The Volkswagen brand previously received very mixed reviews regarding the functionality of the interior and multimedia system. Taking into account that some of the opinions about it were very critical, the manufacturer has significantly modified its multimedia system and we will see it for the first time in the new ID.7 – Volkswagen has given up all buttons in the cabin, instead creating a configurable shortcut bar on the screen.
Talking to the media Autocar VW user experience specialist Marie Pule pointed out that each customer may have their own specific wishes, so such shortcuts are the most universal solution. “If you asked managers in a large company what four buttons they would most like to see, you would probably get very different answers. So we decided to remove the buttons and instead create configurable shortcuts on the car screen.” Previously, VW cars had a rectangle under the multimedia screen with four shortcut buttons – “Clima”, “Mode”, “Menu” and “Assist”. That ID.7 has been removed and everyone can program the things that are important to them and that they use most often.
Accordingly, the client can customize the main menu at his discretion and allows you to choose which shortcuts are available at all times. For example, a driver wants to disable one of the smart driving assistants – a person can program a shortcut to the driving assistants menu. All climate control functions, including heated seats, are now in a bar at the bottom of the screen. Just below it are the sliders used to adjust the temperature. Now they are illuminated, but before for some reason they were not, so using these slides in the dark was troublesome.
This approach of removing all the buttons and offering more configuration options on the screen will gradually make its way to other VW models, including the upgraded ID.3. While VW forgoes physical buttons entirely on these models, they are still to be expected on other models. This is one of the settings of brand manager Thomas Schaefer – in response to a wave of customer criticism about the user experience, a special committee was created whose task was to listen and analyze customer complaints as well as suggestions. As a result of all this, normal buttons will return to the steering wheel instead of the recently used touch buttons. Recently shown sketches of the ID.2all concept also show physical buttons in the car interior.
