8 ms·

A new vehicle interface

130 points by fredsters_s 14y ago

holyjaw 14y ago
I really like this idea, though I wonder what the Omni Group thinks of the logo...
atarian 14y ago
Personally I find it over-designed. Why is there a graph plotting MPG and Regen (what is regen btw)? Why is there only one gear state (I use the dash to see where to shift gears)? Why do I need a wifi icon to tell me whether I have wifi or not?
- iloveponies 14y ago
  The Prius when braking can turn the flow of energy from going to the wheels to going back and recharging the battery.
- viraptor 14y ago
  Why is mpg plotted? Prius is quite popular with people who try to get the max range / min consumption. Previous generations had a separate view mode for that graph. If you're driving forwards you can be only in 2 modes B/D. Otherwise it's neutral or reverse. There's nothing more to show basically. Regen shows how much energy you got back by slowing down our breaking.
rdl 14y ago
This appears to be a vehicle interface designed by someone who doesn't actually drive much. When driving, you often care about acceleration as much as speed. Digital displays are horrible for indicating first and second derivatives; analog dials are great for first and adequate for second. The best UI on a car I've seen (as far as actually driving it) is the Audi -- a Driver Information Display directly in line with the driver (showing next turn), and a center area. There's a reason for going for all-red indicators -- night vision. In rural areas, you often dial down the brightness of all controls to preserve night vision in case an animal or debris is in the road. If you're on I-5 driving from Seattle to SF, there aren't a whole lot of turns, so your nav system is really secondary (if on at all), and there's no reason for it to be in your line of sight. For great designed interiors for drivers, I'd look to Audi, Porsche, and go from there. When driving, I'd consider audio nav information to be primary, followed by simple next turn information, followed by a (north-centric, vs. vehicle bearing) map. 95% of the time the only nav info I need is "left turn in 200 meters, 100 meters, 50 meters, now", since I'm focused on other cars rather than my display. It's only with complex intersections (roundabouts, 5-6 way intersections where grids overlap, etc.) that I need to see the display. Audio is inherently more minimal than visual information, so a car really needs to get it right. Simple things like the order of words in notifications, how frequently they happen, tones vs. words, etc. make a huge difference, and require design vs. advanced graphics to get right.
- deleted 14y ago
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  - rdl 14y ago
    It appears to take the place of all the indicators. I think Toyota is trying to be cheap/global and put all displays in the center, with just a steering wheel and brake/accelerator on left or right hand side. That alone would be a no-buy for me, regardless of the display technology.
    - obilgic 14y ago
      yeap, I'm sorry. For me that is the worst part. I HATE digital speedometers. Because the thing is, I never look directly to the speedometer to read the speed, I look at the road but I can see the angle(and the acceleration) of the stick of the speedometer and thats how I feel how fast I am.
      - rdl 14y ago
        I think they are trying to drive hybrid buyers who don't hate cars to the Lexus ES300h.
      - digitalengineer 14y ago
        Agreed. I've had cars with digital and analog speedometers. I hate having to read the numbers. It takes more time that a glance at the angle. But hey, the old Prius interface really, really sucked. It showed an stupid animation of 'electricity running though pats of the car' or something. This took your eye of the road the entire time because of the motion.
- wsh 14y ago
  It also appears to be a vehicle interface designed by someone who hasn't read Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 101, with its specific, prescriptive requirements, including the "confusing icons of traditional cars" that the designer intends to eliminate, an "MPH" or "km/h" label for the speedometer, and as noted in another comment, a display of the transmission shift position sequence. The idea of a "built-in digital manual that guides you through maintenance and emergency situations" is also nothing new; it sounds like the ECAM system found on Airbus airplanes for many years and would be equally inapplicable to most automotive emergencies. If there is a serious problem with a car, the driver should pull over and stop, after which there is plenty of time to consult the index in a printed manual, which doesn't depend on the electrical system and can be used outside or away from the vehicle, if needed.
bawllz 14y ago
this made me think of a business model for a piece of software. Charge per feature? I wonder if this could be successful. For example, you offer some software with base features, and have the users pay to add specific features.
- DHowett 14y ago
  Like the Home/Professional/Ultimate licensing tiers of old, each presenting slightly more features than the last? Or more like in-app purchases on mobile phones, providing additional features for increments of cash, proverbially nickel-and-diming the user into oblivion? Both of these things have been done, and of course, their worth is in the eyes of those making the money.
  - bawllz 14y ago
    not exactly. More like you offer a base line service (for example sake lets say for free), then you offer individual feature add-ons at a cost. That way, rather then paying x$ for upgrading say, professional to ultimate and getting a bunch of features you don't need, and the single one that you do, you buy exactly what you want, and no more. Also could provide a way of priming your users to submit features that they would actually want to pay for.
