How about touchscreens in cars

[Robin]

My VW had a fully touch screen media interface and I had no problem reaching or touching it... unless what you mean is that there is no haptic feedback rather than you can't touch it?

There is if you leave the vibrate function on, the screen responds to your touch with haptic feedback, worked very nicely indeed and much more powerful than the archaic array of fixed single-function buttons that you describe

I meant haptic feedback, yes the vibrate is useful to register the press but there is no way of feeling what you are pressing on a screen without looking at it (tactility). Back in the day you knew that an oval button would do something and a square button would do something else, so you could do it all blind. A touch screen without buttons HAS to be looked at.

 

[TenEightyOne]

A touch screen without buttons HAS to be looked at.

When new, sure, but I never found that I had to look at it once I knew it. The same is really true of physical-interface devices.

Pianists are faced with 2 types of key (or 4, if you want to be pedantic) over and over again, they don't need to look at them to play, they know the positions. The same is true of a car audio system, at least in my opinion and experience.

 

[Danoff]

A touch screen without buttons HAS to be looked at.

Nope! Gestures and voice commands:

 

[Robin]

When new, sure, but I never found that I had to look at it once I knew it. The same is really true of physical-interface devices.

Pianists are faced with 2 types of key (or 4, if you want to be pedantic) over and over again, they don't need to look at them to play, they know the positions. The same is true of a car audio system, at least in my opinion and experience.

But each key on a piano doesn't do something different every time you press it, depending on what mode you are in. Learning a piano is like learning where physical buttons are on a head unit and that is fine because they don't change.

Basically how can you be sure what menu you are currently in on the screen? Where things are change depending on which piece of functionality you are in. For example, you want to change music track and know roughly where to press on the screen but your actually on the sat nav screen so you press calculate route instead.

Nope! Gestures and voice commands:

He is in the music section of the touch screen so he knows the locations, what happens when he is in another function? How does he know where he is in the system without looking at it?

Voice control is the way forward for all of this but it is still sketchy especially with all the noises you get when on the road.

 

[Wolfe]

The head unit in my wife's car accomplishes everything in that video using a single knob, plus switching folders (it tilts in four directions).

I guess I've become geriatric, because I can't use the Wii U's TV remote functions or the touch-sensitive "button" spots on the front of my in-laws' TV without looking, and those are always in the same place, with no bumpy road jostling me around. I'm also fumble-prone with any capacitive touchscreen. A resistive screen like the (3)DS or Wii U is much better, but as far as I know those are outliers in today's touchscreen industry.

I still don't want to control the stereo/HVAC/etc. with separate menus, which is kind of the whole point of touchscreens (multiple functions in same space). That's such a step backwards in my mind.

 

[Danoff]

He is in the music section of the touch screen so he knows the locations, what happens when he is in another function? How does he know where he is in the system without looking at it?

Nope. That's the homescreen (Nexus 7 tablet). Double-tap gestures are linked to play/pause. Two fingers down is linked to next track, two fingers up is linked to previous track. Those can be done anywhere on the screen on any homescreen. For reference, voice controls on that system can load apps or initiate navigation without moving a single finger - even to initiate the voice control.

Here's that video:



I will admit that to get back to the home screen one needs to hit the home button, but that's along the bottom lip and in the middle, easy to hit mostly by feel. And it's the only button used. This is what I have in my car btw, which is why I know so much about it.

The head unit in my wife's car accomplishes everything in that video using a single knob, plus switching folders (it tilts in four directions).

Now try the nav video.

 

[TenEightyOne]

But each key on a piano doesn't do something different every time you press it, depending on what mode you are in.

Damn my pedantry. Rather than piano(forte) I should have said keyboard. How's that? Lots of differing per-key functions that you STILL don't need to look at. Damn my pedantry again

Overall my point is that you just learn the interface... I wouldn't feel the knobs (you laughing?) on my old knobbed rig but their modes would still change depending on what it was doing. No knob-stroking required to assess size or shape, no sirree.

 

[Montanan46]

There's nothing inherently wrong with touchscreens. Modern day tech has really done a decent job at refinement, though there is definitely progress that can still be made. Personally, I would rather have buttons and no access to a lot of the features they come with but it's really all opinion and preference. Honestly, I'm happy with this:

I'll have to agree with you here. After having driven a few cars with touch screens, I found that I am having to pay too much attention to the screen rather than to driving. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Wolfe]

@Danoff -- It might not surprise you to learn I'm happy with paper maps, or pre-trip planning on Google Maps, and I don't have a nav system or smartphone. The area around Colorado may be different, but with a sense of direction it's hard to get lost in the eastern half of the united states, considering all backroads are simply sandwiched between identifiable arterial routes. When I have the spare time and inclination, I'll take random turns onto roads-less-travelled just to explore.

