Car makers are apparently still trying to figure out how to build well-designed controls. Early in the rise of EVs, Tesla was considered the North Star of design, offering a cool new look and efficient performance. But over the years, that novelty has worn off a little, and some of the design choices Tesla has made, and still sticks to, clearly aren’t where we want to go. Case in point: car climate controls.
Cars are increasingly getting bigger and bigger tablet-like displays that are designed to control every aspect of the vehicle, including the climate. But is that really the right choice?
Software Isn’t All Bad
I’m not fully against software-based climate controls in cars, and to be clear, some automakers have been building better ones for their vehicles over the past few years. Early on, car makers started packing these options into their infotainment systems, and removing physical controls.
The only problem with that is they didn’t really think about how to best design their software to ensure easy access to things like fan speed and temperature. The end result? Drivers have to tap on multiple on-screen buttons just to change the basics. When combined with poor performance that meant a tap could take seconds to even register, this was not only annoying but plain dangerous.
But recently, things have been getting better. Car makers have started putting higher-performing processors into their vehicles, ensuring that the software is much more responsive. Not only that, but their design has been improving, and many now offer persistent climate controls that allow for quick and immediate access to basic things like fan speed and temperature, always on the screen.
BMW is a good example of this, as it has begun putting its climate controls in a menu bar at the bottom, both for the driver and the passenger. Basic controls can be changed with a tap, and while you still need to dive into menus for more advanced controls, this isn’t necessarily a huge deal.
Tactile Hardware Controls
But even in the best-designed cases, there’s still something missing from software-based controls. Hardware controls like knobs, dials, and buttons offer a tactile experience that allows a driver to control climate without having to take their eyes off the road. Plus, they often simply look cooler.
Car makers are starting to realize this, and there are at least a few cases of manufacturers switching back to physical controls after building vehicles with software controls only.
Of course, this certainly presents a design challenge. Sure, manufacturers have been building hardware-based climate controls for decades now, but an absence of physical controls would allow manufacturers to make things look more minimalistic and less busy. That can be a good thing, though at times it can certainly get a bit over the top.
The Right Way(s) To Do Things
Maybe we’re still headed toward a future of software-based controls, but until car makers can actually design good software, hardware climate controls are simply the way to go. They’re easier to use, much safer, and take some of the complexity out of learning how to use a car’s infotainment system. Sure, it means that manufacturers still have to figure out how to actually make them look good, but that’s up to them to figure out, and up to us to criticize.