tmrggns 14y ago
I'm reminded of the time I heard the car talk guys bemoaning the growing electronics in car displays. They seemed to think that physical switches and dials were easy to work even by someone not looking at them, as opposed to touch screens and displays.
- sukuriant 14y ago
  And they're right. For another example, see the tactile feedback in physical keyboards, vs the keyboards on a touch screen on a phone or tablet. The shape of a button and the act of depressing it are very important inputs. Our fingers are filled with a large number of sensors relative other parts of our bodies, and it's best that we use them. Other instances where analog has been desired over digital: * those brightness adjustment sliders in presentation rooms * video game controllers I'm sure there are more.
- brc 14y ago
  Find a volume or hvac knob in the dark is much easier than looking down at a flat screen to see which icon you're at. Try and dial a phone number on an iphone without looking at it. It can't be done. But with an old-style push button phone, you can actually do this. Not that you would want to, but it's to point out the difference between having a dedicated interface vs touchscreens.
  - noblethrasher 14y ago
    When was the last time the people really used their phone to dial a phone number? Trading a touch screen for tactile controls was probably a loss only for people that used speed dial or memorized the navigation of their contact list (I was one of those people). On the other hand, voice interfaces like Siri seem like a net win.
    - veyron 14y ago
      I was almost mugged once. A tactile phone saved me. My dad and I were a bit cavalier when working an ATM outside a bank of america (it was outside, not within a security door). Normally we would count money at the ATM itself but this particular one didn't have good sides, so anyone could see that we withdrew 500 dollars. Someone followed us, stepped into the car and drew a knife, and told us to drive. He saw my dad's blackberry in the car and took it (to stop us from calling). Thanks to hard buttons (years before the first iphone, I had what you would call a "feature phone"), I was able to quietly text my mom (phone in my pocket) to call the cops. Fellow made the mistake of telling us where to drive before we got there, and fortunately the cops were aware of the situation, so the cops were able to apprehend the guy where we let him off. Despite having used the iphone for many years, I still don't know a consistent sequence of actions to get me to the messaging screen, select my mom, and send a specific message without looking at the phone
johngalt 14y ago
Better come with a good dimmer switch or an off button. I find bright displays extremely irritating specifically when they are in my visual field. I've rented cars where I had to put my coat over the dash. You get the most information by looking out the windscreen. Navigation is best done by audio.
noonespecial 14y ago
Hmm. I don't like it. I wouldn't want it in my car. But I'm really thrilled that someone is starting to think about the UI in cars in a very serious way because most of the UI's in todays cars are horrible.
shortlived 14y ago
I find it very scarey that I have to wait for a software update to be applied before I can drive the car.. I hope there is an override mechanism to allow the car to start anyways in the event that software update fails.
- bonzoesc 14y ago
  The software updates would be for the infotainment (hate that word) or navigation system, not the control systems that actually run the transportation part of the car.
  - ken 14y ago
    The actual wording on the screenshot says "New update available. Update now? It takes 10 mins and you won't be able to drive during the update."
    - count 14y ago
      ECU updates that are normally done by your dealer could in theory be done OTA like that. So, 10 minutes of 'down time' instead of a trip to the dealer and an hour+ of down time.
      - ConstantineXVI 14y ago
        Seems like something that you'd want triggered while you plug in/refuel; when your car obviously isn't going anywhere for a few minutes. And using tricks like Chrome OS has (a/b partitions for current/update) could shove the actual downtime to not much longer than a reboot takes (hopefully seconds)
joezydeco 14y ago
UI: nice. Ergonomics: not so nice. Just from my eyballing of the layout, that touchscreen on the right side of the panel will be out of reach for a significant number of drivers.
bendauphinee 14y ago
I dislike the reduction of controls. One of the things that has always bothered me about driving with my phone as a media player is that I can't control it easily by touch. I want buttons and knobs that I can use by touch for all car functions.
drusenko 14y ago
If you want to see a truly excellently designed car display & navigation system, check out the new BMW 3-series (F30). They sprung for a non-standard display size that is super-wide, which means you can show two things at once. I have it configured to always show navigation directions on the right 1/3, and switch the left 2/3 between map or music, or whatever. They also have a heads-up display which is awesome. It uses computer vision to detect road signs and show me the most up to date speed limit, shows me my speed right next to that, and the next turn coming up. When I switch through my iPhone playlist, it replaces the turn directions with the playlist, same when someone calls in. It's completely non-distracting and right in my field of vision while I'm driving, looks like it's just "floating" in front of the car. Then they have the iDrive rocker, which moves left/right/up/down plus spins to select more complicated things, like moving through a playlist or typing directions into the GPS. It means that I keep a very natural driving position even if I'm controlling something in the car, with one hand on the wheel and my right hand by my side.
