The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces • Hacker News Board

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#131

Post by [deleted] » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:22 PM UTC

PartiallyTyped wrote: post #10

arky527 wrote: post #5

Modern cars seem to be moving towards all controls on a touch screen somewhere. I suppose this allows for more frequent updates, but in my experience it just leads to more bugs and more painful factory updates. Not to mention using a touchscreen to adjust the temperature while driving is incredibly dangerous compared to a dial you can feel for without taking your eyes off the road.

I have grown to heavily dislike the whole smartify everything. Haptic feedback is a core part of how humans process the world, and to remove it in favor of more frequent updates seems like a naive decision at best. Flatness in phones works because we can use our full attention - which is also why car accidents happen when people use it while driving.

[deleted]

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#132

Post by corobo » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:22 PM UTC

cbm-vic-20 wrote: post #74

LaputanMachine wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is a safety function. You may not be able to turn off the stove yourself if something boils over, and the buttons get covered in hot liquid.

Sounds like these stoves could use an "oh shit" / "Big Red Button" that's easily accessible when this happens.

Is there not the switch on the mains where you are? In the UK we have a quick-off* toggle switch for electric ovens. Usually near the oven but could be elsewhere in a bigger kitchen

That'd be my go-to panic resolve anyway

* For folks unfamiliar by this I mean it takes almost zero effort to turn the switch off, but takes a little bit of force to switch back on

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#133

Post by duxup » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:23 PM UTC

s4i wrote: post #7

Reminds me of modern stoves. All of them have touch controls which means every time a friend of mine is presenting me their new kitchen, I have no idea how to use the stove. They always say "No, no, it's really easy to get used to" but it's still frustrating because the touch controls never bring any new features to the table. They are just knobs abstracted into separated buttons and sliders, of which the latter you…

I'm remodeling my kitchen, all my appliances (except the microwave) has nice big knobs on them, big display on the oven to show the results.

I LOATH my current oven / cook top that has up and down push button arrows and a tiny screen that is pointed at my waist ...

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#134

Post by baobob » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:23 PM UTC

nkrisc wrote: post #22

arky527 wrote: post #5

Modern cars seem to be moving towards all controls on a touch screen somewhere. I suppose this allows for more frequent updates, but in my experience it just leads to more bugs and more painful factory updates. Not to mention using a touchscreen to adjust the temperature while driving is incredibly dangerous compared to a dial you can feel for without taking your eyes off the road.

The touch screens are the only thing keeping me on dino juice cars. I want to go electric, but they all have these awful touchscreens! I don’t want to navigate a menu to change the temperature or turn on a seat warmer. I’m just not buying an EV until there’s one that doesn’t rely on a giant touch screen for everything or I can’t buy an ICE vehicle anymore.

Luckily the tide seems to be turning: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/opinion/touch-screens-car...

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#135

Post by tablespoon » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:25 PM UTC

IMHO, user interfaces generally are better the more buttons and knobs they have (scaled for compactness requirements). Obviously some thought must be put into those buttons and knobs, but I've never personally ran into a UI that had too many.

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#136

Post by neogodless » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:29 PM UTC

zwirbl wrote: post #110

spaniard89277 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some korean brand was moving to physical buttons again, but I can't find which.

I guess it was Mazda, so Japanese instead of Korean https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is-pur... Though I don't know if they followed through

https://www.autoguide.com/manufacturer/mazda/2022-mazda-cx-5...

> Like most modern Mazdas, the CX-5 uses an ultra-wide, non-touchscreen infotainment system.

Buttons and knobs for HVAC

https://www.autoguide.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/20...

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#137

Post by ChrisMarshallNY » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:29 PM UTC

I have always been skeptical of many "new-fangled" interfaces, like touchscreens and HUDs.

I know that, many years ago, cars started to display speed and tach displays as digital, and that was fairly quickly reversed, because people kept seeing their speed as a jumble of characters (look at digital displays that change rapidly).

