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LCD screens are the newest way to present information. They are not, however, always the best way.
Information can be displayed in many forms: black text, colorful icons, rows of numbers, columns of bar graphs, etc. Programmable LCD screen interfaces allow for extreme design flexibility and, unfortunately, extreme arbitration. Interface design may be programmed without reasonable user testing, and the design may ignore the long-standing success of analog car gauges. As old-fashioned as a knob may seem, it is truly the best control when something needs to be turned.
LCD screen designers must:
On these two considerations, it is my opinion that LCD screens should be used only for their original purpose: navigation. There is no logical or functional reason why stereo, climate control, and navigation systems should be integrated. People work best with simple, independent systems wherein there is one control for every function (no "modes"). Control appropriateness, multitasking needs, and previous knowledge all point to the need to separate controls. Plus, under this system, if one control breaks, it affects many functions. Who needs that trouble? A cracked screen could practically disable the vehicle!
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Too much integration. This abomination shows us the danger of integrating the navigation, audio, and climate-control systems into one large, mode-dependent mess. It would certainly be difficult to determine which mode is active and what each control does in each of those modes. The problems are self-admitted, as the system (that is supposed to be used at highway speeds, mind you) has a help function! This was a voice-controlled system, and the designers must have been so excited about that technology that the physical controls were an after thought. |
| Two fairly complicated systems are better than one really complicated one. While still mode-dependent, this interface is broken into two LCD screens. This should at least allow for two tasks to be approached separately, such as turning on the heater and adjusting the radio channel. However, the radio and navigation systems are still dependent upon a common interface and set of controls. |  |
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Simple heater, difficult stereo/nav system: Again, this LCD screen controls the stereo and navigation systems, but leaves the heater as a simple, non-LCD interface. It would almost be a good system, if it were not for the complicated structure that is obvious from the many mode labels on the left and tactilely similar buttons on the right. |
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Integrated function, but easy control. The LCD system is separate from the stereo, but not from the climate control. This is a reversal from the above examples . It is slightly more logical in that stereos are often replaced, something this system allows. It is slightly less logical in the aspect that climate control is a more essential function than the stereo, so it should be more independent from the main system. |
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Replaceable? I was not sure what to make of this statement on the cassette flap : "THEFT DETERRENT DESIGN". Of course it is. No one would be able to use that stereo without the LCD screen. But, of course, no one can use the LCD screen without the entire vehicle, due to heater and trip functions being integrated. It illustrates the danger of integration. What if the tape player broke? What if you wanted to upgrade the stereo to a newer standard in a few years? Standardization is sacrificed for integration. |
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Everything going digital?: Cadillac decided that the only thing that was not to be digitized was the clock. It is a strange choice, as digital clocks are commonplace, standard, and well-learned, while digital climate control systems are not. |
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