this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2026
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Touch style interfaces in sci-fi are a production cheat. Print/paint a sheet and stick it on a back-lit panel: instant set piece.
Problem is, they look cool, so once the technology arrived to make them real, everyone went overboard.
Now we get the shittiest physical UI's ever imagined.
It's also easy for real life. They don't have to produce different parts or maintain them, or update them. All of that is just changing software and what it displays, that makes it easier for them to develop.
But as we're realizing it, it's harder to use and less safe.
I think it's because manufacturers value slick UI over usable UI.
LCARS is a great example. In universe, the buttons are likely programmed to the users specifications, macros and automations that have been developed over their career or even lifetime.
But when present day people tried to create LCARS for their own apps, it's a fucking nightmare. Too much wasted space and buttons that only look like Star Trek but don't actually do anything impressive.
Touchscreens in a car could work if they were user tested but they aren't. And not only that, but they are rent-seeking devices that companies use to lock out features like fucking heated seats!
What I'd love to see is a completely open-source infotainment system. Android could have been a great OS if they didn't fuck their users.
Touchscreens in cars can't work properly for anything that needs to be operated while in motion. Everything the driver touches while in motion should be tactile.
I've been driving a lot of rental vehicles lately. The safety hazard of a big infotainment system is a real problem, some are worse than others. Also when it glitches it's a real pain in the ass because the only way to fix it some times is to restart the car, sometimes it will clear the settings too.
Touchscreens are a real hazard and impractical during an emergency because you need the muscle memory to be able to grab an anchored point for control.
Isn't the problem they're also cheaper in real life? Like in the car industry the only benefit is that it's saving time and money for the manufacturer.
Given how cheap and nasty every craptastic plastic control is in every 'cheap' car I've had: I doubt it.
Everything goes stupid when you're getting luxury or premium models. E.g. standard wheels are way cheaper than alloy wheels.
You just need one touch screen that does everything. Radio, climate control, navigation, car settings etc etc. even with cheap nobs you needed separate ones for everything, you needed the mounting for them and everything you can't see behind them. It might not be cheaper than replacing one thing, but once you combine everything into it it becomes cheaper.
Indeed. It might not be cheaper to manufacture, it might just be cheaper to assemble.