China Brings Buttons Back
Hi Dear Readers,
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If you are like me, driving a modern car after a few decades of experience on the road, you are probably consciously or unconsciously missing physical controls. You know the ones that sit in the same place all the time, react identically to your touch on a scorching hot day and a freezing mountain trip and provide clear unmistakable feedback to your input. Well, the Chinese government is coming to the rescue with stricter regulations for new vehicles.
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The trend has been unmistakable in the last few years, ever more vehicle controls have been moving into screens. As so often the trend was started by Tesla all the way back with the launch of the Model S. Putting the controls in the screen has several distinct advantages for manufacturers. It shouldn't surprise you that cost is a major one. All those extra buttons with their wiring add up to an important material and production cost. Going screen centric also allows for major development savings, you can just do the work once across a great number of vehicles. It's not all about the money though. We have moved away from the analog static world into a dynamic digital one. Screens allow for much more freedom in adapting functions, layouts and interactions long after the car leaves the factory.
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For all its clear advantages, the world is increasingly discovering the flip side of the rise of the screens. First off you need to focus on it as you can't build up the muscle memory of just reaching for the same place. Pushing on a certain spot in the navigation layer will result in a different outcome than the media one. You almost always need input from your eyes to perform the task as your fingers can't feel their way around the functions. This is very different from the nicely ridged volume knob of old. And while your eyes are wandering around the screen, they are not on the road. Several research projects have pointed to the immense increase of distance traveled without paying attention to your surroundings. In some cases the reaction time was worse than when driving over the legal alcohol limit.
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Consumer backlash has incentivized a number of manufacturers to move back to physical controls. Safety organizations like NCAP are also beginning to restrict their top scores for cars that perform well in this area. But things are clearly moving too slowly for the Chinese government. The following functions now legally need a control that is physical and easy to find with minimal visual input: turn signals, hazard lights, windshield wipers, de-froster/fogger, emergency call system and the power off switch. Switching gears and activating the driver assistance systems also need their separate buttons, toggles or levers. Given that the regulation went into effect at the beginning of this month, drivers in China will notice their cabins getting a bit more crowded in the near future.
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Carnewschina link.
Grtz
Pieter
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