The idea of customizing your in-car display seems unthinkable. Most displays are hard-coded to prevent the driver from changing anything, and if the driver thinks some icons are distracting, that's just too bad.
The design pendulum could be swinging the other way, though. Recently, Cadillac revealed how they decided to make the CUE (Cadillac User Experience) interface more customizable. To develop CUE, they gathered 2,500 Post-It notes from real drivers and found that they wanted to configure the dash to suit their tastes.
General MotorsThe touchscreen display on the Cadillac CUE system lets you move icons around and place them in a Favorites toolbar.
When I drove the 2013 CTS sedan, I could drag and drop icons around the screen—say, putting Pandora at the top for easy access, and the phone dialer icon to the right. A Favorites bar also pops up from the bottom, where you can drop more icons. Right above the steering wheel, you can customize the view for seeing a trip timer or energy use.
General MotorsAbove the steering wheel, you can show information about your energy use such as miles remaining in the tank or show entertainment options.
Another vehicle is taking this a step further. In the 2014 Chevrolet Impala, you can dramatically alter the dash interface by choosing a completely different design scheme. There's one that looks like it has a Japanese anime feel and one that uses flat, easy-to-spot colors.
General Motors
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