4 ms·

> they've really thought through the UX of a semi-self driving car Minor side note. I'm sure a lot of the experience is well-designed but I can't help but grim

by jrib 6y ago

> they've really thought through the UX of a semi-self driving car Minor side note. I'm sure a lot of the experience is well-designed but I can't help but grimace every time I see that huge touch tablet instead of physical buttons on the dashboard.

zaroth 6y ago
That’s Ok. A lot of people thought keyboards on phones were an absolute requirement too. Like with phones, having touch screen control everything provides extraordinary flexibility in rolling out new software features and ultimately improving UX. Remember this design is supposed to lead the way into an FSD future achieved through purely software updates. Whether they succeed in automating the majority of miles driven, they designed the car with that future fully in mind. For what it’s worth, it’s one of my favorite parts of the car, and certainly it’s my kids favorite part of the car.
- rtx 6y ago
  I have never felt safe using any touch screen while driving.
  - macintux 6y ago
    What you’re missing, though, is that from Tesla’s perspective you shouldn’t be driving while trying to use it. Or much at all. I prefer hardware to software and I’d hate to control my Jeeps with a touchscreen but my Jeeps aren’t driving themselves.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
  - bananabreakfast 6y ago
    That's okay, you won't be the one driving soon enough
    - afavour 6y ago
      Ehhhh. Self driving cars have been just around the corner for a long time now. Not saying it won’t happen, but I wouldn’t buy a Tesla today on the assumption that it’ll happen within the lifetime of that car.
      - Dylan16807 6y ago
        A long time? I feel like they went from "eventually" to "around the corner" pretty recently. Even though there weren't any particular leaps in self-driving technology happening then.
  - bitexploder 6y ago
    We almost never have to touch the screen with driving our Model 3. All controls you need are physical or very easy to interact with on the screen.
- WalterBright 6y ago
  A touch screen requires looking at it, buttons do not. That is a fundamental difference, and I don't want a UI I have to look at while driving. I don't want a UI with modes on the touchscreen. More of needing to concentrate on the cursed screen instead of driving. Lastly, every touchscreen UI is fatally attracted to icons instead of words so I have to pull over and consult the 500 page manual to see what the wretched things mean. Icons have set back communication 5000 years [1], though I doubt Susan Kare will ever apologize :-) [1] Picture based written languages all evolved towards phonetic, alphabet based ones. There's a good reason for that.
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    > A touch screen requires looking at it, buttons do not. While there are things on my car I use instinctively without looking—wipers/ lights come to mind—there are plenty of other pieces which are frustratingly difficult to find in the dark. Turning on the window defroster when the window starts to fog up at night comes to mind. Likewise many of the climate control nobs. While they do have nice physical manifestations, I don't know off the top of my head what position the nob happens to be in or which direction I need to shift it to get it into defrost versus heat versus vent. Personally, I think there is a happy medium somewhere between Tesla's touch everything and the current state where you play button guessing games.
    - WalterBright 6y ago
      These problems have long been solved. Then, 20 years ago, it was all forgotten. Behold my 1989 Bronco II: ----------[++]----------------------------------- MAX A/C PANEL PNL/FLR FLOOR FLR/DEF DEFROST -----------------[++]---------------------------- COOL WARM OFF * * * HI PUSH FOR A/C It has two sliders with positions as labeled above, then a rotating knob with 5 detented positions for the fan, and the label PUSH FOR A/C. The COOL to WARM slider is also color coded blue fading to red. Turning on the headlights lights the display. No manual is needed to fully operate it. I never even had the manual for that car. The knob and sliders are trivial, tactile, and visual. There are no modes. It's near perfection in user interface design.
- swiley 6y ago
  Yeah I still think touch UIS absolutely suck and the best example of this is the android WiFi GUI (idk if they changed it after kitkat, that was one of the main reasons I dumped it.) Everything is modal and you can never predict the mode, multiple layers of controls are constantly popping and sliding over/under eachother and there's no tactical feedback that lets you know when you're over the control you want. Screw touch crap I want my PDA keyboard back! In a car it's extra bad because now you have to look away from the road and position your hand in a bumpy car to adjust the temperature/radio/navigation. It's so awful in my friends cars I dread the day I have to buy a new one.
- thesagan 6y ago
  I think the concern stems from differing contexts. When typing on the phone, you're looking at the phone. You're usually (hopefully) not driving. Driving, on the other hand, is demanding on the senses; on at least three of them. Touch screens pull eyes off the road. Physical knobs are much easier to grab without looking. In my car I have the luxury of both touch and knobs for some things. I always use knobs when I can. It feels safer. (But then, I also prefer crank windows instead of automatic, so maybe I'm just a nut.) It's like my Macbook touchbar. It stinks. The physical keys were easy to use without looking. With touch, I almost always need to look steady at it before I touch. For me, muscle memory isn't enough for touchscreens. Weird.

