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Every time I see posts about car touch screen interfaces, and the associated UX problems, I am reminded of this video I saw a few years ago [0]. I think it is

Every time I see posts about car touch screen interfaces, and the associated UX problems, I am reminded of this video I saw a few years ago [0]. I think it is an elegant solution (only allow ONE thing to be controlled by the touch screen at a time), however will require a lot of learning and remembering to get used to all the different gestures. [0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbuk3jizGM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbuk3jizGM

pasta 8y ago
It is not what is on the screen but the screen itself. From the article: "even when our participants weren’t performing tasks associated with the touchscreen, their eyes were still drawn away from the road and towards the screen" So even with a good UI a screen is still distracting drivers.
- manmal 8y ago
  But why do we check smartphone screens all the time? We expect change (notifications, clock). Once we have learned what kind of changes are to be expected on the car’s display, and when, then the checking will subside. It will stop being interesting. The problem with smartphones is that you never know whether a new push notification will appear or not - a message, an interesting news article, a hot deal - so the screen is always loaded with the possibility of bringing something new and interesting. That’s why I switched off email notifications. Messages are not happening so often for me that I check all the time. A car‘s dashboard should IMO never show push notifications.
- scaryclam 8y ago
  This is one of the reasons I dislike always-on screens in pubs. Instead of engaging with my friends we're all drawn to the tv screens, even when there's nothing interesting playing. It takes more effort for everyone to stay in the conversation.
- cyberferret 8y ago
  But if you watch the video - you can fully interact with the screen without having to look at it. Just place two, three, four or five fingers anywhere on the screen and move up or down. I know initially people's eyes will be drawn to the screen to check whether they are manipulating the right parameter etc., but over time, I would expect that the hand will just drop to the screen, (multi) touch and move without eyes having to leave the road.
simooooo 8y ago
Still has the same issue. You will have to look at it to see if you are fingering it right. There should be audio cure for everything
d21d3q 8y ago
What if you'll lose one of your finger? Then you can not use some functionalities anymore :)
aplc0r 8y ago
This is slightly better than a traditional touchscreen interface. However, it still lacks consistent tactile feedback. For an extremely simply example, take the headlight control in my car [0]. Thanks to the tactile click, I can feel that the control has responded to my input. Not only that, but it is near impossible to fumble and accidentally set it incorrectly. When people talk about touchscreens in their car, I like to tell them to imagine this switch was a completely smooth disc, could spin 360 degrees, and gives no resistance when turned. Now, try setting it to one of the 3 settings without looking at it. [0] - http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/56272534.jpg http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/56272534.jpg

pasta 8y ago

It is not what is on the screen but the screen itself. From the article: "even when our participants weren’t performing tasks associated with the touchscreen, their eyes were still drawn away from the road and towards the screen" So even with a good UI a screen is still distracting drivers.

manmal 8y ago
But why do we check smartphone screens all the time? We expect change (notifications, clock). Once we have learned what kind of changes are to be expected on the car’s display, and when, then the checking will subside. It will stop being interesting. The problem with smartphones is that you never know whether a new push notification will appear or not - a message, an interesting news article, a hot deal - so the screen is always loaded with the possibility of bringing something new and interesting. That’s why I switched off email notifications. Messages are not happening so often for me that I check all the time. A car‘s dashboard should IMO never show push notifications.
scaryclam 8y ago
This is one of the reasons I dislike always-on screens in pubs. Instead of engaging with my friends we're all drawn to the tv screens, even when there's nothing interesting playing. It takes more effort for everyone to stay in the conversation.
cyberferret 8y ago
But if you watch the video - you can fully interact with the screen without having to look at it. Just place two, three, four or five fingers anywhere on the screen and move up or down. I know initially people's eyes will be drawn to the screen to check whether they are manipulating the right parameter etc., but over time, I would expect that the hand will just drop to the screen, (multi) touch and move without eyes having to leave the road.

simooooo 8y ago

Still has the same issue. You will have to look at it to see if you are fingering it right. There should be audio cure for everything

d21d3q 8y ago

What if you'll lose one of your finger? Then you can not use some functionalities anymore :)

aplc0r 8y ago

This is slightly better than a traditional touchscreen interface. However, it still lacks consistent tactile feedback. For an extremely simply example, take the headlight control in my car [0]. Thanks to the tactile click, I can feel that the control has responded to my input. Not only that, but it is near impossible to fumble and accidentally set it incorrectly. When people talk about touchscreens in their car, I like to tell them to imagine this switch was a completely smooth disc, could spin 360 degrees, and gives no resistance when turned. Now, try setting it to one of the 3 settings without looking at it. [0] - http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/56272534.jpg http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/56272534.jpg