Drivers’ screen time

Buttons are quicker and safer for drivers than touchscreens in cars, according to tests carried out by a Swedish motor magazine. The team from Vi Bilägare looked at the human-machine interface of 12 different vehicles and measured the time it took for drivers to perform four simple tasks. These included changing the climate control settings and lowering the instrument lighting.

Participants were given time to get to know the digital systems in the vehicles before they were timed and a car from 2005 without a touchscreen was used as a comparison.

The study found that the tasks were completed the quickest in the older car, with it taking drivers 10 seconds. The slowest performance was in an electric MG Marvel R, where it took 44.6 seconds to finish the tasks.

The magazine attributed the move to more touchscreens in cars to the trend for a cleaner looking interior. It added: “Inspiration for the screen-heavy interiors in modern cars comes from smartphones and tablets. Designers want a ‘clean’ interior with minimal switchgear, and the financial department wants to lower the cost. Instead of developing, manufacturing and keeping physical buttons in stock for years to come, car manufacturers are keen on integrating more functions into a digital screen which can be updated over time.”

Read the full article