Buying a minivan with a DVD player in the back seat used to be a sign that you’d given up your cool kid status. (Correction: it still is, but sleep-deprived parents aren’t likely to care much.)
Those screens serve an important purpose: keeping parents sane by limiting the endless chorus of “mom, he hit me,” and “are we there yet?”
Judge all you want, but the appeal of these technological babysitters is readily apparent and there’s no real harm, as the cartoons and Disney shows play far out of sight of the driver.
But there’s a relatively new game in town — screens in the front seats, with a range of convenience features designed for the driver. Taken to the extreme, cars seem to be turning into smart phones on wheels.
Not all drivers are embracing this idea. A 2015 J.D. Power report found that at least 20 per cent of car owners do not want such features as Apple CarPlay, Google Android Auto and in-vehicle voice texting in their cars.
Those owners reported that they “did not find it useful,” or that it “came as part of a package on my current vehicle and I did not want it.”
The survey found that many owners preferred to use the smart phone or tablet that they were already familiar with, said Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction & HMI research at J.D. Power.
Are Touch Screens Safe?
This is a topic that manufacturers are very sensitive towards, says Kolodge. There are distraction guidelines, so they can be sure that drivers can complete tasks in a certain amount of time.
“Manufacturers have been very cognizant about monitoring driver distraction,” she says.
Will Touch Screens Eliminate Buttons?
No. Auto makers and third party suppliers receive feedback that some buyers would still prefer physical controls, and the industry is balancing what belongs on a screen, and what would work better as a knob or button, and what needs to be redundant, or work in both ways.
Sometimes it’s still faster to change heat or air conditioning controls with a knob or button, says Kolodge.
Talking In Your Car
Along with traditional knobs and the touch screens, there is a third option — voice controls, where you can control the radio or take calls hand-free.
“Voice recognition is gaining momentum, but that system struggles with accuracy, recognizing what the user is trying to say,” says Kolodge. “Systems are improving, but many users still report frustrations with this technology.”
Teaching The User
In their Initial Quality Study (IQS), J.D. Power asks new car buyers about their satisfaction with their vehicle after 90 days of ownership.
“Voice recognition has been one of the number one problems year over year,” says Kolodge.
With some technologies you see about a 50 per cent demonstration rate by the dealer, but newer technology such as in-vehicle voice texting maybe only 20 per cent of dealers are providing a demonstration, she explains.
“This does have an influence on overall acceptance of the technology. We see when dealers take the time to explain the technology, they increase the likelihood of usage.”
Smart Design
“One of the elements that we stress to manufacturers is the order of priority, in that you design for first-time usability — so it makes sense to the user when they get into the vehicle without any explanation, that’s your ultimate goal,” says Kolodge.
The second priority is having the dealership there as a partner to demonstrate what that technology can do, to make sure car buyers know how to use the technology in their new vehicle.
BMW has made significant strides in this area, after taking heat from critics and owners who found early versions of their iDrive system difficult to use.
They’ve added back buttons that consumers have asked for, they have also made significant changes to the functionality of their screens, to eliminate the previous confusion.
Ford’s home automation devices will work with Amazon Echo and Wink to give drivers more control over their car — and home — from the road. Photo: Ford
Innovation
Even the most advanced system can get outdated after a few years.
Tesla, the high-end California-based electric car maker, is a leader in this area, with over-the-air updates to keep their technology up to date.
Most advances in car technology start with luxury cars and work their way down to entry-level vehicles, and touch screens are no exception.
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Ford introduced smart devices that use Amazon’s voice technology to let drivers control lights, thermostats, and home security systems from their car. The system would also let these car owners check the car’s fuel range from home and use voice commands to start and stop the vehicle, and lock or unlock the doors.
This would be an extension of the Detroit auto maker’s existing SYNC system, which is in 15 million of its vehicles now.