yes you can learn to "touch type" on a tablet. But I've never met anybody yet who could type more quickly and accurately on a touch screen than I can mash on a keyboard, and I'm not trained or particularly fast.

I'm sure there are exceptions but generally without tactile feedback you are at a disadvantage. Most of the time it doesn't matter and a touchscreen offers many more benefits in the way the context of information displayed, but in terms of quick access without looking nothing beats pressing a button.

With enough training and experience someone can become faster using an inferior interface than someome with a better interface with less training. Doesn't mean one thing is objectively better than the other. Tactile feedback is a pro to have. Perhaps some day there will be touchscreens with tactile feedback.

 

[minimutly]

I think we've had this discussion before. Eventually @mtt.tr told us we were all a bunch of dinosaurs. The only thing that's changed since then is that we're all older still...

 

[Revs1972]

I have head up display .... shows current speed limit .. even temporary.. shows my speed ....all Sat navigation directions ....also radio and music ..I never have to look down and would never buy a car without one again ....

100% this. My previous car (BMW) had this , along with idrive ( with a pad on top you could could write with your finger)
Barely had to look away from the windscreen , and any thing you couldn’t control with the idrive or steering wheel buttons, you just spoke the command .

Find myself reaching down for the idrive wheel on the new car all the time

It’s got voice control though and the HUD so not complaining.
Would be nice to have a loudspeaker installed to tell people in front to move on when the traffic has moved rather than looking down at their laps

 

[mtt.tr]

I think we've had this discussion before. Eventually @mtt.tr told us we were all a bunch of dinosaurs. The only thing that's changed since then is that we're all older still...

That's your interpretation I suppose.

But yeah evolve or die.
I'm under no illusion that it won't happen to me.

 

[Maker]

I think we've had this discussion before. Eventually @mtt.tr told us we were all a bunch of dinosaurs. The only thing that's changed since then is that we're all older still...

If it helps, Matt's older than me and my touch screen typing is terrible, give me a proper keyboard any day.

 

[mtt.tr]

If it helps, Matt's older than me and my touch screen typing is terrible, give me a proper keyboard any day.

You have no hope in this world

 

[minimutly]

That's your interpretation I suppose.

But yeah evolve or die.
I'm under no illusion that it won't happen to me.

My recollection anyway @mtt.tr .Maybe my old memory is playing tricks on me.

 

[Blobber]

Personally I like a knob, a nice touchy feely knob

 

[Blobber]

And theres nothing more frustrating when folks get in your space and fiddle with your knobs, its your space and its taken years to work out the best positions!

 

[Pete.]

I think the big problem is that to access functions you have to go through other sub menus - so a physical button requires a brief glance away, whereas a touchscreen can require several, often in different screen areas

Once you're familiar with the layout you should barely even need to look. I have just changed my works van to a new type but in the old one I could put my hand right on the heater controls, light switch, radio volume or any other control in the van without looking even for a glance. My new van has both touch screen and stalk controls for media and cruise/speed limiter controls so I am going to have to be very careful whilst I get familiar with it.

 

[daleyd]

Once you're familiar with the layout you should barely even need to look. I have just changed my works van to a new type but in the old one I could put my hand right on the heater controls, light switch, radio volume or any other control in the van without looking even for a glance. My new van has both touch screen and stalk controls for media and cruise/speed limiter controls so I am going to have to be very careful whilst I get familiar with it.

I’ve had my car 18 months, and done about 20,000 miles in it - it’s not a menu I need to access often, so I need to look. The fact it’s a big touchscreen and the parts you have to press are on opposite sides doesn’t help, also you have to think about which menu you are accessing as buttons for music are different, sat nav different again…I understand what your saying but there’s so much info and so many menus you HAVE to look.

I’m really not saying it’s a huge problem but I find that I need to look away from the road 2 or 3 times as opposed to once for a physical button. I can see the benefits to touchscreen operation (as I said, ease of change, less wiring, less parts…), but if someone was to ask me which is easier/less distracting when driving, pushing a button or accessing several menus on a screen then the button wins (assuming it’s in an ergonomic place). It’s probably not going to change back, but there you go.