I know that a number of auto manufacturers are starting to ditch touchscreen, for knobs.

I've found that haptic feedback is helpful. I use it (as well as a "retro-style" LED display) in my latest little timer app[0]. The earlier versions of that app were a lot more complex, and I ended up removing a great deal of the flexibility. So far, people have given me good feedback on the new "Fisher-Price" interface.

[0] https://riftvalleysoftware.com/work/ios-apps/ambiamara/

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#138

Post by tablespoon » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

baobob wrote: post #134

nkrisc wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The touch screens are the only thing keeping me on dino juice cars. I want to go electric, but they all have these awful touchscreens! I don’t want to navigate a menu to change the temperature or turn on a seat warmer. I’m just not buying an EV until there’s one that doesn’t rely on a giant touch screen for everything or I can’t buy an ICE vehicle anymore.

Luckily the tide seems to be turning: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/opinion/touch-screens-car...

> Luckily the tide seems to be turning: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/opinion/touch-screens-car...

We can hope, but there's reason to be pessimistic:

> With traffic fatalities spiking over the past few years and with no real plan for how to make screens less distracting, we seem to have entered into the type of brutal acquiescence that’s common in the tech era; car manufacturers will keep putting bigger and more complicated screens in cars without much thought to safety or even functionality, and we, the consumers, will continue to buy them.

> ...

> The incentives of carmakers are pretty clear: Touch screens are cheaper than designing and installing a mechanical panel. And given that most cars today are reliable, come with lengthy warranties and an array of mostly uniform features, a big screen becomes a way for a car brand to distinguish itself from its competitors, especially on the showroom floor before potential buyers have a chance to really immerse themselves in just how annoying the screen will be.

One of the weaknesses of the market is that it doesn't necessarily give consumers what would work best for them, it just lets them pick from what they're given. Barring regulatory action, I don't see device-makers moving away touchscreen maximization.

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#139

Post by 30944836 » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:31 PM UTC

arky527 wrote: post #5

Modern cars seem to be moving towards all controls on a touch screen somewhere. I suppose this allows for more frequent updates, but in my experience it just leads to more bugs and more painful factory updates. Not to mention using a touchscreen to adjust the temperature while driving is incredibly dangerous compared to a dial you can feel for without taking your eyes off the road.

>Not to mention using a touchscreen to adjust the temperature while driving is incredibly dangerous compared to a dial you can feel for without taking your eyes off the road.

I understand this concern and opinion. I just wish that people who had this opinion realized that their car has a very modern voice interface that can reliably understand commands for temperature changes.

I know, I know, it's not the buttons you're used to, and these systems used to be very bad. But give it a shot sometime. I was impressed with Tesla's implementation, and I imagine the rest of the industry has caught up too. The best part is, it's the safest method of all, because it doesn't require taking either your hands or your eyes off the road. So if safety is your jam (and it ought to be!), this is really the best solution.

Re: The benefits of “low tech” user interfaces

#140

Post by nvrspyx » Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:38 PM UTC

30944836 wrote: post #139

arky527 wrote: post #5

Modern cars seem to be moving towards all controls on a touch screen somewhere. I suppose this allows for more frequent updates, but in my experience it just leads to more bugs and more painful factory updates. Not to mention using a touchscreen to adjust the temperature while driving is incredibly dangerous compared to a dial you can feel for without taking your eyes off the road.

>Not to mention using a touchscreen to adjust the temperature while driving is incredibly dangerous compared to a dial you can feel for without taking your eyes off the road. I understand this concern and opinion. I just wish that people who had this opinion realized that their car has a very modern voice interface that can reliably understand commands for temperature changes. I know, I know, it's not the buttons you…

I don't think it's as prevalent as you think. My partner's car interface is almost all touch, including the temperature controls, but there's no voice interface. Luckily, my vehicle has no touch interfaces at all and everything is much more reliable than their's, not even including the time when half their screen stopped responding to touch.