To be honest, I think I wouldn't mind a tuck-away touchscreen if it only managed frills like a nav system and the computerized preferences/options you get on some cars today, made no attempt to be the primary interface for daily functions, and didn't dominate the dash design ().

 

[Danoff]

@Danoff -- It might not surprise you to learn I'm happy with paper maps, or pre-trip planning on Google Maps, and I don't have a nav system or smartphone.

That's fine, you don't have to live with any conveniences you don't want to.

The area around Colorado may be different, but with a sense of direction it's hard to get lost in the eastern half of the united states, considering all backroads are simply sandwiched between identifiable arterial routes. When I have the spare time and inclination, I'll take random turns onto roads-less-travelled just to explore.

If you're trying to say navigation is useless in a roundabout way, I'm going to strongly disagree.

To be honest, I think I wouldn't mind a tuck-away touchscreen if it only managed frills like a nav system and the computerized preferences/options you get on some cars today, made no attempt to be the primary interface for daily functions, and didn't dominate the dash design ().

Touchscreen are far and away prettier than the old knobby buttony awkward radios of old. It's a step in the right direction for vehicle aesthetics.

 

[GattigerPlay]

I'm reading all of your posts guys, much interesting thoughts

 

[Wolfe]

That's fine, you don't have to live with any conveniences you don't want to.

If you're trying to say navigation is useless in a roundabout way, I'm going to strongly disagree.

The wink was because I know you think I have a luddite mindset. Some conveniences are worth it. Some aren't necessary, depending on the individual. Navigation isn't useless, certainly not to someone who struggles without it. I don't desire it.

Touchscreen are far and away prettier than the old knobby buttony awkward radios of old. It's a step in the right direction for vehicle aesthetics.

I like details, and I consider a wide flat screen in the dash to be awkward design and off-putting.

 

[Danoff]

The wink was because I know you think I have a luddite mindset. Some conveniences are worth it. Some aren't necessary, depending on the individual. Navigation isn't useless, certainly not to someone who struggles without it. I don't desire it.

Are you suggesting that car navigation only for people who have a poor sense of direction?

 

[ildd]

Are you suggesting that car navigation only for people who have a poor sense of direction?

No, I think he meant it's much more useful to some people than others. I, for example, must use GPS for any place I must go if I've never been there before or don't know where it is. Some would rather just print off a map (example-my dad) because he thinks it's easier and more convenient. To each his own.
And then there are the people who look at a map once before they leave and know exactly what to do 400 miles away. I hate those people

 

[Wolfe]

I intended for the word "certainly" to signify a special case. ildd covered it.

And then there are the people who look at a map once before they leave and know exactly what to do 400 miles away. I hate those people

Er, uh...

 

[Danoff]

I intended for the word "certainly" to signify a special case. ildd covered it.

Ok good.

Just FYI, navigation is also shorthand these days for routing around traffic jams, traffic lights, and estimating trip time. I'll navigate to a place I know exactly how to get to just to see if google finds a faster route or detects a car accident. I was driving someone to the airport on a freeway that suddenly came to a halt with traffic. I exited before getting stuck in it and told google to route me around it.

If nav is easy to initiate (and with my system it's literally "ok google, navigate to the airport", no buttons pressed), you end up using it for the next level of convenience.

 

[Wolfe]

If I lived in a metropolitan area of ~2.5 million people like yours, I might see it differently. The Madison metropolitan area is one-fifth as populous, and I'm used to making detours on the fly and knowing my options. On the other hand, if it's a detour in the middle of a long drive, I can easily adjust because I won't overshoot my destination.

 

[YSSMAN]

I know for me, Navigation only ever gets used when I'm going somewhere I'm unfamiliar with, or, if it is an area that isn't easily navigable with a grid system. I only used my phone for directions once the whole trip I've been on in Florida, going from the airport to the condo. Went to visit a city 60 miles away that I haven't been to in 14 years, only checked my phone once to make sure I was on the right track because everything looked so different. I don't think my Mom or Dad would have been able to do the same thing.

A lot of people do rely on it a bit too much. On top of that, every system is so different that it can be a bit too hard figuring out what is going on. You've got each automaker doing their thing. Then you've got Apple's new system that'll sit on top of that. And Google is probably announcing a similar system next week at their I/O conference. I'd rather have standardized systems that are similar to our phones than convoluted "I think I know what the kids like" stuff that Honda, Nissan, and everyone else try to do.

