For example, when I’m listening to a podcast I can turn the knob to highlight the skip forward button, and leave it there. Then when adds come on I can just feel for and press the knob without looking at the screen. In the Forester I have to awkwardly hold my arm out, breaking my hand with my thumb while I try to hit the right button. Usually I don’t bother because it feels too unsafe.
You can change what the forward/back buttons on the steering wheel do, such as changing them to skip, but then I’m In the same situation when I want to go to the next podcast or skip a few.
But it seems those two companies are moving towards touchscreens due to market demand.
Touch screen is fine for setup screens, extra info, fine tuning stuff etc.
Point is when I'm driving down the road I should be able to muscle memory/tactily skip song, change volume, change air-conditioning settings etc...
But Bluetooth settings... changing colour of display, changing voice assistant tone... leave that on the touch screen. Don't need it.
Wheels and buttons respond faster, it forces vendors to be concise, and it doesn’t gunk up my screen.
Muscle memory forms quickly for anything that’s a “one and done” setting.
A non-modal interface for controlling audio settings (volume, bass, treble, etc.) would be one knob for each function—not one knob which changes function when you click it, or having to dig seven layers deep through in a touch screen menu. I change audio settings all the time on my car depending on what I'm listening to, because there are 6 knobs for this (big volume knob, small knobs for bass/mid/treble/balance/fader.[1]
Modal interfaces in cars are bad because their results are unpredictable. Touch screens are bad because they allow for non-modal interfaces, and also because they're not tactile.
[1] https://d3inagkmqs1m6q.cloudfront.net/1517/media-photos/cp04...
Yes, anything that could ever conceivably be needed to be used by the driver while driving must have a physical, mechanical control.
Things that can be configured while the car is parked and never need to be changed while driving, can be ok on a touch screen.
If I really need to i.e. hunt for a particular radio station I'll do it when stopped.
I expected to dislike the screen but it's fine.
I was pretty worried about getting a tesla because of the screen/controls, and I spent months only considering other brands. But! No regrets.
But, I don’t drive every day, and when I do it’s usually a short trip, so I’m slow to build the habits.
AC voice command examples https://www.tesla.com/support/voice-commands
A generic command like “make it warmer” will bump it up 3 degrees.
For example, VW cars often have multiple knobs and buttons just for controlling the AC, which is far too complicated. If the car is electric, one might also need to put it into a regular mode (non-eco) to use AC and heating through a dedicated button/menu option. A better solution would be to emulate electric mirror adjustments, incorporating all climate control functions into one single knob - up-down for fan speed, left-right for temperature, and clockwise-ccw for zone/area.
Similarly, gear shifters come in various forms, such as buttons, levers, and sticks, or a combination of both, creating confusion. For example, it's common for AT vehicles to have a parking mode on the gear shifter, but also a parking brake button or lever. Sometimes drive, neutral, and parking are buttons, but there is a lever for multiple drive modes. The most dangerous configuration so far I've seen is where D and R buttons are next to each other. Electric cars, in particular, should only require a simple but clear switch between forward and reverse as their pedals already can stop and go, and many will be effectively parked if fully stopped, they won't roll.
Head units are also problematic with unclear and inconsistent button labels like "Media", "Source", "Input", "Map", "Nav", "Car", sometimes different on the head unit and the steering wheel.
In some cases, like Porsches, there are over 60 buttons within the driver's reach, making it difficult to operate without looking. This is not much better than a touchscreen, it totally distracts you from the road. I would even say that any interface with more than 4-5 buttons in a row that feel the same isn't much better than a touchscreen.
All these issues may not be as pronounced for those familiar with their own cars and are easier to see in rentals. And perhaps they are not big issues, there is still very significant room for UX improvement.
I would like to see more cars go in the way of Tesla and remove a lot that is not necessary. This is not to say that they can't keep buttons. But as I said, climate control could be one knob, the automatic transmission selector could be another. If the parking brake will be electronic, just make the car automatically engage it when parked and turned off. The content shown/played on the media unit could be controlled by another knob - up/down for modes and input sources, left-right to skip tracks or tune radio stations, clockwise-ccw for volume. And then sure, the rest can be on the touchscreen.
To sum up - many buttons (especially when mislabelled or when they handle the same function in combination with other inputs) are also attention-grabbing and inconvenient. Buttons or touchscreens - the UX in cars can be improved a lot.
I've heard that Americans prioritize comfort and practicality in their cars while Germans prefer control and performance. But I always assumed that individual preferences vary so much that any overall correlations to region would be weak. For example, I hail from Central Europe, but strongly prefer the Tesla aesthetic, even if I am not a fan of touchscreening everything.
I literally don't lose sight of outside situation for hours. I have all the info I usually need - current speed, limit, any navigation info if I don't use google maps, selection of songs. Few buttons to control things on steering wheel is all you need.
And yes touchscreens were and are crap, didn't like first Teslas exactly due to that, while crowds were hyped how new and cool it looked, ignoring practicality and safety issues.
Not only are there buttons and knobs for most of the obvious things (temperature, volume, etc.) but even the infotainment is controllable by buttons and a joystick+knob+touchpad. I virtually never touch the screen itself.
For some bizarre reason, they do have a separate single row of touch "buttons" for a few functions, namely, seat heating and ventilation, which whatever, but also fan speed. Not the hugest deal, but just why? They were so close!
Physical buttons for common car features should be non-modal and not context dependent, and in a consistent location you can memorize without looking. You should be able to pause the music without having to navigate to some UI submenu first. Same with climate control, volume, etc.
> 10 and 2 o’clock is no longer recommended because it can be dangerous in vehicles with smaller steering wheels and equipped with airbags.
(Source: https://driving-tests.org/beginner-drivers/how-to-hold-a-ste...)
and the implication that otherwise the trad 10 and 2 position recommended for decades is still 100% A-OK.
Also to always have two hands on the wheel, sliding it through one hand by a solid grip of the other .. all centred about off bitumen rough road driving with unexpected dips, cambers, holes that might catch you by surprise.
I suspect the higher hand position gives a greater advantage in older vehicles with direct under geared mechanical steering as there's more travel from the hand griping position downwards around the arc before "running out of travel" and having to move that hand .. ie better control on bad roads with odd cambers etc.
As far as I am aware, teaching students 10 and 2 has long since been phased out supposedly due to the increase of arm injuries in the event of an accident. 9 and 3 wasn't recommended to us because if your air bag deploys, your right arm will smash into your passenger or the passenger air bag. 8 and 4 is supposed to be safer but it comes with the caveat that you have to steer your car a specific way.
That being said, I prefer 9 and 3 and it's hard to find drivers in America that don't use this position as their default.
That said, if someone absolutely has their heart set on 10 & 2, that is still better than 98% of drivers out there with random single hand steering placement, so it's ok.
The absolute worst is single handed cross placement (e.g. right hand on 10'oclock). Please never do that, you stand zero chance of being able to do a controlled quick correction or emergency manouver if you have to.