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Comment by djsumdog | Hacker News Reader

What a terrible UI for ... everything. Everything via the touch screen? Including mirrors? windows? Are you fucking kidding me?

And I don't want to hear that, "Well with the assisted pilot" (and no, not "auto pilot", what a stupid marketing ploy. It's not autonomous and you shouldn't give drivers a false sense of security so they're less engaged when driving).

For the $57k price, there should be a heads up display with all relevant data, or at least the option for one.

Also, what is this stupid UI choice recently in "less is more?" There are so many devices out there today with "one button" and different LED flashing patterns you have to remember for use. Do the windows really not have power buttons, because dropping the window at a drive through is going to be super annoying and more complicated than it should be.

Edit: spelling

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They have to put at least a frickin' speedometer front and center (relative to the driver), and preferably a battery level meter too. It couldn't cost that much more to put one there.

Would be very surprised if there doesn't end up being a market for aftermarket mods for that sort of thing. Hopefully Tesla takes the hint and fixes it on the next iteration.

I read that putting the speedometer off on the side was done partially in the name of safety. Supposedly, it's easier for your eyes to switch focus between intermediate (center console) and far (road) distances. Not sure where I read that though.

Personally, I can't imagine the speedometer bothering me. What really bothers me is the lack of tactile controls. When I'm driving in tough conditions (or any conditions for that matter) I need to be able to change basic controls without looking. For instance, if I sense something's amiss and decide the volume is too loud, I can't be playing fat fingers with the touchscreen.

Or the defogger. Being able to find that button is a matter of serious safety for me.

This is what so confuses me. It’s the same reason that your phone makes a horrible TV remote. You have to look back and forth between the controller and what it’s controlling.

I’m genuinely confused why automakers (it’s not just Tesla but they seem to be the worst offenders) do this. Even if we get full self-driving cars tactile controls are still far superior for basic functionality to a touchscreen. For more specific operations sure, but I shouldn’t have to aim a finger mash to change the volume.

Huh. I personally LOVE using my iPhone as a remote for our Apple TV. Also the way it’s implemented there’s no need to look at your phone at all - the phone is just a giant touchpad that gives you full control of the TV interface..

I had a friend whose Jeep Cherokee had climate control and heated seats on the touch screen interface. I thought it was a terrible design choice. Actually most of that car was a terrible design choice.

Well Tesla is headquartered in sunny California, so they aren't all that familiar with these "tough conditions" that nearly the entire rest of the world experiences. As for changing your volume, don't worry; autopilot is doing all the driving for you, right?

The steering wheel has tactile controls for volume, next/previous track and voice command interface, it's page 34 in owner's manual https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v9F2sky8jvfjij5ddPwcUjSyXCn...

On Model S the right scroll wheel is used for climate adjustment, so perhaps in the future Tesla will make it configurable in user preferences.

All essential controls should be visible (or at a known standard position, such as the gas pedal) at all times and with a quick glance.

All often used controls are contenders for the same constraints as well, since the more effort you have to put into locating and operating them the more time your attention is not on the road.

Sounds system volume can be essential in some circumstances, but is also used fairly often, so should be easily visible at all times (that is, you should not be able to hide it behind other panels unless it is very easy to return to the default display.

Climate controls are not essential, but also used very often, sometimes more often than sound system volume controls. They also should be visible in the default display.

A speedometer and fuel display are essential, and should always be visible.

I'm not sure how the Tesla display works, but if it allows you to cover these controls with anything and doesn't have a very simple and direct way to got back to a default display with these controls on it, I think that's not only bad design, but dangerous. Hopefully that's not the case.

Off-center gauges are not unusual or unique to Tesla. Toyota Yaris comes to mind [1]; Saturn Ion and Cooper Mini are some other notable examples.

Having owned a Yaris, I can tell you that it's not a problem. (It's a matter of compromise. The steering wheel can obscure the gauges in other car models.)

[1] https://fcache1.pakwheels.com/original/4X/a/0/e/a0e633fd06ce...

Center gauges are unusual, but not unique to Tesla. There aren't too many more modern examples than the ones you mentioned.

Most (if not all) cars with that dashboard style are budget-oriented cars. This Tesla costs well over 50,000 USD.

That particular trim. Shave off ~$20k for the basic model.

Citroën C4, Citroen Xsara Picasso, Toyota Scion xB, Toyota Prius (as late as 2009, at least), Nissan X-Trail (2006), probably others.

These are some of the most popular cars in the world, so hardly unusual.

Toyota in particular claims it's a safety feature, not a cost-saving measure [1]. Many drivers, myself included, prefer center-mounted instrument clusters. I can understand why Tesla does it.

[1] https://www.autoblog.com/2004/10/04/toyota-pushing-center-mo...

I've been driving a Model S with Autopilot v1 for roughly two years, and lack of speedometer (which my S does have in the heads-up display) is less of a big deal with Tesla than other cars. Even if you do not engage Autopilot, engaging Traffic-Aware Cruise Control buys you accelerating and braking, essentially entrusting other drivers with adhering to speed limits while you tag along behind.

I only end up using the brake pedal at a stop sign or at the red light when I'm the first car.

The autopilot is also aware of the speed limit signs, and with Model 3 you can assign an offset (e.g. always drive at speed limit + 5).

As other people pointed out, there are other models on the market that do not have speedometers right in front of the driver, Toyota Prius being the prime example https://di-uploads-pod4.dealerinspire.com/napervilletoyota/u...

> As other people pointed out, there are other models on the market that do not have speedometers right in front of the driver

If all your friends jumped off a bridge…

Not saying it’s a trend that everybody should copy, but acceptance/rejection factor for Model 3 design will vary significantly depending on what the person drove previously.

Exactly. The touchscreen is a safety hazard. There's a reason why military aircraft utilize a HUD.

> There are so many devices out there today with "one button" and different LED flashing patterns you have to remember for use.

The Samuel Morse School of User Interface Design.

The Model S has been using one big touchscreen for the center console for the last five years, and it has been working just fine.

I recently rented a Toyota Corolla. The buttons and console were ugly and plasticky. But damn were they easy and intuitive to use!!

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