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In my garage are a Tesla and a Subaru. They're both the first new cars I've ever owned and both are far more technologically advanced than anything I'd previous

In my garage are a Tesla and a Subaru. They're both the first new cars I've ever owned and both are far more technologically advanced than anything I'd previously driven. So I'm a great guinea pig for testing modern car UIs. The great thing about the Tesla is that the important things: park/drive/reverse etc. are all motions on a physical stalk. The rest is done on the touchscreen which has the advantage of being able to have full-text labels and clear submenus for less often used options. It's much more discoverable. The other great thing is that the touchscreen interface has the opportunity to GET BETTER over time. The Subaru has more buttons and dials than any other machine I've ever owned. It's borderline aircraft cockpit. There is a physical control for darn near EVERYTHING. I love physical controls once you learn them, but figuring out the cryptic symbols for a button while driving is no safer than navigating a touchscreen. I think there's a sweet spot somewhere between the two: the Tesla has too few physical controls and the Subaru has too many (though that opinion may change over time as I learn them all). I also wonder about interface wear and tear tradeoffs as both vehicles get older. Don't forget that we also develop muscle memory for touch screens, which is why it takes a week to adjust when a popular phone app (or the whole OS) changes the position of an on-screen control.

efficax 5y ago
i've driven dozens of cars in my life. only recently have i gotten a car with a touchscreen (a 2020 civic hatchback). The touchscreen is a completely insane device for use in a car. You have to look at the screen to use it. All my previous cars, you can adjust the climate controls, music, stereo etc, while keeping your eyes on the road. With this car? If I want to change the ac mode i have to hit climate and then, staring at the screen, touch the image of the button. On my last honda I knew I could run my fingers over until I hit the second/third button of that row and that was the one I wanted, all the while I had my eyes on the road. It's dangerous! It's absolutely terrible industrial design and it should be against the law.

efficax 5y ago

i've driven dozens of cars in my life. only recently have i gotten a car with a touchscreen (a 2020 civic hatchback). The touchscreen is a completely insane device for use in a car. You have to look at the screen to use it. All my previous cars, you can adjust the climate controls, music, stereo etc, while keeping your eyes on the road. With this car? If I want to change the ac mode i have to hit climate and then, staring at the screen, touch the image of the button. On my last honda I knew I could run my fingers over until I hit the second/third button of that row and that was the one I wanted, all the while I had my eyes on the road. It's dangerous! It's absolutely terrible industrial design and it should be against the law.