- ComputerGuru 14y ago
  Here's a video of said display: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEVUfuZg1g4&feature=player_detailpage#t=113s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEVUfuZg1g4&feature=playe...
- veyron 14y ago
  That rocker pisses the hell out of me. In order to do even a mundane task like entering an address, you have to sit there and fiddle until you select the right letters. Even though it has GPS features built-in, I still use a separate unit because it's significantly easier to manipulate while driving.
  - joshu 14y ago
    The UI on these is seriously awful. It is unreal. Spinning a knob to type something in? Uncivilized. I have a BRZ now and you can type on the screen as fast as you like. It is unreal. (also, someday I am going to go bonkers from looking up stuff on one computer (phone) and typing it into another (car).)
cperkins 14y ago
Is it DODO or DOKO?
- savories 14y ago
  They're not sure either. This is one of those projects that is cool to look at, but is too focused on being "cool" rather than functional. It seems as though more effort was put into type and layout than improving the actual driving experience.
petitmiam 14y ago
I do like that it tries to address the problem of phones advancing during the lifespan of the car. The hardware would have to be generic enough though, that it can be useful and adaptable in the long term. I'm not sure if it's feasible though. to use Android as an example, not every Android ever released can run jellybean. It still requires newer hardware at some point.
- rogerbinns 14y ago
  This is why I will ensure my next car does not have GPS and similar stuff in it. It will be obsolete long before the (at least) 10 year lifespan of the car. I've heard all sorts of prices quoted for annual map updates of in car GPS data, but the lowest number I ever heard was $200. That would easily buy you a brand new GPS (and with better functionality/usability). Or the money would be better put towards connectivity and mobile devices.
  - woobar 14y ago
    I had a car with built-in navigation before. For the very same reasons you've mentioned I got a new car without one. I regret it a lot! Phone or portable navigation is such a pain to use. Charging cables, mounts, don't forget to hide it when parked in a not-so-nice-area, don't forget to put it back. I miss always present, always charged and nicely integrated with the car audio built-in nav system.
    - rogerbinns 14y ago
      I buy a Garmin every few years at Costco, where price ranges from $150 to $350. It comes with a mount etc and I never hide it. I don't think it has much worth to thieves since they are obsolete not too much later. I also don't frequent dodgy areas (to my knowledge). I do use the PIN protection so even if someone stole it the device wouldn't be useful as is, and they wouldn't be able to get my home address out of it. Every time I ride with someone who has in car GPS they moan about the user interface and often don't use it anyway due to stale map and POI data.
shpoonj 14y ago
When I read the title, I really got my hopes up that this was about replacing the steering wheel, pedals, shifter, etc. I was sorely disappointed... this is just another rehash.
deleted 14y ago
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cubicle67 14y ago
Normally I enjoy this sort of thing, but this I'm not taking to. As commented by others, it looks like it was designed by someone who drives very little First up, the speedo is not only about the number, but also the position of the needle. I don't need to know if I'm doing 110 or 111, but the position of the needle will tell me at a very quick glance if I'm venturing towards 120 or slowing to 90 Second - I thought we'd decided adjusting volume by anything other than a physical turning dial was a poor way to do it about 10 years ago. Then there's other odd things like 83% oil - what sort of use is a figure like that? Is that good or bad? Oil pressure is what I need to know, and even then a simple binary ok/not ok is sufficient Possibly the main problem is that there's not really much wrong with displays as they are. I can see my speed and rate of acceleration, rpm, warning lights etc at a glance. I can dim them to my liking. And, importantly, anyone else driving one of my vehicles can very quickly acclimatise themselves and feel confident driving it. With the way things are currently, there's really only two things I need to figure out when I hop into a car i haven't driven before - which side of the steering column the indicators are on, and where the headlight switch is
- exogen 14y ago
  To your two points: you'll see that there is a blue (sometimes yellow?) ring around the number that presumably serves the same purpose as the speedometer needle – position & movement at a glance. And the volume is controlled by a physical turning dial (in the shot with the "hard buttons" label).
  - cubicle67 14y ago
