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I think touchscreens are great in cars as long as they aren't used to replace physical controls. I bought a new Ford Maverick last year and it follows this guid

I think touchscreens are great in cars as long as they aren't used to replace physical controls. I bought a new Ford Maverick last year and it follows this guidance well. I can still do all the important stuff like skip tracks, tune the radio, change volume, all from both the steering wheel and a cluster of physical knobs and buttons below the touchscreen. The touchscreen is useful for less common and more intricate tasks like GPS navigation.

dredmorbius 2y ago
Airplane cockpits and avionics are an interesting case where complex inputs are required and, to a very great extent, touchscreens are not used but rather both physical controls and where multiple options are necessary, physical keyboards. (There are instances of aviation-certified touchscreens, see "Thales integrated touchscreen becomes the world's first product of its kind to gain EASA certification" <https://onboard.thalesgroup.com/thales-integrated-touchscreen-becomes-the-worlds-first-product-of-its-kind-to-gain-easa-certification/ https://onboard.thalesgroup.com/thales-integrated-touchscree...> (2019), used in the Airbus A350, also "FAA Approves Commercial Touch Screen Display" <https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/faa-approves-commercial-touch-screen-display https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/faa-approves-comm...> (2015), for the Beechcraft King Air.) One might think that auto manufacturers could learn from this. And, mind, I'm of the opinion that if you have to type to control your automobile then someone designed that automobile incorrectly.
- babypuncher 2y ago
  I have a few points here 1. It takes a lot more training to learn to fly an aircraft, in part because the controls are so complex and specialized. 2. I'm not expecting to need to type while driving. But when my car is parked, there is no real downside to just letting me use an on-screen keyboard to punch in the address for my next destination. Anything other than a keyboard would frankly require too much re-learning, and I'm not convinced would actually be safer. 3. An airplane cockpit does not need to accommodate third party software, the controls are all designed with a specific intended purpose. Stuff like CarPlay and Android Auto need UX that can adapt to fit the needs of whatever software the user wants to run on them. A touchscreen accomplishes this quite elegantly.

dredmorbius 2y ago

Airplane cockpits and avionics are an interesting case where complex inputs are required and, to a very great extent, touchscreens are not used but rather both physical controls and where multiple options are necessary, physical keyboards. (There are instances of aviation-certified touchscreens, see "Thales integrated touchscreen becomes the world's first product of its kind to gain EASA certification" <https://onboard.thalesgroup.com/thales-integrated-touchscreen-becomes-the-worlds-first-product-of-its-kind-to-gain-easa-certification/ https://onboard.thalesgroup.com/thales-integrated-touchscree...> (2019), used in the Airbus A350, also "FAA Approves Commercial Touch Screen Display" <https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/faa-approves-commercial-touch-screen-display https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/faa-approves-comm...> (2015), for the Beechcraft King Air.) One might think that auto manufacturers could learn from this. And, mind, I'm of the opinion that if you have to type to control your automobile then someone designed that automobile incorrectly.

babypuncher 2y ago
I have a few points here 1. It takes a lot more training to learn to fly an aircraft, in part because the controls are so complex and specialized. 2. I'm not expecting to need to type while driving. But when my car is parked, there is no real downside to just letting me use an on-screen keyboard to punch in the address for my next destination. Anything other than a keyboard would frankly require too much re-learning, and I'm not convinced would actually be safer. 3. An airplane cockpit does not need to accommodate third party software, the controls are all designed with a specific intended purpose. Stuff like CarPlay and Android Auto need UX that can adapt to fit the needs of whatever software the user wants to run on them. A touchscreen accomplishes this quite elegantly.