Centre Displays
Discussion
I'm putting this in General Gassing MOD's because I don't think it's a pure EV discussion.
I've heard so many people talk about centre display screens being a huge distraction in modern cars, EV's especially. Journalists in particular seem to have a big issue with this. But, I never hear anyone complain about the central speedometer on classic Mini's (or indeed the later BMW Mini's). On a classic Mini, you have to look across and down which is surely more distracting than a quick glance to the side as is the case with modern EV's. If it was an issue, then journalists should rave about the Mini 1275GT which had the speedo in front of the driver. They don't seem quite as popular with the motoring press though, do they?
And actually, how much more distracting is a glance to the side compared to a glance down? Either way, you have to take your eyes off the road momentarily to check your speed.
My BEV has a central display but I also fitted an aftermarket HUD. I use the HUD but still find myself looking at the centre display because in day-to-day driving it makes no difference.
Are journalists making the point because they have very little else to say? In the same way that they all seem to talk about the straight-line speed of EV's when there are so many other virtues that could be discussed. And how many keyboard warriors simply repeat what they've heard in the press with no actual first-hand experience themselves?
I've heard so many people talk about centre display screens being a huge distraction in modern cars, EV's especially. Journalists in particular seem to have a big issue with this. But, I never hear anyone complain about the central speedometer on classic Mini's (or indeed the later BMW Mini's). On a classic Mini, you have to look across and down which is surely more distracting than a quick glance to the side as is the case with modern EV's. If it was an issue, then journalists should rave about the Mini 1275GT which had the speedo in front of the driver. They don't seem quite as popular with the motoring press though, do they?
And actually, how much more distracting is a glance to the side compared to a glance down? Either way, you have to take your eyes off the road momentarily to check your speed.
My BEV has a central display but I also fitted an aftermarket HUD. I use the HUD but still find myself looking at the centre display because in day-to-day driving it makes no difference.
Are journalists making the point because they have very little else to say? In the same way that they all seem to talk about the straight-line speed of EV's when there are so many other virtues that could be discussed. And how many keyboard warriors simply repeat what they've heard in the press with no actual first-hand experience themselves?
- justsaying
I've had a fairly long list of ICE cars - and also a Tesla.
The centre screen is not distracting in the slightest, a glance at the speed is no distraction at all.
However.... operating the screen itself, whilst on the move, is very distracting and I have found that it's easy to wander out of lane if you need to fiddle with it. Finding a radio station, or trying to remember where the fog lights turn on being good examples.
But if you're all set up and don't need to adjust anything, they're fine. I recognise this is hardly a ringing endorsement!
The centre screen is not distracting in the slightest, a glance at the speed is no distraction at all.
However.... operating the screen itself, whilst on the move, is very distracting and I have found that it's easy to wander out of lane if you need to fiddle with it. Finding a radio station, or trying to remember where the fog lights turn on being good examples.
But if you're all set up and don't need to adjust anything, they're fine. I recognise this is hardly a ringing endorsement!
Geffg said:
Isn’t it more about all controls done via the display rather than just speed?
So you wanna turn the heating up or down and you have to fiddle about going into the menu etc rather than with physical controls you can usually do it without even looking and most other things.
I don't think so because most day-to-day functions (heating, lights, wipers, folding mirrors etc) can be done using voice control. The voice control on my BEV is excellent but I accept that might not be the case for every manufacturer. So you wanna turn the heating up or down and you have to fiddle about going into the menu etc rather than with physical controls you can usually do it without even looking and most other things.
Edit: And the classic Mini's I mentioned have their controls in the middle of the dashboard, just below the central speedometer (lights, wipers, heater controls etc).
Edited by CharlieAlphaMike on Friday 29th December 11:47
Car companies will tell you it's done for the latest look, integration, best UI whatever.
It's all b
ks. The only reason it's done is because it's cheap. Instead of having many multiple switches, motors, servos, Bowden cables, dials, levers, parts, interfaces, all backlit with individual LEDs or bulbs, you have one item to buy, fit and connect.
You don't have to engineer all the interfaces, loom, many fewer parts to fit and only one electrical connector. The speed at which it can be assembled Vs mechanical guages, buttons and switches is seconds Vs hrs on the production line.
Having a central screen is fine until you have to change a setting on the AC, Nav or stereo but car companies ain't gonna change it so we'll just have to deal with it.
It's all b
ks. The only reason it's done is because it's cheap. Instead of having many multiple switches, motors, servos, Bowden cables, dials, levers, parts, interfaces, all backlit with individual LEDs or bulbs, you have one item to buy, fit and connect. You don't have to engineer all the interfaces, loom, many fewer parts to fit and only one electrical connector. The speed at which it can be assembled Vs mechanical guages, buttons and switches is seconds Vs hrs on the production line.
Having a central screen is fine until you have to change a setting on the AC, Nav or stereo but car companies ain't gonna change it so we'll just have to deal with it.
garypotter said:
Also very lazy interior designers, i dislike the huge ipad looking dash in new cars. yes i am old and prefer a little knob!! ooer
Yes and no. Sort of. Hahahah.I've had an awful lot of interiors over the years - from Hillman Avenger to Bentley. I actually like the bare minimalism of the Tesla - it's sort of timeless and also completely different ... in a 'you're driving something very modern' kind of way. When I first had it, I nearly cracked out the black polo neck and rimless round specs!
I do know what you mean, but it sort of suits the car. That said, my comment above (about operating the functions whilst on the move) still stands. So I am a little on the fence.
Ambleton said:
Having a central screen is fine until you have to change a setting on the AC, Nav or stereo but car companies ain't gonna change it so we'll just have to deal with it.
