Display Technology
Out of touch: how the relentless rise of the touchscreen is undermining the user experience
The automotive industry’s rush to replace conventional controls with touchscreen interfaces is at risk of alienating customers, compromising safety, and drawing the ire of regulatory bodies, says software company VNC Automotive
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Car manufacturers are locked in a race,” says Tom Blackie, CEO, VNC Automotive. “Not the kind that demands ever-increasing power outputs or shrinking zero-to-sixty times, however. Instead, the results of this contest are measured in inches.”
With each new model launch, vehicle manufacturers push the boundaries a little further. At first, in-car satnav was controlled by a TV-style remote control that was just as likely to get lost in a dusty crevice. Then the multimedia controller took over, a twisty- turny wheel that wore many monikers, from iDrive to Commander. As the touchscreen
30 September 2022
arrived, it appeared the industry had finally settled on a winner, even if the user interface at first seemed to have been modelled on an ATM.
Since then, the race has been on to expand the digital real estate, and make it more prominent. Tablet-sized screens perched atop the dashboard became de rigueur, and were soon joined by digital instrument clusters.
But in 2012, a Californian newcomer launched an electric vehicle and usability seemed to take a back seat. Gone was the physical switchgear – apart from the window switches, there were only two
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buttons in the whole car – with everything controlled by a giant screen in the middle of the dashboard. That meant that even the most basic interaction required delving into a menu, from changing the radio station to turning on the headlights.
Soon everyone was at it. Even Volvo, bastions of safety and Swedish minimalism, launched a new Sensus infotainment system based around a central 9-inch portrait display that incorporated almost everything into its touchscreen interface. Now, even a modest family sedan eschews physical temperature controls in favour of jabbing a finger at a screen.
However, connectivity specialist VNC Automotive, a company with its technology installed in more than 35 million vehicles worldwide, questions whether today’s touch-based interfaces are really the best solution.
“Having a giant touchscreen interface is really about saving hardware costs by implementing everything in software,” says Blackie. “Recently, though, there’s been growing disquiet as years of ergonomic study and usability experience are abandoned in the rush to cram everything onto a single screen.”
A recent study by the UK’s Transport
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