Can't operate controls by feel, must look away from road

Raised by 1,028 people over 17 years (2010–2026), in 17 of them.

What people report

2011-10
Touchscreen systems are already here, but will always bury less-used functions like options and navigation
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2019-07
Those are all touchscreen items here that I wouldn't want to do while driving.
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2022-08
touchscreens in cars is just dangerous and annoying
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2023-12
touch screens are a bad UX for cars where you, the driver, are supposed to be looking at the road
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2026-10
legal to operate what is essentially a large ipad stuck on your dash
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Principle

Controls you can find by feel

People report that flat glass offers no edges, shapes or fixed positions to find by hand, so even familiar adjustments need a glance away from the road.

More issues about physical ergonomics and affordance

A fix

Give frequent controls fixed physical locations with distinct shapes, ridges or detents so they can be found and told apart by touch. If a screen stays, add a row of fixed hard keys or raised finger guides along its edge that never move between screens or updates.

Grouping, principle and fix drafted with Claude and reviewed by Justusability. Counts are people whose comment Claude labelled a usability complaint about this issue; see Method for how, and its limits. Something wrong here?

All 1255 source comments