Play 'n crash

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Rikkitic

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#305970 17-Jun-2023 18:05

Just saw an item on TV about new car dash design being inspired by gaming. I think these digital display gimmicks are a terrible idea. OK for just providing information that can be taken in at a glance, but a disaster waiting to happen when also used for input controls. With physical controls like switches and knobs, you can easily make radio and heater and other adjustments by feel without taking your eyes off the road. At least that was how I did it. Steering wheel controls aren't a problem but anything requiring touch screen input is just asking for trouble. It is one of the dumbest ideas I have ever seen. In the item I just viewed, a spokeswomen made noises about how everything has been so carefully designed not to be distracting, but digital displays are inherent distracting if you have to look at them to see what you are adjusting. This is a stupid, gimmicky, terrible, unsafe, 'trendy' idea that should never be allowed. If people want a gaming experience, let them sit in the passenger seat.

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#3091207 17-Jun-2023 18:20

I've been using a digital display (touchscreen) for nearly 4 years now. I haven't ended up in a fiery crash.

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Rikkitic

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#3091214 17-Jun-2023 18:49

I have been swimming with crocodiles for four years now. They haven't eaten me yet.

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Ruphus

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#3091234 17-Jun-2023 20:02

Touch controls have been in cars for years and are not going away any time soon. The same 'they're a distraction' argument can be made for any control, whether phyisical or touch within reach of the driver.

Obraik

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#3091235 17-Jun-2023 20:03

Rikkitic:

I have been swimming with crocodiles for four years now. They haven't eaten me yet.

Well other than "I feel", do you have any stats that shows there is an increase in accidents from cars having touchscreens?

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lxsw20

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#3091236 17-Jun-2023 20:15

Wall of text there....

I do somewhat agree, especially if they UI hasn't been well designed. You shouldn't have to go digging through menus to find things like seat heaters which seems to be the way VAG and others are going.

A tactile rotary volume knob and temp controls make a lot more sense to me than touch.

Rikkitic

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#3091251 17-Jun-2023 20:50

Obraik:

Rikkitic:

I have been swimming with crocodiles for four years now. They haven't eaten me yet.

Well other than "I feel", do you have any stats that shows there is an increase in accidents from cars having touchscreens?

Here is one. I didn't have to look far to find it. I'm sure there are more.

Seriously, I know from personal experience how quickly you can go off the road at speed when your gaze is misdirected for even a few seconds. I honestly think it is a genuine risk. How serious I can't say but it is not nothing.

I used to do long drives at night a lot. Often I would adjust the radio or heater while underway. I would do this by touch and it worked fine. I kept my eyes on the road. These days I often ride with a friend who has a GPS/audio system in her car. It is touchscreen all the way and impossible to adjust in any way without close visual scrutiny. Often you have to thread through menus. There is no way to do this safely as driver.

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Obraik

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#3091280 17-Jun-2023 21:33

Having a quick look into that example you gave, I can't find any details on how the test was performed. Were these drivers people who had been driving the tested car as their daily for some time or were they just thrown into a new car and told to find X while driving? If it's the latter, were the same tests done on cars with only physical buttons? Touchscreens or physical buttons, in the latter scenario I would become a distracted driver if I was trying to find something in a car I'd never driven before.

I can only speak for the car that I drive (Model 3), but rarely find myself looking for controls in the touchscreen while I'm driving. Like most cars these days, it has a climate control system where you set a temperature and it handles the rest - in the four years I've driven it, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've had to adjust the climate. When it comes to audio I generally set a podcast or Spotify playlist before I set off and I adjust the volume and track/ad skipping with the control on the steering wheel. Navigation is also something I generally set before I set off.

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Rikkitic

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#3091284 17-Jun-2023 21:46

Obraik: Having a quick look into that example you gave, I can't find any details on how the test was performed. Were these drivers people who had been driving the tested car as their daily for some time or were they just thrown into a new car and told to find X while driving? If it's the latter, were the same tests done on cars with only physical buttons? Touchscreens or physical buttons, in the latter scenario I would become a distracted driver if I was trying to find something in a car I'd never driven before.

I can only speak for the car that I drive (Model 3), but rarely find myself looking for controls in the touchscreen while I'm driving. Like most cars these days, it has a climate control system where you set a temperature and it handles the rest - in the four years I've driven it, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've had to adjust the climate. When it comes to audio I generally set a podcast or Spotify playlist before I set off and I adjust the volume and track/ad skipping with the control on the steering wheel. Navigation is also something I generally set before I set off.

