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Comment by sva_ | Hacker News Reader

> anything with an app is about 15,000 times more useable than the touch surfaces for most modern appliances.

As a person with pretty good sight (140% with glasses), I have to say that these sort of devices tend to be difficult to use even for me. For example, my father has an inductive stove with a touch interface, and I commonly fail to properly use it on the "subsequent first tries".

When I see a touch screen interface that is completely static (same "buttons" at the same positions), I often wonder what led to the decision to utilize them instead of just using hardware buttons/knobs. Is it a cost-saving measure, or just some managerial person who decided they needed to use something more modern?

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Since we are talking about kitchen, sensor buttons on anything are easier while cleaning from fats than all kinds of moving buttons/switches.

I’d be fine with them except that the stove completely turns off when the sensors get a drop of water on them. And your fingers has to be dry and clean to use them. Both conditions make them hopeless in a kitchen.

I find sensors are dangerous, for two reasons. Sensors react not only to your finger but also to the wet cloth while cleaning, so cleaning can change settings or switch on the heat. There is usually a "cloth-detection", but that often doesn't work. And on the hob, if you spill something, liquid might get on the buttons and change the settings. I've had a spill turning into a disaster of burned milk and even more spillage that way.

Idk how it works but when I clean my induction burner, when the buttons are wet, there is some sort of annoying alarm beep but it never ever activated some button for no reason. Also, you need to long press the power button then the burner specific button.

Of course it’s induction so even if it was erroneously powered on, it would only be an issue with a pan on it which never happen anyway when you clean.

I hate sensors buttons with passion for everything but in the specific case of an induction burner, I think that’s a smart choice (accessibility aside).

My previous ikea induction burner even had 4 virtual sliders for the temperature, one for each burner and it was so nice that I wonder why it’s not the default.

Cost saving. They can reuse the same part with a different firmwares on different models.

It is also replacing a multitude of parts with what is essentially a single part from the perspective of manufacturing and inventory.

While I do get mildly irritated any time a water spillage triggers the buttons, I mostly love the sensor buttons on my induction hob. I clean the hob far more often now I can just give it a quick wipe down with a cloth and not have to try and get all the crevices on the controls.

Biggest reason by far is saving cost, but there are also some important benefits for the end-user like having no moving parts and being easier to clean.

> inductive stove with a touch interface

The UI for these seems to be universally awful. I was looking for a stovetop/hob for my mother and I couldn't find a single brand that didn't have glaring usability faults. I finally found a model that I could order sight-unseen that had knobs - but it took far too much research.

There's some law of capitalism that says that anything in the kitchen with electronics must have a devily awful UI. It isn't just microwave ovens! I have found no brand that puts UI as a priority.

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