I think the big issue is in a majority of vehicles, UI/UX is nothing short of atrocious. Navigating menus can often be totally unintuitive, even for techie users - now imagine older folks attempting to operate these while driving. In this case, if you can't do it right, it's better to not do it at all.
Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
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Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#22Recently switched from a Renault Captur (with touchscreen) to an Audi A3 (without touchscreen) and the amount of focus the touchscreen requires compared to a non-touchscreen with a radial button is amazingly scary. How did anyone thought it was a good idea in the first place? Can't imagine going back to having a touchscreen now, and hope they slowly disappear from everything cars.
Exactly ; I had a similar experience sometime back when I was lent a 2010 Audi A4 for a few months, there was a quite natural control knob placed much like in the article's pics. It really is night and day compared to my brand new Peugeot where you have to look at the screen -and wait for the interface to update on each action- to do basically anything that is not taking a call / moving the volume / changing the track or station which you can do from the wheel.
Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#23Good. There is a reason you don't see apple like designed plane cockpit. When safety or productivity matters, you need more feedback, more options accessible and faster. That's also why you don't program on a tablet, even with a bt keyboard. Task switching is way to slow, not enough info directly accessible and multi tasking sucks.
\dejectedly goes back to coding on termux on a phone with a bluetooth keyboard
Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#24Seems like the future is voice control. I'm pretty used to talking to my phone to do navigation and similar things while driving, but it can be frustrating because it gets confused a lot and often makes me push a button. (vanilla Android) But you have to imagine it will get better.
People are used to being able to do sophisticated things that go beyond the sort of controls you can operate by feel. You used to get by if you could adjusting the volume with a knob and pushing one of 5 preset radio stations, and maybe being able to operate most the heater/AC controls without looking. That's not good enough anymore.
Voice seems to be the only real option. Maybe by the time it they work out all the kinks the cars will all be driving themselves.
Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#25I am absolutely stunned that it's taken people so long to realise this. How the bloody hell could anyone have been so stupid to not realise that we need buttons with tactile feedback so we can keep our eyes on the road.
It's extraordinary.
Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#26Finally we are back to Citroen CX design putting controls on the center console: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/86-Citroen-DX-Prestige/i-Cv...
Aren't most of the controls on your picture not on the center console? The bloody hazards button is behind the driving wheel and inaccessible to the passenger.
For what it's worth I've pretty much always known the controls to be over the center console.
And the instruments being there as well has been happening for some time, at least for some vehicle classes e.g. on the C3 picasso anything but the purely driving-related controls is on the center console: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/citroen/c3-picasso/61746/used-...
Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#27Good. There is a reason you don't see apple like designed plane cockpit. When safety or productivity matters, you need more feedback, more options accessible and faster. That's also why you don't program on a tablet, even with a bt keyboard. Task switching is way to slow, not enough info directly accessible and multi tasking sucks.
> why you don't program on a tablet I dare you to go tell that to /r/apple :)
Well the choice is less obvious when your two options are an iPad or a throttlebook with jam-happy butterfly switches.
In all seriousness, too many of my Mac-loving friends and coworkers are using laptops that're 4+ years old because Apple decided shaving a millimeter off the thickness was worth cutting key travel by 60% and having display hinges crack off the frame. Considering how long most of them have been buying Apple they deserve better treatment.
Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#28Sensible interior design with hardware buttons is one of the main reasons why I opted to get a Mazda over other competition. Most infotainment systems were horribly janky and laggy and some companies even forced me to use them for things like HVAC controls (I'm looking at you Peugeot). Wasn't a great experience.
Having said that - I still like the fact that my Mazda has a touchscreen active while stopped. Entering Nav directions is way faster than with the commander knob.
Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#29Tom Paris is somewhere squealing with glee.
Re: Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehicles
#30I have a Mazda 3 (2016). There is a touch screen but the touch mode is active only when the car is not mooving.