    Yes, you might be right about the volume. I was looking at the buttons here [1] but the volume one looked more like a round push button than a dial. I guess it could be a dial As to the ring around the number, well I'm more confused going back and looking at it again. Sometimes, like [2] it's a single colour, and others, like [3] it's divided into multiple segments. 12/14mph is slow, so I'd expect to see the ring extend not as far as it does. I'd expect it to extend that far around for speeds like 70mph Another thought - the little mpg/regen graph is prominent but largely useless. However, if speed and acceleration were added it could be a very useful tool in working out which driving conditions give best economy [1] http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/d13.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1342992715606 http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/d13... [2] http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/f07.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1342999131266 http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/f07... [3] http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/d10.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1342992664587 http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/d10...
philip1209 14y ago
Article aside, the name of the blog seems humorously redundant.
drivebyacct2 14y ago
"You won't be able to drive during the update". I love technology and have from the earliest of ages, but that's a little bit eery.
lloeki 14y ago
For the curious, "doko" means "where" in Japanese.
- mnicole 14y ago
  With the typography weighted the way it is, I read "Dodo" before I read "Doko".
dlsym 14y ago
From what I can see in these pictures, this is a full featured computer with an OS and apps. It has access to the internet and to the internal bus (Oil, Speed and whatnot). I have a _very_ bad feeling about that.
- tsahyt 14y ago
  It might be an enormous security issue. Since everything is computer-controlled in a car these days, security is extremely important. Imagine somebody messing with the system, having access to the internal bus and disabling the (electric) brakes.
micheljansen 14y ago
Although it looks nice, it would be pretty dangerous to actually use this while driving. I've been researching peripheral touch screens for the past year and making them easy to use without looking is really hard. The effects of looking away from the road are pretty well known and they are bad. In this study [1] for example, noticeable differences in concentration and lane position/drift were seen when participants were just quickly glancing at the screen of a GPS. Now imagine you are not just looking at that screen, but trying to touch it in the right place (accidentally hitting the wrong button, getting frustrated etc.). These problems really have to be solved before replacing commonly used functions in cars with touch screens and this design does not adequately address them. [1] http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1620534 http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1620534
- mnicole 14y ago
  Additionally, I think it is incredibly telling that we've been banning texting-while-driving and yet expect stationery, ~1ft away UI to be the solution. With texting, you still don't have the benefit of tactile feedback but you at least have the ability to try to steady the phone on your steering wheel to give you the best road:phone visual you could possibly get, it's closer to your face and you probably understand the UI better. All the same, it's been the cause of innumerable accidents. Given that you're likely using a GPS unit because you don't understand the area as is, these controls need to be on the steering wheel or accessed through voice controls. Even someone who understands their GPS still has to deal with the bumps and swerves of the road.
  - micheljansen 14y ago
    Absolutely. I wouldn't call texting on a phone (even an old-fashioned one with physical buttons) safer than operating a GPS though. The same bumps and swerves of the road you point out can cause the phone to slip from your hands, fall on the floor and cause an accident, to just name an example.
- frankus 14y ago
  Touch screens are about the worst imaginable driver interface systems. I'm astounded that they're as popular as they are, but I guess cargo-culting of successful interface metaphors is nothing new. First, the parts of a car that the driver should be looking at with their central vision are relatively far from where their hands should be. Because touch screens are nearly impossible to use without looking at them, they positively require the driver to be staring at something other than the road. Finally, unless you've got glass-smooth pavement or exceptionally compliant suspension, steadying your hand in front of the display in a moving vehicle is nearly impossible. That's why for years (well-designed) cars have had a combination of knobs and relatively stiff switches rather than myriad little indistinguishable buttons. Especially considering how trivial it is to implement force feedback on a knob, I'm surprised that no car maker or aftermarket vendor is making use of it.
ff0066mote 14y ago
"Sorry officer, my speedometer was blurry."
Rhymenocerus 14y ago
I like the 'blurred by 20px' image. It's like saying 'this is how your speedometer will look while you're drunk'.
nchlswu 14y ago
I'm generally a fan of Andrew's work, but this one misses the mark. I don't really have a problem with the aesthetics or the graphic design - he consistently shows creativity and design chops. In fact, a lot of his points are pretty good. However, the final product is a bit shallow and while pretty, has some half baked ideas that don't contribute to an overall great product design that's not usable. It solves some problems, but ultimately doesn't solve some of the more important problems with driving nav these days (and perhaps exacerbates them) I think this demonsttrates why areas like human factors exist and are needed in the design process. We shouldn't neuter designers at the beginning, but refine and distill designs like these into something even better
mnicole 14y ago
As someone who is 5'2 and prefers driving with the steering wheel a decent height above my legs, I wonder if I'd even be able to see the speedometer behind the steering wheel? Relying on color as an indicator is also a big problem.

