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The concern for me is, the user interface can wildly change again because some PM somewhere needs a raise and a bonus. I don’t like the idea of not having a say

The concern for me is, the user interface can wildly change again because some PM somewhere needs a raise and a bonus. I don’t like the idea of not having a say in things like the heater functionality being arbitrarily buried, and I find out on some random weekday morning that everything is different. This is the opinion of someone that doesn’t own a Tesla and hasn’t had this happen to them, can anyone weigh in on this from experience?

gonehome 4y ago
I have a Model 3, previously had a Fiat 500e, VW GTI, and Saturn. I’ve driven other high end cars and their systems are way harder to use imo. It’s worth just trying yourself vs. listening to people on HN. Most people don’t bother with their in car nav and just use their phone. I’ve heard apple car play isn’t bad though. The Model 3 did have an update that made things worse for a bit, but they fixed it. Since I’ve owned it (2018) it’s much better than it was when I bought it because of updates.
- bluGill 4y ago
  I don't know why anyone bothers with in car nav. Who doesn't have a smart phone with up to the second maps on their person? (Hint the type of person who can't program the in car navigation). Sure I could get my car updated, but it isn't worth it, the maps are obsolete before the programming is done.
  - gonehome 4y ago
    The Tesla one is better than using your phone - which is a high bar (and kind of the point I'm trying to make). The display is big, the maps are google maps, it has traffic routing, it can route you via super chargers, etc.
    - dagmx 4y ago
      However the Tesla one is not better than using your phone+CarPlay which is the real comparison point for many people. Both CarPlay and android auto are miles ahead of where Tesla is, but as a result the comparison becomes murky. Do you compare vanilla car to vanilla car? Or do you consider the actual use case or capability for most people? If you believe Apple’s own marketing, the existence of CarPlay is a massively considered factor for the purchase of new cars.
      - amluto 4y ago
        Indeed. Google and Apple are pretty good at giving directions that actually relate to the signs on freeway off-ramps. Tesla tends to give directions based on a naive reading of the map (exit descriptions don’t reliably match signs), and the freeway lane indicators, while helpful, often show up too late. To be clear, Tesla’s nav is pretty good, but I’d rather use CarPlay or Android Auto.
dagmx 4y ago
It definitely is frustrating as a Tesla owner. The latest UI redesign is a mess for usability while driving. The navigation area is smaller to show more visualization area, many things that were one click away are now two to four clicks away, and there’s less information available. Granted they’ve slowly started bringing back stuff from the old UI, but there’s many things that make it seem like the designers are designing at their desk and not dog folding their work. Take the new video feed when you turn. great feature that finally showed up on Tesla (been on many other cars for a while) but the initial implementation put it in your blind spot behind your arm. The only way I can see that happening is if the features were signed off of independently of testing the design on the road or in a realistic simulator. It’s now in a better spot after much feedback from customers. The same can be said for many of the other car settings. They finally moved many of the one click actions back, but how did there come to be a giant release that reduced much used functionality unless you weren’t testing in the field?

gonehome 4y ago

I have a Model 3, previously had a Fiat 500e, VW GTI, and Saturn. I’ve driven other high end cars and their systems are way harder to use imo. It’s worth just trying yourself vs. listening to people on HN. Most people don’t bother with their in car nav and just use their phone. I’ve heard apple car play isn’t bad though. The Model 3 did have an update that made things worse for a bit, but they fixed it. Since I’ve owned it (2018) it’s much better than it was when I bought it because of updates.

bluGill 4y ago
I don't know why anyone bothers with in car nav. Who doesn't have a smart phone with up to the second maps on their person? (Hint the type of person who can't program the in car navigation). Sure I could get my car updated, but it isn't worth it, the maps are obsolete before the programming is done.
- gonehome 4y ago
  The Tesla one is better than using your phone - which is a high bar (and kind of the point I'm trying to make). The display is big, the maps are google maps, it has traffic routing, it can route you via super chargers, etc.
  - dagmx 4y ago
    However the Tesla one is not better than using your phone+CarPlay which is the real comparison point for many people. Both CarPlay and android auto are miles ahead of where Tesla is, but as a result the comparison becomes murky. Do you compare vanilla car to vanilla car? Or do you consider the actual use case or capability for most people? If you believe Apple’s own marketing, the existence of CarPlay is a massively considered factor for the purchase of new cars.
    - amluto 4y ago
      Indeed. Google and Apple are pretty good at giving directions that actually relate to the signs on freeway off-ramps. Tesla tends to give directions based on a naive reading of the map (exit descriptions don’t reliably match signs), and the freeway lane indicators, while helpful, often show up too late. To be clear, Tesla’s nav is pretty good, but I’d rather use CarPlay or Android Auto.

dagmx 4y ago

It definitely is frustrating as a Tesla owner. The latest UI redesign is a mess for usability while driving. The navigation area is smaller to show more visualization area, many things that were one click away are now two to four clicks away, and there’s less information available. Granted they’ve slowly started bringing back stuff from the old UI, but there’s many things that make it seem like the designers are designing at their desk and not dog folding their work. Take the new video feed when you turn. great feature that finally showed up on Tesla (been on many other cars for a while) but the initial implementation put it in your blind spot behind your arm. The only way I can see that happening is if the features were signed off of independently of testing the design on the road or in a realistic simulator. It’s now in a better spot after much feedback from customers. The same can be said for many of the other car settings. They finally moved many of the one click actions back, but how did there come to be a giant release that reduced much used functionality unless you weren’t testing in the field?