Sleek, Minimalist & Attractive Design, But a Sluggish Digital Assistant
Strategy Analytics – A new expert evaluation from the In-Vehicle UX service at Strategy Analytics has investigated the infotainment system and relevant HMI of the 2019 Porsche Taycan, placing it in the top 10 of infotainment systems evaluated by SA thus far. The visual appeal of the Porsche Taycan UI is undeniable: the secondary touchscreen is used deftly and sparingly and almost exclusively for HVAC and charging controls. But as noted in many infotainment evaluations conducted by Strategy Analytics using its proprietary algorithm, in the long term, HMI is only as useful as the features it enables. When viewed through the lens of practicality and usability, the Porsche Taycan makes a mainly positive impression.
Aspects of the Porsche Taycan’s HMI were compelling: radio and media functions are collapsed into one menu and sources easily switched; satnav functions are easily manipulated once found; and once active, the accuracy of the speech recognition system is on par with its competition. But conversely, communication functions are split across separate menus, cluttered and cumbersome to use; connected services other than traffic and some parking information are walled off and impractical for in-car use cases; and though charging status information is easily surfaced, advanced charging features (such as timers) are time consuming to find and manipulate.
Commented Derek Viita, report author and Senior IVX Analyst, “In an era where mobile-based UI is dominating consumer expectations, and media and satnav tasks can be accomplished on a variety of devices, the pressure is on automakers to differentiate via unique HMI. Porsche, like Audi and Range Rover, has addressed this by implementing a dual touchscreen. Such implementation has two unique benefits. Firstly, it provides a sleek design that is minimalist and attractive; and secondly, touchscreens are the best method of enabling the advanced media and satnav features consumers demand. A secondary touchscreen provides an expanded ‘canvas’ for designers and engineers to deliver these features.”
Continued Chris Schreiner, Director IVX , “Touchscreen-based systems work well with most of the advanced tasks that consumers are increasingly demanding, but in-car voice controls are only as good as their processing power. Though the functionality of Porsche’s voice assistant is certainly on par with its competitors, its on-board processing power is a step below: it was far slower to complete key tasks. Concentration on this aspect of Porsche’s next iteration will almost certainly push it higher up the infotainment system rankings.”
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