130 points by fredsters_s 14y ago

I really like this idea, though I wonder what the Omni Group thinks of the logo...

Personally I find it over-designed. Why is there a graph plotting MPG and Regen (what is regen btw)? Why is there only one gear state (I use the dash to see where to shift gears)? Why do I need a wifi icon to tell me whether I have wifi or not?

iloveponies 14y ago
The Prius when braking can turn the flow of energy from going to the wheels to going back and recharging the battery.
viraptor 14y ago
Why is mpg plotted? Prius is quite popular with people who try to get the max range / min consumption. Previous generations had a separate view mode for that graph. If you're driving forwards you can be only in 2 modes B/D. Otherwise it's neutral or reverse. There's nothing more to show basically. Regen shows how much energy you got back by slowing down our breaking.

rdl 14y ago

This appears to be a vehicle interface designed by someone who doesn't actually drive much. When driving, you often care about acceleration as much as speed. Digital displays are horrible for indicating first and second derivatives; analog dials are great for first and adequate for second. The best UI on a car I've seen (as far as actually driving it) is the Audi -- a Driver Information Display directly in line with the driver (showing next turn), and a center area. There's a reason for going for all-red indicators -- night vision. In rural areas, you often dial down the brightness of all controls to preserve night vision in case an animal or debris is in the road. If you're on I-5 driving from Seattle to SF, there aren't a whole lot of turns, so your nav system is really secondary (if on at all), and there's no reason for it to be in your line of sight. For great designed interiors for drivers, I'd look to Audi, Porsche, and go from there. When driving, I'd consider audio nav information to be primary, followed by simple next turn information, followed by a (north-centric, vs. vehicle bearing) map. 95% of the time the only nav info I need is "left turn in 200 meters, 100 meters, 50 meters, now", since I'm focused on other cars rather than my display. It's only with complex intersections (roundabouts, 5-6 way intersections where grids overlap, etc.) that I need to see the display. Audio is inherently more minimal than visual information, so a car really needs to get it right. Simple things like the order of words in notifications, how frequently they happen, tones vs. words, etc. make a huge difference, and require design vs. advanced graphics to get right.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
- rdl 14y ago
  It appears to take the place of all the indicators. I think Toyota is trying to be cheap/global and put all displays in the center, with just a steering wheel and brake/accelerator on left or right hand side. That alone would be a no-buy for me, regardless of the display technology.
  - obilgic 14y ago
    yeap, I'm sorry. For me that is the worst part. I HATE digital speedometers. Because the thing is, I never look directly to the speedometer to read the speed, I look at the road but I can see the angle(and the acceleration) of the stick of the speedometer and thats how I feel how fast I am.
    - rdl 14y ago
      I think they are trying to drive hybrid buyers who don't hate cars to the Lexus ES300h.
    - digitalengineer 14y ago
      Agreed. I've had cars with digital and analog speedometers. I hate having to read the numbers. It takes more time that a glance at the angle. But hey, the old Prius interface really, really sucked. It showed an stupid animation of 'electricity running though pats of the car' or something. This took your eye of the road the entire time because of the motion.
wsh 14y ago
It also appears to be a vehicle interface designed by someone who hasn't read Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 101, with its specific, prescriptive requirements, including the "confusing icons of traditional cars" that the designer intends to eliminate, an "MPH" or "km/h" label for the speedometer, and as noted in another comment, a display of the transmission shift position sequence. The idea of a "built-in digital manual that guides you through maintenance and emergency situations" is also nothing new; it sounds like the ECAM system found on Airbus airplanes for many years and would be equally inapplicable to most automotive emergencies. If there is a serious problem with a car, the driver should pull over and stop, after which there is plenty of time to consult the index in a printed manual, which doesn't depend on the electrical system and can be used outside or away from the vehicle, if needed.

bawllz 14y ago

this made me think of a business model for a piece of software. Charge per feature? I wonder if this could be successful. For example, you offer some software with base features, and have the users pay to add specific features.

