Back in the 1900s, automakers realized they could save a lot of money if they used the same buttons and knobs across various brands. Then Tesla changed the game again, sticking essentially all of the vehicle controls on a cheap touchscreen. Many other automakers soon followed suit and largely abandoned physical controls. If you notice, though, that’s not entirely the case with Hyundai. Why? Well, as JoongAng Daily reports, it’s because Hyundai’s internal research showed people hate it when automakers get rid of buttons. In fact, it plans to add more physical controls going forward.
Safety is definitely an important design factor, and burying controls inside multiple menus definitely makes drivers less safe. Cost is another factor to consider. Still, you have to convince people to buy the car first, and Hyundai’s research has found they want a car with physical controls for the most important functions.
“As we were adding integrated [infotainment] screens in our vehicles, we also tried out putting touchscreen-based controls, and people didn’t prefer that,” Hyundai Design North America Vice President Ha Hak-soo told JoongAng Daily. “When we tested with our focus group, we realized that people get stressed, annoyed and steamed when they want to control something in a pinch but are unable to do so.”
Considering the sheer number of features modern cars come with, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any automaker completely abandon the touchscreen. Adding physical controls for everything would likely make the cabin look like the cockpit of a modern jet. On the other hand, it’s refreshing to see an automaker admit that it really does need to increase the number of knobs and buttons for the driver. It’ll make us happy. It’ll make customers happy. And hopefully, it’ll make the bean counters happy when safer cars that are less frustrating to control outsell the ones that bury everything in a touchscreen. Fingers crossed, at least.
H/T: Motor1