That is fine for you and your car, but it doesn't say much about the broader issue. Also, I only linked to the first thing that popped up. There were several others and I'm sure any serious search would come up with plenty more. One thing I noticed in that article is that older people take markedly longer to switch their focus. So a touchscreen car that doesn't add too much risk for a younger driver might be unacceptably dangerous for an older one? Does that mean cars have to come with age limits? Or do drivers of different ages get different endorsements on their licenses? Far better in my opinion just to not make cars that create unnecessary added hazards regardless of age. Knobs and switches work fine for everyone. Who needs touch screens in cars?

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Obraik

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#3091289 17-Jun-2023 22:00

OK but again, are those metrics based on people that use the car on the regular or were they put in a car they weren't familiar with and told to find stuff? Other than testing for the rental experience, I don't think that's a very valid test.

The problems with knobs and buttons is that you have a cluttered bank of these objects that you might only use once or twice a year - some of them you won't ever use.

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Ge0rge

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#3091300 17-Jun-2023 23:21

I personally don't, but it would seem that Google certainly does...

Eva888

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#3091343 18-Jun-2023 11:39

Using voice in the car to make calls can also be distracting because of the frustration and anxiety caused when the irritating voice keeps spitting out the wrong people.

Yesterday all I wanted was a quick call to inform pick up soon and to wait outside in case of no parking.

Push on the steering speech button.

'Call Husband mobile.' Spoken exactly as it’s entered in my phone contacts in my clearest voice.

She answers 'Calling Estelle,' (who you’ve never spoken to for years because haven’t cleaned out the myriad contacts in the phone.)

Eyes go to screen. Yell 'cancel.' Didn’t work. She tells me she didn’t understand the command. She tells me to speak naturally and gives me ten options of what to say none of which are useful.

Repeat more distinctly. 'Call Husband mobile.'

Her, very calmly 'Calling Nick,' with a long surname who you never call because you only speak to his wife, but this time it rings through...thankfully only to his answerphone. Think to ignore it but then imagine his wife seeing my call on his mobile???

Profusely apologise that call was a mistake bla bla, while glancing at the steering wheel to find the cancel button and feel frustration rising. Also make mental note to explain to the wife what happened when I get home in case he gets the third degree. I know this person's mind well.

Thinking hard...last time I did this the call went through to Mr E perfectly. How hard can this be. Determination sets in and start over. 'Phone...Husband...mobile...,' in my most elocution inspired voice.

Her. 'Calling Estelle....' Grrr. I park on side of road and rummage for phone in bag.

I agree that even a split second distraction is enough to make you veer out of a lane when driving on motorway at high speed and having experienced this once, was enough. Now only use volume control and defog buttons or aircon on motorway. City driving at up to 50 and stopping at lights gives you a bit more time to fiddle but definitely never at speed. Would never use maps on touch screen while driving. As for calling phones...will practice more first.

Bung

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#3091345 18-Jun-2023 11:59

Can you switch to a male voice response? It might be less contrary /J.

I've been surprised at how easy voice is once you remember the format of the command. Our car GPS defaults to only accepting input while stationary.

Rikkitic

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#3091348 18-Jun-2023 12:09

My objection to touch screens for inputs is that they create an unnecessary distraction hazard (how much of one can be debated) and they are completely unnecessary gimmicks used by marketing people to appeal to those who move their lips when they read. Touch screens do have a place. They are good for some menus because virtual buttons can be moved around and changed in size to maximise their convenience. But I don't see why they cannot be combined with tactile controls for specific functions that a driver is likely to want to frequently access while underway, like volume control, temperature regulation, track skip, and anything else that might force the driver to look at the screen. It doesn't have to be all one thing or the other.

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Obraik

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#3091351 18-Jun-2023 12:31

I don't think I've seen a car that has only touchscreen input. Frequently used controls (like volume, track control, etc) have physical buttons that can be used. Even my Tesla has this.

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Rikkitic

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#3091359 18-Jun-2023 13:05

Obraik:

I don't think I've seen a car that has only touchscreen input. Frequently used controls (like volume, track control, etc) have physical buttons that can be used. Even my Tesla has this.

Glad to hear it. But my post was inspired by a news item about screen-only controls. I think it was highlighting the new Cadillac. In any case, I have no issue if what you state is true.

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