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Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

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Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#821

Post by martyvis »

justeleblanc wrote: post #701
geraldwhen wrote: post #548

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In many states you can absolutely use your phone while driving, either to call someone or actively use gps without a window mount. What’s explicitly prohibited is texting/writing and driving.

The US is not a beacon of consumer safety. In my European country, having your phone in your hand while driving is illegal.

Same here in Australia. I actually think we have developed the technology (and the matching legislation) that allows pole mounted cameras to detect this while driving at 110kmh down the expressway. I know many people that have been "busted" and even though I use a handsfree holder, just placing (when you forgot to do so before you drive off) is just as illegal here.

I did laugh when of course sometimes they would pickup someone holding a chocolate bar while driving. While not necessarily the best thing to do with the one hand, not illegal all the same.

Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#822

Post by JPws_Prntr_Fngr »

DonHopkins wrote: post #784
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #688

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. I am. That guy (and everyone else involved) probably has ten times blood on his hands as a result of "wE doN't need TO CarE aBOUT REaR vIsIBILITY BeCaUsE we have a BACKup CaMERa" engineering and touch screen distractions than he's saved by getting backup cameras put in things. Backup cameras are the unholy trinity of upper middle class moral panic and shirking of responsibility, government Doing Something (TM) a…

You can put duct tape over your federally mandated backup camera display if you really believe they're so distracting that they cause you to run over more people in reverse. But maybe you should just stay off the road instead, so you have less blood on your own hands.

He's clearly talking about the second-order effects of backup camera-centric design (worse visibility through the windows and touchscreen controls). Try reading a little more closely.

Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#823

Post by blarghyblarg »

andrewmcwatters wrote: post #189

I wouldn't mind touchscreens as long as these imbecile developers would strictly limit UI response time to under 16ms. In no world where you're barrelling 3,000+ lbs of mass at tens of miles an hour should you be distracted by some moronic app or subsystem failing to respond in time because it was written by under-experienced software "engineers." Any software running as a part of a motor vehicle should be federally…

I worked on an infotainment system some years back. Trust me: we hated the response times more than you do, and I'm sure you hate them a lot. There were, and are, layers and layers of issues leading to it.

Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#824

Post by anthonypasq »

yellowapple wrote: post #121
flyinghamster wrote: post #39

I think one of the most frustrating aspects of this whole kerfluffle is the automakers' longstanding willingness to ignore customers and double down at any pushback. It's downright stupid that it has taken this level of screaming from customers to roll back a design choice that should never have been made.

It ain't just cars. I can't think of very many people who genuinely enjoy the "smart" aspect of "smart TVs", for example; nearly everyone I know who owns a TV also owns some device that not only does everything the TV's "smarts" can do but does them consistently better and can be trivially replaced should that ever change.

im pretty sure nearly every single person in existence wants a tv that connects to the internet dude. people dont want to plug in an hdmi cord to access streaming services.

Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#825

Post by adrr »

Lolaccount wrote: post #605
tomashm wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In newer software versions, you should be able to control the wipers with the left scrolling wheel, right after you have activated them with the push button on the left arm. https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modelx/en_us/GUID-A5C33F3... .

Small consolation ... but it's no substitute for poor design.

Two poor decisions. One is to not use a real rain sensor and the second is not to pay a couple bucks to put a physical dial on the stalk. My other cars i don't even need to mess with the wiper controls because the rain sensor works great.

Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#826

Post by neogodless »

BrandoElFollito wrote: post #609

I do not think drivers hate touchscreens. I think drivers hate idiot developers and their idiot management. First the touchscreens' esthetics are in the 90's. Then the touchscreens' performance are in the 90's Third the management strategy is to piss off the drivers by shoving down their throats the two above. I dream of a car where I (that is me personally) can set up what I want to see. I do not give a fuck about t…

I'm a driver and I hate touchscreens.

I don't care about the aesthetics or performance, because I don't want to look at it to control it. Touchscreen control is for something you look directly at, focus on, and use as an input. That's incompatible with driving.

Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#827

Post by ryantgtg »

Zanni wrote: post #552
seb1204 wrote: post #543

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you also do AC control via voice?

Tesla support this. "Set temperature to 70."

Yeah, AC is usually the only thing I touch the screen for. And since they have such good voice commands for it I’m trying to get in that groove.

But, I don’t drive every day, and when I do it’s usually a short trip, so I’m slow to build the habits.

AC voice command examples https://www.tesla.com/support/voice-commands

A generic command like “make it warmer” will bump it up 3 degrees.

Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#828

Post by blarghyblarg »

alkonaut wrote: post #511
the_overseer wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not criminal so they will continue to lower the cost. 50ms quickly becomes 500ms response time when you realize that no tier 1 supplier can hit within your OEM budget and your boss is becoming impatient :) Another thing that happens is when there is a 50ms response time mandated and at the start of the project you have 30ms and it slowly creeps up until you get to 55ms. Then the blame game starts. Like I said pr…

I think this describes a lot of how software is developed (which just goes to show how immature that part of the industry is.). Similar contracts and agreements exist between manufacturers of the brake system as well but if there is an issue there where the ABS system doesn't prevent lockup in 1% of cases, then the problem is solved or the car launch is delayed, because that's what the system is designed to do. The p…

ah, there is some regulatory oversight and there's awareness of the safety aspects.

Not much, but, there is some.

After working on infotainment, I'm doing my best to avoid purchasing a car with an infotainment system. I had to compromise and got a Civic with an infotainment system for my wife, but I'll probably stick to late 2000s, early 2010s for as long as I possibly can to avoid them. Seriously hate touchscreens, and there's just not enough value in an infotainment system for me to be OK with what I'm losing by having one.

Re: Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens

#830

Post by blarghyblarg »

the_overseer wrote: post #811
kaetemi wrote: post #773

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah, that sounds like bad management. They should be relaying the requirements to the hardware team.

Most of the time the hardware team doesn't get to choose their hardware. There is usually a budget and in automotive you can select only hardware that has some specific certifications for use in a car so that narrows the list even further.

And once that hardware is selected for a given range of vehicles, it's literally impossible to change. Updates to some parts of the software stack are also basically impossible at a certain point.
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