DHowett 14y ago
Like the Home/Professional/Ultimate licensing tiers of old, each presenting slightly more features than the last? Or more like in-app purchases on mobile phones, providing additional features for increments of cash, proverbially nickel-and-diming the user into oblivion? Both of these things have been done, and of course, their worth is in the eyes of those making the money.
- bawllz 14y ago
  not exactly. More like you offer a base line service (for example sake lets say for free), then you offer individual feature add-ons at a cost. That way, rather then paying x$ for upgrading say, professional to ultimate and getting a bunch of features you don't need, and the single one that you do, you buy exactly what you want, and no more. Also could provide a way of priming your users to submit features that they would actually want to pay for.

tmrggns 14y ago

I'm reminded of the time I heard the car talk guys bemoaning the growing electronics in car displays. They seemed to think that physical switches and dials were easy to work even by someone not looking at them, as opposed to touch screens and displays.

sukuriant 14y ago
And they're right. For another example, see the tactile feedback in physical keyboards, vs the keyboards on a touch screen on a phone or tablet. The shape of a button and the act of depressing it are very important inputs. Our fingers are filled with a large number of sensors relative other parts of our bodies, and it's best that we use them. Other instances where analog has been desired over digital: * those brightness adjustment sliders in presentation rooms * video game controllers I'm sure there are more.
brc 14y ago
Find a volume or hvac knob in the dark is much easier than looking down at a flat screen to see which icon you're at. Try and dial a phone number on an iphone without looking at it. It can't be done. But with an old-style push button phone, you can actually do this. Not that you would want to, but it's to point out the difference between having a dedicated interface vs touchscreens.
- noblethrasher 14y ago
  When was the last time the people really used their phone to dial a phone number? Trading a touch screen for tactile controls was probably a loss only for people that used speed dial or memorized the navigation of their contact list (I was one of those people). On the other hand, voice interfaces like Siri seem like a net win.
  - veyron 14y ago
    I was almost mugged once. A tactile phone saved me. My dad and I were a bit cavalier when working an ATM outside a bank of america (it was outside, not within a security door). Normally we would count money at the ATM itself but this particular one didn't have good sides, so anyone could see that we withdrew 500 dollars. Someone followed us, stepped into the car and drew a knife, and told us to drive. He saw my dad's blackberry in the car and took it (to stop us from calling). Thanks to hard buttons (years before the first iphone, I had what you would call a "feature phone"), I was able to quietly text my mom (phone in my pocket) to call the cops. Fellow made the mistake of telling us where to drive before we got there, and fortunately the cops were aware of the situation, so the cops were able to apprehend the guy where we let him off. Despite having used the iphone for many years, I still don't know a consistent sequence of actions to get me to the messaging screen, select my mom, and send a specific message without looking at the phone

johngalt 14y ago

Better come with a good dimmer switch or an off button. I find bright displays extremely irritating specifically when they are in my visual field. I've rented cars where I had to put my coat over the dash. You get the most information by looking out the windscreen. Navigation is best done by audio.

noonespecial 14y ago

Hmm. I don't like it. I wouldn't want it in my car. But I'm really thrilled that someone is starting to think about the UI in cars in a very serious way because most of the UI's in todays cars are horrible.

shortlived 14y ago

I find it very scarey that I have to wait for a software update to be applied before I can drive the car.. I hope there is an override mechanism to allow the car to start anyways in the event that software update fails.

bonzoesc 14y ago
The software updates would be for the infotainment (hate that word) or navigation system, not the control systems that actually run the transportation part of the car.
- ken 14y ago
  The actual wording on the screenshot says "New update available. Update now? It takes 10 mins and you won't be able to drive during the update."
  - count 14y ago
    ECU updates that are normally done by your dealer could in theory be done OTA like that. So, 10 minutes of 'down time' instead of a trip to the dealer and an hour+ of down time.
    - ConstantineXVI 14y ago
      Seems like something that you'd want triggered while you plug in/refuel; when your car obviously isn't going anywhere for a few minutes. And using tricks like Chrome OS has (a/b partitions for current/update) could shove the actual downtime to not much longer than a reboot takes (hopefully seconds)

joezydeco 14y ago

UI: nice. Ergonomics: not so nice. Just from my eyballing of the layout, that touchscreen on the right side of the panel will be out of reach for a significant number of drivers.

bendauphinee 14y ago

I dislike the reduction of controls. One of the things that has always bothered me about driving with my phone as a media player is that I can't control it easily by touch. I want buttons and knobs that I can use by touch for all car functions.

drusenko 14y ago

If you want to see a truly excellently designed car display & navigation system, check out the new BMW 3-series (F30). They sprung for a non-standard display size that is super-wide, which means you can show two things at once. I have it configured to always show navigation directions on the right 1/3, and switch the left 2/3 between map or music, or whatever. They also have a heads-up display which is awesome. It uses computer vision to detect road signs and show me the most up to date speed limit, shows me my speed right next to that, and the next turn coming up. When I switch through my iPhone playlist, it replaces the turn directions with the playlist, same when someone calls in. It's completely non-distracting and right in my field of vision while I'm driving, looks like it's just "floating" in front of the car. Then they have the iDrive rocker, which moves left/right/up/down plus spins to select more complicated things, like moving through a playlist or typing directions into the GPS. It means that I keep a very natural driving position even if I'm controlling something in the car, with one hand on the wheel and my right hand by my side.