 

[Keef]

I'd rather have standardized systems that are similar to our phones than convoluted "I think I know what the kids like" stuff that Honda, Nissan, and everyone else try to do.

This is why iPhone compatibility would be such an important feature for me. I want to be able to plug mine in and do everything from music to calls to nav and of course charge it at the same time. I would require that in a new car.

 

[ildd]

This is why iPhone compatibility would be such an important feature for me. I want to be able to plug mine in and do everything from music to calls to nav and of course charge it at the same time. I would require that in a new car.

The best and fastest way to do that is aftermarket double din radio.
See: my car Saturday at around 4ish (hopefully)

 

[YSSMAN]

This is why iPhone compatibility would be such an important feature for me. I want to be able to plug mine in and do everything from music to calls to nav and of course charge it at the same time. I would require that in a new car.

Hell, a novel idea for a lot of brands just seems to be including a damn USB input. Bluetooth eats up battery too fast. Color me disappointed that the Nissan I'm renting didn't have one.

 

[niky]

Pretty excitied to get my first whiff of Apple CarPlay later on this year.

The local Honda City (Fit sedan) comes with a touchscreen climate control and touchscreen infotainment system with HDMI in to mirror the iPhone5 and the latest Galaxy... CarPlay is supposed to go a step further.

Mirroring alone with a dashboard Waze display would help a hell of a lot with traffic even without built-in GPS.

 

[homeforsummer]

This is why iPhone compatibility would be such an important feature for me. I want to be able to plug mine in and do everything from music to calls to nav and of course charge it at the same time. I would require that in a new car.

I never used to really listen to music in the car before smartphone compatibility became a thing. It's one of my favourite advances in new cars (whether touchscreen or without).

 

[Keef]

Hell, a novel idea for a lot of brands just seems to be including a damn USB input. Bluetooth eats up battery too fast. Color me disappointed that the Nissan I'm renting didn't have one.

Isn't that USB clever? But the radio has to be more than that. My mom's Accord has a USB but it won't transfer data so I have to have the USB plugged in to charge it AND the aux plugged in to hear it.

 

[GattigerPlay]

How about the air conditioning system? It's better with physical buttons or it can be integrated in the touch panel?

 

[homeforsummer]

How about the air conditioning system? It's better with physical buttons or it can be integrated in the touch panel?

Personal preference: Three knobs - one for heat, another for fan speed, another for direction.

However, I've used a few cars now with touchscreen-based systems, and they're not that bad. Mainly because the virtual buttons for adjusting things are quite large. You do need to glance at it to change things, which you don't with knobs/sliders, but not enough for it to be genuinely distracting. Probably less so than a radio with fiddly little buttons.

 

[Grayfox]

There's nothing inherently wrong with touchscreens. Modern day tech has really done a decent job at refinement, though there is definitely progress that can still be made. Personally, I would rather have buttons and no access to a lot of the features they come with but it's really all opinion and preference. Honestly, I'm happy with this:

How dare you show something so advanced when you know better.


8-Track

 

[Beeblebrox237]

Now that 2/3rds of my parents cars have touchscreens, I have to say, I really don't mind them. The Civic Si has a touchscreen infotainment system that gets really bad reviews, but I find it quite easy to use, especially with the steering wheel controls. I've not used the system in the FR-S, since I've only driven it a few times and it's so nice to drive that you don't really need it.

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

My phone, linked via Bluetooth to my car, will give traffic updates. You don't need a touchscreen, or a screen at all, for that matter.

What do you need, is a phone with charger. In my case, I have a sneaky system which charges my GoPro Hero2, and my mobile phone... It functions as a media center, but I still don't need a screen. I get phone calls, and can answer them with a tap of my fingers, and I still don't need a screen.


Touchscreen, according to the thread name, is unnecessary and distracting.


P.S., I hate you, Ford. Why do you try to make a phone call when a mechanic gets in? What's the mechanic supposed to say? "Oh, sorry, this is the mechanic at service center, um, I can't figure out this frustrating infotainment system. Sorry. I'm just trying to drive it out of the shop. I fixed the flat tire..."

 

[kikie]

Hello folks, I'm searching for help for my thesis.
I need to find informations and images about the touchscreen displays in the dashboard of the cars produced during the past year (2013) and also in the present year.
If you know sites, magazines, or if you have direct informations...
Everything you know is accepted.
I have to build a sort of database of various models of cars by concentrate on the touchscreen and analyse functionalities, sizes, connections, graphics, usability...

Also if you have personal opinions and experiences feel free to explain

Thanks

[url=https://www.google.be/search?q=car+touchscreen&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=STu4U-H_DevQ7AarxYDwCQ&ved=0CEoQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=951]Images,info[/URL]