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Comment by amelius | Hacker News Reader

Fixed buttons are usually a bad UI though. Better to use modern screens that show context, so you know which buttons are relevant at every moment in time.

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I disagree. That is precisely how vehicle touch screens became a nightmare.

I didn't say they should be touch-screens.

Tactile is not really relevant in most control rooms, where you want people to look at what they are doing anyway.

Also, screen-based interfaces have more advantages, such as the ability to show documentation that is 1 hover/click away. And showing warnings with precise information, right where you are looking (rather than have a red light somewhere turning on, and you have to find it).

I think it's reasonable to at least partially overlap criticism; regardless of whether it's implemented in a touch screen, dynamically moving information, and doubly so controls, means that the user has to figure out where things are every time they use the interface. That's fine in some cases, but it's definitely a downside.

I get then point about context-sensitive help and alarms. But what about the loss of muscle memory?

And the Macbook Touch bar...

In this case the operator needs access to all of the controls all the time. I'm imagining a harried technician trying to keep #3 from melting down and being confounded by a touch screen that just says "Split atoms? Y/N".

“Reactors #1 and #2 are displayed on the Main Control View. To access #3 and #4, click on the hamburger menu at the upper left.”

Use light-up buttons, and boom, problem solved. I think instead of "showing context" you actually mean the (infuriating) idea that buttons should be hidden sometimes.

Not as reliable as physical buttons and you lose some tactile feedback.

They could even put ads on it to offset the cost of the reactor fuel!

The physical control panels were arranged to keep contextually related controls together, then trained so you knew by heart how to move around the control room.

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