ComputerGuru 14y ago
Here's a video of said display: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEVUfuZg1g4&feature=player_detailpage#t=113s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEVUfuZg1g4&feature=playe...
veyron 14y ago
That rocker pisses the hell out of me. In order to do even a mundane task like entering an address, you have to sit there and fiddle until you select the right letters. Even though it has GPS features built-in, I still use a separate unit because it's significantly easier to manipulate while driving.
- joshu 14y ago
  The UI on these is seriously awful. It is unreal. Spinning a knob to type something in? Uncivilized. I have a BRZ now and you can type on the screen as fast as you like. It is unreal. (also, someday I am going to go bonkers from looking up stuff on one computer (phone) and typing it into another (car).)

cperkins 14y ago

Is it DODO or DOKO?

savories 14y ago
They're not sure either. This is one of those projects that is cool to look at, but is too focused on being "cool" rather than functional. It seems as though more effort was put into type and layout than improving the actual driving experience.

petitmiam 14y ago

I do like that it tries to address the problem of phones advancing during the lifespan of the car. The hardware would have to be generic enough though, that it can be useful and adaptable in the long term. I'm not sure if it's feasible though. to use Android as an example, not every Android ever released can run jellybean. It still requires newer hardware at some point.

rogerbinns 14y ago
This is why I will ensure my next car does not have GPS and similar stuff in it. It will be obsolete long before the (at least) 10 year lifespan of the car. I've heard all sorts of prices quoted for annual map updates of in car GPS data, but the lowest number I ever heard was $200. That would easily buy you a brand new GPS (and with better functionality/usability). Or the money would be better put towards connectivity and mobile devices.
- woobar 14y ago
  I had a car with built-in navigation before. For the very same reasons you've mentioned I got a new car without one. I regret it a lot! Phone or portable navigation is such a pain to use. Charging cables, mounts, don't forget to hide it when parked in a not-so-nice-area, don't forget to put it back. I miss always present, always charged and nicely integrated with the car audio built-in nav system.
  - rogerbinns 14y ago
    I buy a Garmin every few years at Costco, where price ranges from $150 to $350. It comes with a mount etc and I never hide it. I don't think it has much worth to thieves since they are obsolete not too much later. I also don't frequent dodgy areas (to my knowledge). I do use the PIN protection so even if someone stole it the device wouldn't be useful as is, and they wouldn't be able to get my home address out of it. Every time I ride with someone who has in car GPS they moan about the user interface and often don't use it anyway due to stale map and POI data.

shpoonj 14y ago

When I read the title, I really got my hopes up that this was about replacing the steering wheel, pedals, shifter, etc. I was sorely disappointed... this is just another rehash.

deleted 14y ago

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cubicle67 14y ago

Normally I enjoy this sort of thing, but this I'm not taking to. As commented by others, it looks like it was designed by someone who drives very little First up, the speedo is not only about the number, but also the position of the needle. I don't need to know if I'm doing 110 or 111, but the position of the needle will tell me at a very quick glance if I'm venturing towards 120 or slowing to 90 Second - I thought we'd decided adjusting volume by anything other than a physical turning dial was a poor way to do it about 10 years ago. Then there's other odd things like 83% oil - what sort of use is a figure like that? Is that good or bad? Oil pressure is what I need to know, and even then a simple binary ok/not ok is sufficient Possibly the main problem is that there's not really much wrong with displays as they are. I can see my speed and rate of acceleration, rpm, warning lights etc at a glance. I can dim them to my liking. And, importantly, anyone else driving one of my vehicles can very quickly acclimatise themselves and feel confident driving it. With the way things are currently, there's really only two things I need to figure out when I hop into a car i haven't driven before - which side of the steering column the indicators are on, and where the headlight switch is

exogen 14y ago
To your two points: you'll see that there is a blue (sometimes yellow?) ring around the number that presumably serves the same purpose as the speedometer needle – position & movement at a glance. And the volume is controlled by a physical turning dial (in the shot with the "hard buttons" label).
- cubicle67 14y ago
  Yes, you might be right about the volume. I was looking at the buttons here [1] but the volume one looked more like a round push button than a dial. I guess it could be a dial As to the ring around the number, well I'm more confused going back and looking at it again. Sometimes, like [2] it's a single colour, and others, like [3] it's divided into multiple segments. 12/14mph is slow, so I'd expect to see the ring extend not as far as it does. I'd expect it to extend that far around for speeds like 70mph Another thought - the little mpg/regen graph is prominent but largely useless. However, if speed and acceleration were added it could be a very useful tool in working out which driving conditions give best economy [1] http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/d13.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1342992715606 http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/d13... [2] http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/f07.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1342999131266 http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/f07... [3] http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/d10.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1342992664587 http://www.minimallyminimal.com/storage/post-images/doko/d10...

