2028: Study finds that cars without any human controls are safer than those with
2038: Study finds that cars without any humans are safer than those with
Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
141–150 of 386 posts
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#142They needed a study for this?
On the one hand, "no kidding, we knew that. Duh."
On the other hand, doing a study to confirm what we think we know to be true is not always wasted effort. For the simple reason that we are sometimes wrong.
And for the reason that studies can measure magnitude of such an effect. And variation.
And for the reason that for many contexts (e.g. safety legislation or safety standards) a study is proof and a call to act, in ways that "everybody knows that" is not. I don't know if this will result in legislation, but it is a step on that path.
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Awareness in my view is useless because touchscreens in auto infotainment are far more visually impressive so they will always be preferred from a buyer's perspective. Except that the HN audience also buys cars, and prefers something else. And we aren't that unique or exceptional.
there’s certainly people on HN that are quite unique and exceptional (the only question is to what extent) People who don’t use smartphones, people who only pay with cash, people who have smart phones without data plans, people who turn off notifications on their phone for a large percentage of their day, people who own Android devices and strip out everything Google related, list goes on
There are certainly people in almost all audiences that are quite unique and exceptional, but the HN audience as a collective doesn't stand out as much as some of us would like to believe.
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#144I’d like to offer a possibly controversial alternative viewpoint on this. On a longer time horizon than just the past few years, we saw the introduction of touchscreens for drivers way back in the early 2000s. We just called them smartphones. Before that, rush hour commuters could be spotted reading newspapers, shaving, applying makeup, and eating breakfast while driving. All of those pose real dangers to themselves…
> The solution, in my opinion, is not about the controls in the vehicle. Rather, it’s about removing the distracted driver from the equation altogether and finally mastering the immense challenge of truly autonomous vehicles.
So we can remove the physical buttons when we remove the steering wheel, but not before then.
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
I like the dashboard in my 2014 Prius. The speedometer is digital numbers, which is great because I have trouble reading dials. Never had an issue with anything freezing up. Later Toyotas I’ve rented have full color screens. They work okay.
Oh, I'm fine with digital readouts, as long as there is an analog backup for when you hit that unavoidable software bug. Airplanes get this right: even on the latest Airbus, you still have the basic altitude, air/vertical speed and heading instruments, in a familiar place and configuration, based on boring physical/analog principles, just in case you need them... (and, because they're mandated by FAA [14 CFR 91] and…
Those are included on Airplanes because you need those to make a safe stop (aka Landing)
you DO NOT need a speedometer or any dash display at all to safely pull a car to the side of the road and stop. Therefore they should not be mandated under safety regulation, if you have a car with a digital display and it fails you pull your car to the side of the road, put on your hazards and call for a tow to the mechanic
Just like in a airplane if it has a problem you find the closest safe landing spot, put the plan down, and call for a mechanic.
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#146Many people including me will say that this is obvious, but even if it took a study, why wasn't this study done at some point _before_ incorporating this major design change into nearly every new car on the market?
A couple of reasons:
* Most people will never voluntarily measure things. Instead people form intuitive assumptions and extrapolate performance and potential from that. This happens all the time for almost everybody.
* Business people need corporate promotions and incentive pay. The best way to achieve such is to pitch a popular idea full of shine and glitter. As an example have you ever participated in a "hack day" event? It does not matter what your final product is (or isn't). What matters is the 2 minute pitch at the end.
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
> What's the proper control to use for interacting with a navigation 1. Voice control 2. Pull over
My Audi has a knob which I can rotate in order to navigate through the menus without taking my eyes off the street. It also has a touch screen, but I only use it when standing still.
Mazda has something similar. I realized that "do __ without taking your eyes off the road" isn't really true, for the same reason that it's hard to read your phone and listen to someone at the same time. Most of the time you can strike a balance, but every once and a while your mind will completely blank and take a few moments to realize you stopped processing what you were hearing. Not a risk worth taking while driving.
I try to avoid using the knob while in motion as well.
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#148I would love to see some EU legislation about car dashboards. As an occasional driver of many different brands and types of vehicles, I continue to be amazed at the usability crimes being committed in the name of 'looking cool' (stated reason) as well as 'cost savings' (most likely the real reason). Any function that needs to be invoked or setting that needs to be changed by a reasonable person while driving should h…
>>I would love to see some EU legislation Why does the EU believe every facet of life needs to be ordered and control by government regulation, is there any area of life at all in the EU that should be free from government interference? That is an honest question because every time anything comes up the first response from citizens of the EU is to declare government should be the right and proper resolution to the pr…
Because it is a socialist construct, despite what they may tell you. I mean that in the purely theoretical sense: the government “knows better, know everything, and solves better, and everything”, which just means “everything needs to be legislated.
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#149This article from August 2022 had a lot of good detail: "Physical buttons outperform touchscreens in new cars, test finds" https://www.vibilagare.se/english/physical-buttons-outperfor...
Re: Study finds that buttons in cars are safer and quicker to use than touchscreens
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Unless they never used any alternative... It's the product quality equivalent of the Overton Window. People are impressed by their appliances lasting 5 years, or other mediocre accomplishments, because that's increasingly the norm.
Who is impressed by appliances lasting 5 years. If I buy a new Stove or Fridge and is craps out before 15 years I never buying that brand again. Smaller table top appliances lasting 5 years is ok I guess, something like an Air Fyer or even a Microwave, but larger ones no that should be 15 years.
> Who is impressed by appliances lasting 5 years. If I buy a new Stove or Fridge and is craps out before 15 years I never buying that brand again.
I agree. I was recently shopping for a new fridge and, after reading countless reviews online, I realized that people's notion of quality has dramatically shifted. Even some luxury brands have either been acquired or started licensing Chinese companies to produce inferior-quality products with their name.