by jrib 6y ago

zaroth 6y ago

That’s Ok. A lot of people thought keyboards on phones were an absolute requirement too. Like with phones, having touch screen control everything provides extraordinary flexibility in rolling out new software features and ultimately improving UX. Remember this design is supposed to lead the way into an FSD future achieved through purely software updates. Whether they succeed in automating the majority of miles driven, they designed the car with that future fully in mind. For what it’s worth, it’s one of my favorite parts of the car, and certainly it’s my kids favorite part of the car.

rtx 6y ago
I have never felt safe using any touch screen while driving.
- macintux 6y ago
  What you’re missing, though, is that from Tesla’s perspective you shouldn’t be driving while trying to use it. Or much at all. I prefer hardware to software and I’d hate to control my Jeeps with a touchscreen but my Jeeps aren’t driving themselves.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- bananabreakfast 6y ago
  That's okay, you won't be the one driving soon enough
  - afavour 6y ago
    Ehhhh. Self driving cars have been just around the corner for a long time now. Not saying it won’t happen, but I wouldn’t buy a Tesla today on the assumption that it’ll happen within the lifetime of that car.
    - Dylan16807 6y ago
      A long time? I feel like they went from "eventually" to "around the corner" pretty recently. Even though there weren't any particular leaps in self-driving technology happening then.
- bitexploder 6y ago
  We almost never have to touch the screen with driving our Model 3. All controls you need are physical or very easy to interact with on the screen.
WalterBright 6y ago
A touch screen requires looking at it, buttons do not. That is a fundamental difference, and I don't want a UI I have to look at while driving. I don't want a UI with modes on the touchscreen. More of needing to concentrate on the cursed screen instead of driving. Lastly, every touchscreen UI is fatally attracted to icons instead of words so I have to pull over and consult the 500 page manual to see what the wretched things mean. Icons have set back communication 5000 years [1], though I doubt Susan Kare will ever apologize :-) [1] Picture based written languages all evolved towards phonetic, alphabet based ones. There's a good reason for that.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  > A touch screen requires looking at it, buttons do not. While there are things on my car I use instinctively without looking—wipers/ lights come to mind—there are plenty of other pieces which are frustratingly difficult to find in the dark. Turning on the window defroster when the window starts to fog up at night comes to mind. Likewise many of the climate control nobs. While they do have nice physical manifestations, I don't know off the top of my head what position the nob happens to be in or which direction I need to shift it to get it into defrost versus heat versus vent. Personally, I think there is a happy medium somewhere between Tesla's touch everything and the current state where you play button guessing games.
  - WalterBright 6y ago
    These problems have long been solved. Then, 20 years ago, it was all forgotten. Behold my 1989 Bronco II: ----------[++]----------------------------------- MAX A/C PANEL PNL/FLR FLOOR FLR/DEF DEFROST -----------------[++]---------------------------- COOL WARM OFF * * * HI PUSH FOR A/C It has two sliders with positions as labeled above, then a rotating knob with 5 detented positions for the fan, and the label PUSH FOR A/C. The COOL to WARM slider is also color coded blue fading to red. Turning on the headlights lights the display. No manual is needed to fully operate it. I never even had the manual for that car. The knob and sliders are trivial, tactile, and visual. There are no modes. It's near perfection in user interface design.
swiley 6y ago
Yeah I still think touch UIS absolutely suck and the best example of this is the android WiFi GUI (idk if they changed it after kitkat, that was one of the main reasons I dumped it.) Everything is modal and you can never predict the mode, multiple layers of controls are constantly popping and sliding over/under eachother and there's no tactical feedback that lets you know when you're over the control you want. Screw touch crap I want my PDA keyboard back! In a car it's extra bad because now you have to look away from the road and position your hand in a bumpy car to adjust the temperature/radio/navigation. It's so awful in my friends cars I dread the day I have to buy a new one.
thesagan 6y ago
I think the concern stems from differing contexts. When typing on the phone, you're looking at the phone. You're usually (hopefully) not driving. Driving, on the other hand, is demanding on the senses; on at least three of them. Touch screens pull eyes off the road. Physical knobs are much easier to grab without looking. In my car I have the luxury of both touch and knobs for some things. I always use knobs when I can. It feels safer. (But then, I also prefer crank windows instead of automatic, so maybe I'm just a nut.) It's like my Macbook touchbar. It stinks. The physical keys were easy to use without looking. With touch, I almost always need to look steady at it before I touch. For me, muscle memory isn't enough for touchscreens. Weird.