3 ms·

I'm not sure that being in any presumed majority group of humans is something I'd want to be smug about.

shepherdjerred 4y ago
That sounds rather misanthropic. I don't want touchscreens in a car. I don't want my UI to change. That doesn't change the fact that many people do. Companies build for what customers want, not what engineers want. And even then, many (maybe even most) engineers would align with the average customer.
- Espressosaurus 4y ago
  Except touchscreens are a clear danger to the driver due to the attention they pull away from the road. Controls for the driver need to be physical, full stop. There's more than just driver preference at play here; there's physical usability and its impact on safety, and that should override expectations people have with tablets. We're flying around with 2 ton missiles, it's best we treat them with the appropriate respect.
  - shepherdjerred 4y ago
    > Except touchscreens are a clear danger to the driver due to the attention they pull away from the road. Are there studies proving this?
    - Espressosaurus 4y ago
      https://www.wardsauto.com/industry/distraction-study-calls-out-touchscreens https://www.wardsauto.com/industry/distraction-study-calls-o... https://www.thestar.com/autos/2022/05/28/touchscreens-are-common-in-new-vehicles-but-studies-show-they-can-add-to-distracted-driving-heres-what-we-can-do.html https://www.thestar.com/autos/2022/05/28/touchscreens-are-co... "Of the 30 different vehicles tested from 18 different brands, not a single vehicle from the study produced a low level of demand for the driver’s attention. Seven vehicles tested produced moderate demand, while 23 generated a high or very high demand. In fact, the study found drivers distracted, with their eyes completely off the road for as long as 40 seconds at certain times. The concentration of critical functions being housed within a centre touchscreen becomes even more problematic given the lack of any feedback they offer, forcing drivers to look at the screen to confirm activation. Industry research has shown that it’s significantly easier to locate a physical control than hunting through sub-menus, as tactile or haptic feedback lets drivers develop muscle memory for key controls." And it's an editorial but I fully agree with its conclusions: https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39304/why-im-done-pretending-touchscreen-infotainment-isnt-a-stupid-hazardous-fad https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39304/why-im-done-pretending-t... I'm a fan of Mazda's use of a dial for control when the vehicle is moving. Touchscreens are stupid if the driver has to use them.
  - yreg 4y ago
    For what it's worth, you can also use voice control. Or you can put the Tesla on autopilot for the few seconds while fiddling with the touch screen, which (to me) feels much more safer than e.g. messing with a physical radio in a car without such assistence features. (I'm not arguing with you, in fact I mostly agree with you.)

That sounds rather misanthropic. I don't want touchscreens in a car. I don't want my UI to change. That doesn't change the fact that many people do. Companies build for what customers want, not what engineers want. And even then, many (maybe even most) engineers would align with the average customer.

Espressosaurus 4y ago
Except touchscreens are a clear danger to the driver due to the attention they pull away from the road. Controls for the driver need to be physical, full stop. There's more than just driver preference at play here; there's physical usability and its impact on safety, and that should override expectations people have with tablets. We're flying around with 2 ton missiles, it's best we treat them with the appropriate respect.
- shepherdjerred 4y ago
  > Except touchscreens are a clear danger to the driver due to the attention they pull away from the road. Are there studies proving this?
  - Espressosaurus 4y ago
    https://www.wardsauto.com/industry/distraction-study-calls-out-touchscreens https://www.wardsauto.com/industry/distraction-study-calls-o... https://www.thestar.com/autos/2022/05/28/touchscreens-are-common-in-new-vehicles-but-studies-show-they-can-add-to-distracted-driving-heres-what-we-can-do.html https://www.thestar.com/autos/2022/05/28/touchscreens-are-co... "Of the 30 different vehicles tested from 18 different brands, not a single vehicle from the study produced a low level of demand for the driver’s attention. Seven vehicles tested produced moderate demand, while 23 generated a high or very high demand. In fact, the study found drivers distracted, with their eyes completely off the road for as long as 40 seconds at certain times. The concentration of critical functions being housed within a centre touchscreen becomes even more problematic given the lack of any feedback they offer, forcing drivers to look at the screen to confirm activation. Industry research has shown that it’s significantly easier to locate a physical control than hunting through sub-menus, as tactile or haptic feedback lets drivers develop muscle memory for key controls." And it's an editorial but I fully agree with its conclusions: https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39304/why-im-done-pretending-touchscreen-infotainment-isnt-a-stupid-hazardous-fad https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39304/why-im-done-pretending-t... I'm a fan of Mazda's use of a dial for control when the vehicle is moving. Touchscreens are stupid if the driver has to use them.
- yreg 4y ago
  For what it's worth, you can also use voice control. Or you can put the Tesla on autopilot for the few seconds while fiddling with the touch screen, which (to me) feels much more safer than e.g. messing with a physical radio in a car without such assistence features. (I'm not arguing with you, in fact I mostly agree with you.)