Which would you rather have (he asks semi-rhetorically)?

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/...hallenges.html

 

That video could have been... less lacking?

 

I like how the first option he looks at is a classic "lots of buttons" interface and talks about how easy it is because everything is labeled and works like one would expect. His conclusion? It is too confusing.

 

Indeed. His statement is what's confusing.

Perhaps what he's saying is that once you get above a certain number of buttons on your dash it can be difficult or overwhelming (not sure I buy that but then again I'm used to dealing with a certain level of complexity).

It's basically the same argument I hear about remote controls for your TV and AV gear. You want certain buttons to be "hard" so that you can find/operate them easily in the dark (e.g. volume and channel up/down). Remotes that have a bazillion buttons tend to have a low "Spouse Acceptance Factor".

 

I think it really just proves the point that most "technology editors", or any special journalist for that matter, are just as dumb as the general public.

 

I think he was just trying to be humorous. His frustrations may be accurate for someone just trying out a system for the first time. The Acura approach with lot of labeled buttons is probably simpler to use at first -- but trying to locate an unfamiliar button at speed can be a challenge.

What would be more interesting is how such systems work once the driver is familiar with them. His comments on the "new language" for voice recognition is spot on, in my experience. I will be getting rid of my '04 Acura TL Navi when my MINI arrives, and I never did use the voice recognition system in that car often enough to learn the vocabulary -- which means I never used it (just for phone calling).

Developing a good user interface for a car that cleanly integrates audio, navigation and other configuration options is a difficult art that is rarely well done. Making one that balances ease of use for the beginner as well as the experienced user is harder. Companies rarely invest in getting this done well. IMHO...