2017/03/09 03/08 User Experience Benchmark: 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Steering-Wheel Thumbpads Best Suited for Short One-Step Tasks

Boston, MA – March 08, 2017 – A recent user evaluation from the In-Vehicle UX (IVX) group at Strategy Analytics “User Experience Benchmark: 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class” has assessed the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class in-vehicle infotainment system.  Overall, first-time users praised its sleek and futuristic design; particularly the large display and aesthetic features of the controls. However, although the first-of-their-kind steering wheel thumbpads were aesthetically appealing, first-time users found them very difficult to use in practice. Of the abundant manual controls available to the user, the jogdial was the HMI modality most often used to complete tasks. In reality the sheer number of controls available was overwhelming.

After surveying consumers in the US using the infotainment system of the 2017 E-Class, Strategy Analytics found despite the positive feedback for the aesthetics, the novel HMI modalities it offered were not well received. User issues with learning how the steering wheel thumbpads controlled the display cursor led to numerous errors, long error recovery times, long task times, and perhaps most concerning, long periods where the user stared at the display in order to learn how the control manipulated the display cursor.

Click here for report: http://sa-link.cc/1jw

Derek Viita, Senior Analyst and report author commented, “Steering wheel controls are best suited for short one-step tasks (such as volume adjustment) which allow the driver to keep their hands on the wheel, and to minimize or eliminate eye glances toward the console screen. With the difficulty first-time users had in establishing control-display compatibility, these thumbpads eliminate this benefit.”

Chris Schreiner, Director, IVX added, “Automakers are wise to explore new and different control and display options to differentiate their experience. However, introducing novel HMI with usability issues, simply for the sake of being new and different, is not a wise or sustainable cockpit strategy.”