Awful Automobile Assumptions

Bad user interface isn’t exclusive to software! My family has a Ford Focus wagon, and it has the American Car Vent Affliction. You know, the one where the car knows better than you do what you want…

Well, in case you aren’t familiar, here’s the scenario. I want the air from the outside to blow up in front of me and at my feet, consistently. That means I have the direction knob on Heat/Defrost and life is good. Then a car who needs a smog check pulls in front of me and so I go for the other air control, recirculate, so I can not inhale their exhaust.

Not so fast! Ford has out-thunk me. It is impossible to recycle the air and have the defrost air path at the same time.

Why? I understand the physics, that the windshield would not de-fog as quickly with inside air, but it’s my car. Why does Ford think they know better than the driver? Interlocks on the parking-brake-and-key-removal, OK fine I see the need and the safety improvement. But interlocks on the air direction? Give me a break.
It’s almost as bad in a GM car, where you have air conditioning and the airflow on the same knob. At least the designers don’t fake you out by giving you two controls – they tell you before you buy the car that you’re a lunkhead who can’t handle separate functions.
The imports have this right – two controls, independent function. Let’s see domestics fix this design flaw, please!
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One Response to “Awful Automobile Assumptions”

  1. 3borough Says:

    1continues…

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