philip1209 14y ago

Article aside, the name of the blog seems humorously redundant.

drivebyacct2 14y ago

"You won't be able to drive during the update". I love technology and have from the earliest of ages, but that's a little bit eery.

lloeki 14y ago

For the curious, "doko" means "where" in Japanese.

mnicole 14y ago
With the typography weighted the way it is, I read "Dodo" before I read "Doko".

dlsym 14y ago

From what I can see in these pictures, this is a full featured computer with an OS and apps. It has access to the internet and to the internal bus (Oil, Speed and whatnot). I have a _very_ bad feeling about that.

tsahyt 14y ago
It might be an enormous security issue. Since everything is computer-controlled in a car these days, security is extremely important. Imagine somebody messing with the system, having access to the internal bus and disabling the (electric) brakes.

micheljansen 14y ago

Although it looks nice, it would be pretty dangerous to actually use this while driving. I've been researching peripheral touch screens for the past year and making them easy to use without looking is really hard. The effects of looking away from the road are pretty well known and they are bad. In this study [1] for example, noticeable differences in concentration and lane position/drift were seen when participants were just quickly glancing at the screen of a GPS. Now imagine you are not just looking at that screen, but trying to touch it in the right place (accidentally hitting the wrong button, getting frustrated etc.). These problems really have to be solved before replacing commonly used functions in cars with touch screens and this design does not adequately address them. [1] http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1620534 http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1620534

mnicole 14y ago
Additionally, I think it is incredibly telling that we've been banning texting-while-driving and yet expect stationery, ~1ft away UI to be the solution. With texting, you still don't have the benefit of tactile feedback but you at least have the ability to try to steady the phone on your steering wheel to give you the best road:phone visual you could possibly get, it's closer to your face and you probably understand the UI better. All the same, it's been the cause of innumerable accidents. Given that you're likely using a GPS unit because you don't understand the area as is, these controls need to be on the steering wheel or accessed through voice controls. Even someone who understands their GPS still has to deal with the bumps and swerves of the road.
- micheljansen 14y ago
  Absolutely. I wouldn't call texting on a phone (even an old-fashioned one with physical buttons) safer than operating a GPS though. The same bumps and swerves of the road you point out can cause the phone to slip from your hands, fall on the floor and cause an accident, to just name an example.
frankus 14y ago
Touch screens are about the worst imaginable driver interface systems. I'm astounded that they're as popular as they are, but I guess cargo-culting of successful interface metaphors is nothing new. First, the parts of a car that the driver should be looking at with their central vision are relatively far from where their hands should be. Because touch screens are nearly impossible to use without looking at them, they positively require the driver to be staring at something other than the road. Finally, unless you've got glass-smooth pavement or exceptionally compliant suspension, steadying your hand in front of the display in a moving vehicle is nearly impossible. That's why for years (well-designed) cars have had a combination of knobs and relatively stiff switches rather than myriad little indistinguishable buttons. Especially considering how trivial it is to implement force feedback on a knob, I'm surprised that no car maker or aftermarket vendor is making use of it.

ff0066mote 14y ago

"Sorry officer, my speedometer was blurry."

Rhymenocerus 14y ago

I like the 'blurred by 20px' image. It's like saying 'this is how your speedometer will look while you're drunk'.

nchlswu 14y ago

I'm generally a fan of Andrew's work, but this one misses the mark. I don't really have a problem with the aesthetics or the graphic design - he consistently shows creativity and design chops. In fact, a lot of his points are pretty good. However, the final product is a bit shallow and while pretty, has some half baked ideas that don't contribute to an overall great product design that's not usable. It solves some problems, but ultimately doesn't solve some of the more important problems with driving nav these days (and perhaps exacerbates them) I think this demonsttrates why areas like human factors exist and are needed in the design process. We shouldn't neuter designers at the beginning, but refine and distill designs like these into something even better

mnicole 14y ago

As someone who is 5'2 and prefers driving with the steering wheel a decent height above my legs, I wonder if I'd even be able to see the speedometer behind the steering wheel? Relying on color as an indicator is also a big problem.