New tests show drivers are safer when they replace touchscreens with physical controls. But that doesn’t mean we should ditch them altogether, experts say.
Consumer backlash against touchscreens in cars gains traction; automakers cave in and return to buttons.
Research by Swedish automotive magazine Vi Bilägare looked at how long it took drivers to perform basic in-car interactions while driving various cars with large touchscreen interfaces. A 17-year-old Volvo V70 was also included as a control, a vehicle without a touchscreen, which instead relied on old-fashioned buttons and knobs. Cars with touchscreens require the driver to look away from the road for significantly longer periods of time than when driving an analog vehicle. Experts agree that touchscreens can be problematic, but they do have their advantages.
“Physical buttons are good for very short (and mostly binary) tasks,” Chris Schreiner, director of UX Syndicated Research, agreed in an email conversation with Lifewire. “A good vehicle uses a mix of [different] interface types, optimizing each one.” One such interface, untested by Vi Bilägare, may hold the answer. “Voice is (should be) good for more complex tasks like searching for media or setting a destination in your navigation system.”
During the test, Vi Bilägare had someone perform a number of tasks in the car while driving across an airfield at 110 km/h (68 mph). Cars from a variety of manufacturers were included in the test, including BMW, Dacia, Hyundai and Mercedes. The cars chosen included both budget (Dacia) and luxury (Mercedes, BMW) models, with the mid-range also represented by a number of other manufacturers. A Tesla Model 3 was also included – the vehicle is known for its large touchscreen and has very few physical controls throughout the cabin.
