The advent and rollout of new technology in our cars has often provided a balance of both a blessing and a curse. With every new feature that offers convenience or just a little bit of whizz-bang, there's also more clutter and often less usability in the car, which can impact drivers while on the road.
Did you know, however, that many cars allow you to customise your displays so that you can only see what you want to see?
Some of this personalisation technology allows the large format LCD screens found in many modern cars, the option of creating a favourite menu or shortcut action to remove any superfluous features, allowing you to focus on driving when behind the wheel.
For example, the Peugeot i-Cockpit software found in the new 3008 SUV, and even my own 308 Wagon, has an ability to completely modify the display menus.
The central screen has a standard 'swipe' interface where you can quickly switch between screens, but the system also allows you to essentially configure widgets on each screen so that you can customise what is displayed.
This means you can add a shortcut to your smartphone projection, have persistent navigation, or even have a quick way to activate or deactivate heated seats on a primary touchscreen.
You can create a new layout and choose from a library of functional widgets, and even choose where on the screen you want them to display.
Furthermore, the Peugeot system allows you to reconfigure the instrument display so that it, too, gives you only the information you need.
While on the move, you can tap a button on the indicator stalk and cycle through the information options available.
This isn't limited to Peugeot, as we've seen brands like Mercedes-Benz and even GWM offer various themes and display options that give you a range of designs and information to suit your driving needs.
Most new BMW models allow you to add shortcuts from a persistent swipe-down menu, JLR brands give you a choice of widget ‘panes’ across the main menu screen, and the latest update from Hyundai lets you customise your home screen order for quick and easy access.
The Peugeot system is relatively unique, however, in that every screen can be configured to your liking. So, with a little time spent working through the various widgets available, you can have a completely customised and personalised information display, ensuring that only the features that you need and will use while on the road are within quick and easy access.
The inclusion of more technology will always add a layer of challenge in terms of implementation and usability, and as we even saw this week, many people are switching off features in cars that are designed to provide a layer of safety simply because they are too noisy or intrusive in the cabin.
And while these types of features may still be filtering across to some more high-volume brands, many of these cars have the benefit of being software updatable so that if features and functions are developed over time, they can be applied via an update and trickle down to the existing road fleet.
The ability to modify and customise the technology display in your car to suit your needs, rather than what a manufacturer thinks you might need, is a step in the right direction in terms of using this technology in a way that not only provides the benefit of use but also the benefit of usability.
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.