Simply not true. Voice command will take care of these functions. And changing the stereo or Nav or a 'normal' car which doesn't have a voice control function, could also mean you have to take your eyes off the road.Tankrizzo said:
Also means it's one part for different markets no matter which side the steering wheel is on.
Which goes back to why the speedo was is the centre on the Mini, the dash didn't need to be moved, plus you are so close to the centre line of the car in one it doesn't matter anyway.As others have said, I think it is more to do with finding other controls without having to flick through screens, which is very distracting, rather than just the speedo
CharlieAlphaMike said:
Simply not true. Voice command will take care of these functions. And changing the stereo or Nav or a 'normal' car which doesn't have a voice control function, could also mean you have to take your eyes off the road.
How does voice control deal with multi zone temperatures? None of my cars has voice controls but we are looking to replace at least on of our cars soon and BMW is high on list due to retaining the manually rotary controller. I just don’t want to control everything using voice controls, it irritates me.
CharlieAlphaMike said:
Simply not true. Voice command will take care of these functions. And changing the stereo or Nav or a 'normal' car which doesn't have a voice control function, could also mean you have to take your eyes off the road.
I disagree, I have tried voice control on the latest BMW system and it's slow, but I also found that my wife didn't like me interrupting her to ask the car to warm my bottom up. Using the screen was much more distracting as I had to touch a small bit of a screen, then tapp three times somewhere else. Then I had to figure out how to get the map back on the screen.
With a physical button I can press it without looking, as I know where it so and can feel for it when close.
Changing the stereo or nav was MUCH easier with the shortcut buttons that BMW used to have. They were brilliant.
CharlieAlphaMike said:
Simply not true. Voice command will take care of these functions. And changing the stereo or Nav or a 'normal' car which doesn't have a voice control function, could also mean you have to take your eyes off the road.
The fact it can take care of those functions is not the issue though, your essentially forcing users to use a method of interaction because of a failure to design a good user experience to achieve something whilst critically driving.Or put another way plastering over something that did not previously exist as a problem. And whilst not recent a 2015 study showed voice control distracting drivers for up to 27 seconds post their interaction.
Touch screens equally have seen research show time periods significantly longer than simple button systems.
Basic, and I mean "basic" HVAC controls should simply not be requiring the use of voice control because of poorly designed UIs that are requiring 3 pushes to complete a simple task, end of story. A user should have the ability to do it with minimal effort and distraction - like I recently did today in fact whilst on the motorway without even looking down!
Equally, the fact that soem manufacturers have gone back to HVAC controls being physical buttons shows everything you need to know.
Kateg28 said:
How does voice control deal with multi zone temperatures?
None of my cars has voice controls but we are looking to replace at least on of our cars soon and BMW is high on list due to retaining the manually rotary controller. I just don’t want to control everything using voice controls, it irritates me.
If my passenger (wife) wants to change her zone, she can do that herself using the screen. I only remember changing the heated rear seats using voice control a couple of times and that worked just fine as I recall.None of my cars has voice controls but we are looking to replace at least on of our cars soon and BMW is high on list due to retaining the manually rotary controller. I just don’t want to control everything using voice controls, it irritates me.
MikeM6 said:
I disagree, I have tried voice control on the latest BMW system and it's slow, but I also found that my wife didn't like me interrupting her to ask the car to warm my bottom up.
Using the screen was much more distracting as I had to touch a small bit of a screen, then tapp three times somewhere else. Then I had to figure out how to get the map back on the screen.
With a physical button I can press it without looking, as I know where it so and can feel for it when close.
Changing the stereo or nav was MUCH easier with the shortcut buttons that BMW used to have. They were brilliant.
I can't comment about BMW systems and wouldn't want to comment about your wife Using the screen was much more distracting as I had to touch a small bit of a screen, then tapp three times somewhere else. Then I had to figure out how to get the map back on the screen.
With a physical button I can press it without looking, as I know where it so and can feel for it when close.
Changing the stereo or nav was MUCH easier with the shortcut buttons that BMW used to have. They were brilliant.
Seasonal Hero said:
Still blows my mind that we’ve allowed touchscreens to become the norm in cars, let alone for the daily controls like HVAC etc.
I think they have their place - a touchscreen is absolutely the right choice for things you don't adjust while the car is in motion. The problem is that manufacturers have realised they can save quite a lot of money by putting everything into the touch screen and then sell it as a positive under the guise of "technology". I've yet to find a voice control system which works even acceptably well for non-native English speakers who can't form all of the language's sounds properly. To my mind it's a bit like the migration of the indicator stalk on RHD manual cars from the right to the left. The right is absolutely the correct ergonomic place for them, but the manufacturers realised it would be cheaper to share parts between LHD and RHD cars and then managed to persuade users that having the indicators on the same side as the gear stick was somehow sensible.
Edited by kambites on Friday 29th December 13:02
CharlieAlphaMike said:
Simply not true. Voice command will take care of these functions. And changing the stereo or Nav or a 'normal' car which doesn't have a voice control function, could also mean you have to take your eyes off the road.
Voice commands are dreadful.The two systems I have (Tesla and Land Rover) rarely seem to understand a basic command (and I have excellent diction and an RP accent). I generally need to have two or three goes and often give up before the car twigs what I want. Some cars need a 4G signal before the voice commands work, so are no good in the deep country lanes (where one really doesn't want to take one's eyes off the road). It is also annoying for the passenger (wakes them up or they wonder WTF you are on about).
Compared to a rotary temperature dial (reach to known point, turn two clicks = done), voice command requires you to look down at what the current temperature is set at, activate voice command, say "Set driver's side temperature to 20º" and then check on the screen that it has understood.
Voice commands are a sop to try to make screen-only interfaces safe to use. They are no substitute for good button interfaces. Screen only interfaces are purely about cost savings for the manufacturer (and enable the pay-to-upgrade model).
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