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Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

autocar.co.uk

131–140 of 770 posts

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#131
There should be UX research about an ideal combination of tactile physical interfaces (knobs, dials, push buttons, whatever) and voice-activated and voice-feedbacked control while driving.

I we're missing out on not only voice-activated commands, but AI responding and updating about the situation through speakers, not just through the screen updates.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#132
post #101
post #15

I will never understand how this trend started in the first place. If you look at e.g. digital cameras, they all have touch screens these days, but they also still have buttons and dials everywhere. The one in front of me has eight physical buttons, seven dials and a power switch. The reason is obvious: when you're taking photos, you don't want to be looking down at a screen; you want to be focused on the task at han…

Yeah, that’s what I hate about taking pictures with their iPhone, the lack of a tactile button for taking the shot. It’s especially bad when you have to photograph without a view of the screen. (So that you don’t guess, I mean when photographing the back of my head or the inside of a tight crawl space when my cat got inside.)

Does the iPhone not allow double-tap of the power button to start the camera? Volume buttons should work as a shutter button to take a photo.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My TV has capacitive psuedo-buttons even for the power button. Of course it isn't illuminated, since that would distract from the screen, which means that turning on or off the screen when the lights are out is literally a matter of making wild stabs in the dark.

That's why my TV is on a lightswitch!

That's a pretty good idea. I was thinking about retrofitting the capacitive buttons by gluing rubber domes onto them, but changing its outlet to one controlled by a switch seems like a more elegant solution.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#134
The headline had me alarmed. This is just moving heating and whatnot to physical controls. That's awesome. I was worried they were getting rid of the touchscreen entirely.

Android Auto has been an absolute game changer, and it works so much better with touchscreen. Voice controls actually do cover the majority of use cases, but things like being able to quickly see the next turn or zooming out on the map with one hand are simple, and can be done without really looking at the screen until you need to see the info.

Unfortunately, the car I ended up buying (Acura TLX) had Android Auto, but was controlled by a dial knob. It was really the worst of both worlds, since heating was still managed through a second screen that was a touchscreen.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#135
post #88

Always seemed like a cargo cult: iphone good; touch good; buttons bad (steve said). Let’s hope it’s a new trend! I love that my Audi still has tactile buttons and wheels, and was a big factor in choosing it. My previous car had a touch screen and it was so dangerous having to brace my hand for accuracy and stare at my fingers while driving.

It was never a cargo cult of being good... it was a cost cutting play that they correctly thought they could shove down consumers throats. Glad to see Honda acting on behalf of the driver again.

Not looking to start a fight but was a touchscreen really the cheaper option? I would be strongly surprised if that was the case.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#136
post #15

I will never understand how this trend started in the first place. If you look at e.g. digital cameras, they all have touch screens these days, but they also still have buttons and dials everywhere. The one in front of me has eight physical buttons, seven dials and a power switch. The reason is obvious: when you're taking photos, you don't want to be looking down at a screen; you want to be focused on the task at han…

I think because cars, although primarily a form of transport, are often also a fashion accessory, or a statement of who you are (or aspire to be). And touchscreens are very fashionable[1].

Cameras aren't really like that. Nowadays if you've actually bought a camera as opposed to just using the one in your phone you're probably at least a little bit into photography, and in that context the function matters more than the form and style.

[1] I'll grant that cost, along with simplicity of reconfiguration via software, may also be factors.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GPS in the camera is handy for auto-tagging the location of the photos. Which is nice for when on trips.

Thanks. I am familiar with why you want location data in photos. I am not familiar with any justification for why this data cannot be acquired from my mobile.

If I'm using a standalone camera, I don't want to be fiddling with other devices just to get geotagging working.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#138
Look at the cockpit of any modern airliner and you will see screens, but they are never interactive. There are hardware buttons, dials and lights all over the place. A tactile interface is both more obvious, sturdy and more stable, and therefore safer. The problem that touch interfaces solve, ever since the advent of the first smart phone, is that the interface is now dynamic. You can change it without having to replace the hardware. Here's the catch: for safety critical interfaces, YOU DO NOT want the interface to change. The point is moot.

Touch screens will hopefully never make it into any critical pilot systems, because safety and stability matters to airline manufacturers, current ongoing scandals notwithstanding. I only wish automobile manufacturers took their job equally seriously.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#139
Physical devices are far superior to touch controls. Not only can you operate them much more reliably under movement and vibration, you can reliably control them without looking.

Or would you replace your (_mechanical_) keyboard with a touch keyboard of current tech?

Anyone pushing touch screens to replace physical input devices in situations where you need to be doing other things at the same time is just insane.

Re: Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls

#140

I will defend the screen in the Tesla 3, the simple fact is that you really never have to use on your typical drive and yes muscle memory works for simple UIs like what the Tesla employs. Compared to 40+ buttons in my previous Volt AND a screen. Many cars have that many or more buttons and this is easier? Where screen's become distracting is when the UI is shit, having more than one or two clicks to do anything, and…

It's great if you don't have to use the touch screen in the Tesla while it's driving, but it shouldn't even be possible to use it with the car in motion.

I almost never drive by myself. Things that lock out my girlfriend from using them are very annoying to me. Android Auto does this on some features.

It's not like it stops people from just using their phones anyway.

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