I was at SXSW in ~2009. Got a free ticket to the interactive track. Was my first conference, and I was mostly disappointed that it just seemed to be a way for adults with salaries to get paid to go on a trip and party.

I do remember stumbling into the middle of a fascinating session on interface design for cars though, explaining the importance of having something tactile that driver can understand without taking their focus off the road. Nuts to see how the industry eschewed that wisdom in the decades to come.

I agree! I love a nice big dial--my car still has them for volume, heat, etc., and I cannot imagine dealing with one that didn't.

+1

If not phones, I wish there were at least phone cases with side buttons and dial or two.

(In the health sector, some device manufacturers replaced physical knobs with to touch screens and they suck so much.)