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VW has been using capacitative buttons which combine all of touchscreens’ flaws with all of buttons’ limitations. They really nailed having the worst of both wo

by pornel 3y ago

VW has been using capacitative buttons which combine all of touchscreens’ flaws with all of buttons’ limitations. They really nailed having the worst of both worlds. Their faux buttons activate on mere touch, so you can’t safely locate the buttons by feel, and you still have to look! It’s also possible to activate them by accident from brushing your hand. They tried to prevent this by rejecting quick presses, but it only made the buttons feel slower and less responsive and sometimes ignore intentional presses. On top of that instead of tactile feel and satisfying clicks, the buttons are plasticky and creak if you actually press them. They make ID. interior feel cheap. I’m flabbergasted why VW keeps using them. Do they think these are cool? Do they save $0.10 per car on a few tiny springs?

clnq 3y ago
> They tried to prevent this by rejecting quick presses, but it only made the buttons feel slower and less responsive and sometimes ignore intentional presses. Finally, an explanation for why a couple of 2020+ VWs I recently rented felt so laggy. I couldn’t tell when I held a button down enough for it to be considered pressed and when I didn’t without looking at the dashboard. Some of my touches seem to have been rejected, no matter how long I massaged the capacitive button. I just didn’t use any of the steering wheel buttons in the end. If they would have replaced anything crucial like the lights switch or indicators with those buttons, I would not have been able to drive the cars. I also saw some discussions online that describe these buttons in terms like “three buttons 35% broken”. That’s exactly how I would describe the experience. 1/3rd of the time, no amount of button massaging got them to register a press. In two separate Tiguans. Some of their buttons also seem to work better by swiping on them than tapping them. I’m not sure what VW is doing.
eternityforest 3y ago
I don't understand why capacitive buttons don't have a raised lip around them. A few mm would eliminate most accidental brushing problems, and presumably let people use them by feel.
- jjtheblunt 3y ago
  They do on my Audi, and the UX is excellent: when they sense touch, but not actuation, the non distracting display previews the state and would-be state. It’s a 2019 model year and while VW owns controlling shares in originally distinct Audi, perhaps VW did a bad UX variation on later models?

by pornel 3y ago

clnq 3y ago

> They tried to prevent this by rejecting quick presses, but it only made the buttons feel slower and less responsive and sometimes ignore intentional presses. Finally, an explanation for why a couple of 2020+ VWs I recently rented felt so laggy. I couldn’t tell when I held a button down enough for it to be considered pressed and when I didn’t without looking at the dashboard. Some of my touches seem to have been rejected, no matter how long I massaged the capacitive button. I just didn’t use any of the steering wheel buttons in the end. If they would have replaced anything crucial like the lights switch or indicators with those buttons, I would not have been able to drive the cars. I also saw some discussions online that describe these buttons in terms like “three buttons 35% broken”. That’s exactly how I would describe the experience. 1/3rd of the time, no amount of button massaging got them to register a press. In two separate Tiguans. Some of their buttons also seem to work better by swiping on them than tapping them. I’m not sure what VW is doing.

eternityforest 3y ago

I don't understand why capacitive buttons don't have a raised lip around them. A few mm would eliminate most accidental brushing problems, and presumably let people use them by feel.

jjtheblunt 3y ago
They do on my Audi, and the UX is excellent: when they sense touch, but not actuation, the non distracting display previews the state and would-be state. It’s a 2019 model year and while VW owns controlling shares in originally distinct Audi, perhaps VW did a bad UX variation on later models?