The Latest Car Technology Is Starting to Drive People Nuts
This article expresses the current car technology and gives me insight to some of the challenges users are having with their modern cars. This seemed very relevant to my Honda capstone project. I am interested in exploring new technologies, but I have also learned the importance of making a design accessible and usable for the users.
"Automakers have added new tech features in the 2020s that go beyond the touch screens, assisted-driving systems and companion phone apps that have become ubiquitous in new cars. Some vehicles come with infrared night vision, seasonal ambient lighting and interior “fam cams” showing rear passengers.
Many drivers say it is too much. The share who had positive feelings about the intuitiveness of their car’s controls fell from 79% in 2015 to 56% in 2024, according to surveys of new-car buyers by Strategic Vision, a market-research firm. The trend was similar for drivers’ perceptions of dashboard displays, screen interfaces and the layout of the instrument panel.
Drivers are still happy overall with the technology in cars, but they want it to be as easy to use as an iPhone, and most of it isn’t.
Glitches can be especially annoying for drivers whose cars cost more because of extra technology (Pinsker, 2025)."
The article then explains specific user's experience with their car, suggesting some technical issues.
"Touch screens are a touchy subject for drivers like Jake Pratte. He sees them as both an annoyance and a potential hazard. Changing settings can require multiple taps and usually doesn’t deliver physical feedback like the twist of a knob or the press of a button. “You have to sit there and stare at what you’re doing, which means you’re taking your eyes off the road (Jake Pratte).”
Touch screens grew, both in diameter and prevalence, during the 2010s and are now virtually inescapable. A rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration required a backup camera, and therefore a screen, in new vehicles starting in 2018.
Some 28% of new-car buyers favor buttons over touch screens, according to a 2022 survey from Escalent, a consulting firm.
Some automakers are bringing back buttons and knobs in new models. And starting next year, the vehicle-safety ratings of Euro NCAP, a European organization, will consider cars safer if they provide physical components for primary controls such as windshield wipers and hazard lights, rather than burying them in a touch screen.
Drivers are most enthusiastic about tech features such as wireless phone-charging pads, heated and ventilated seats, rain-sensing wipers and built-in vacuum cleaners, according to a survey last year of new-car shoppers by the market-research firm AutoPacific. At the bottom of their wish lists are passenger-side screens and augmented reality visible on the windshield.
But modern features don’t always put a huge strain on vehicle prices, according to Ed Kim, the chief analyst at AutoPacific. Capacitive switches are cheaper than physical buttons and knobs, he said, and it can be more cost-effective to install the same large screens in every model instead of putting smaller ones in entry-level vehicles.
...starts it through Toyota’s app, which charges a subscription fee. “My payment’s $1,000 a month, and now I gotta pay another $15 a month just to be able to start it remotely,” said Larsen, an equipment operator at a mine (Pinsker, 2025)."
This article provides an interesting perspective about the advancing technologies in cars, suggesting that they may not always be preferred. This article talks about how these advancing technologies can create higher prices for cars, when the previous versions worked similarly for less money. This fits into the realm of my capstone when thinking about the users of my future design. I want to focus on accessibility and make something that is easy to use, and not cause additional stress to the users. As I think about my capstone, it is important to consider whether a design is creating more implications or distractions for the drivers. The article stresses that the main priority for customers is usability.
References:
Pinsker, Joe. (March, 2025) The Latest Car Technology Is Starting to Drive People Nuts. https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/drivers-high-tech-cars-preferences-28ab9584gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAjk6Hck3lRODEMjiPcEDiyHljuJx5j7zpnZfK6t_mlfR_2DnAck4Hr4MB86t-k%3D&gaa_ts=68dbe4e1&gaa_sig=S8ux-pAuOU847s7nzxwwNQUQDImPrPxkcy3P84c4SZB0dD1XSYbXftWVc6qSFOii5jQlhp7dR-N2l61tLt2Ug%3D%3D
AI was used for grammar check and proper apa citation.
