2 ms·

I personally don't find it that bad to have to hit the voice command button on screen a couple of times per drive. for me it's once to start navigation and once

I personally don't find it that bad to have to hit the voice command button on screen a couple of times per drive. for me it's once to start navigation and once to start my music, both of which I can do before leaving my parking space. it's a valid point though, touchscreen UIs are inherently less safe in a car, imo. bmw/mercedes/audi have much better controls where you can control all the systems through a wheel/paddle near the gearshifter but I'm not sure whether they are hooked up to android auto or carplay. in any case, all I'm really arguing is that it isn't that hard to devise a system that's as safe or safer than operating an old school radio. as I argue in a different post, having real-time traffic info is a huge win for safety. I would prefer to see that approach tried at scale before we jack up punishments or create a pervasive surveillance system.

acdha 8y ago
I think the problem is that most manufacturers don’t want to spend time on good UI. I got a 2019 Ford earlier and it was like “hit the voice button, say something, wait, use the touchscreen to cancel the modal error dialog, try again, cancel the hilarious misinterpretation, try again, …”. I am unsurprised that people use the phone directly since the only thing which worked at all well was the sound output and Google maps display. If it were up to me I’d ban touchscreens in the front row: voice or, better, buttons & knobs with distinct tactile feel, and the display has to be the same level as the instrument console and limited to navigation & basic info display. I think that’d avoid a lot of crashes but I imagine it’d get too much negative reaction until the toll of distracted driving is widely recognized, just as drunk driving took many years of awareness.
- leetcrew 8y ago
  I don't disagree with anything you say here. tactile buttons with a quality screen isn't just safer, it's a better experience. I doubt people would miss the touchscreens for long.

acdha 8y ago

I think the problem is that most manufacturers don’t want to spend time on good UI. I got a 2019 Ford earlier and it was like “hit the voice button, say something, wait, use the touchscreen to cancel the modal error dialog, try again, cancel the hilarious misinterpretation, try again, …”. I am unsurprised that people use the phone directly since the only thing which worked at all well was the sound output and Google maps display. If it were up to me I’d ban touchscreens in the front row: voice or, better, buttons & knobs with distinct tactile feel, and the display has to be the same level as the instrument console and limited to navigation & basic info display. I think that’d avoid a lot of crashes but I imagine it’d get too much negative reaction until the toll of distracted driving is widely recognized, just as drunk driving took many years of awareness.

leetcrew 8y ago
I don't disagree with anything you say here. tactile buttons with a quality screen isn't just safer, it's a better experience. I doubt people would miss the touchscreens for long.