Usability always wins. Design trends come and go, but at the end of the day, good usability remains.
In an effort to modernise their interior design, VW introduced capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel. However, this change compromised usability, user experience, and led to customer complaints. Recognising these issues, VW reverted to physical buttons in their latest models—a clear acknowledgment that simplicity and functionality often deliver the best user experience, especially in environments where safety is critical.
While I acknowledge VW for having the courage to correct course, I suspect that the initial decision to implement capacitive buttons ignored critical usability data in favour of a sleek design. Having conducted multiple experiments on this steering wheel myself, it consistently underperformed and received poor usability scores. It’s hard to believe VW’s own teams weren’t aware of these flaws, but it seems design won out over putting the user first.
This trend isn’t limited to VW customers. When a major player like VW implements such interfaces, it pressures other automakers to follow suit, as if “if VW is doing it, it must be right.” I’ve certainly felt the pressure to adopt similar trends, but I always trust the data and the evidence, which helped me push back on such decisions. That said, it’s not always easy. Building a strong HMI strategy requires navigating the tension between design trends and user-centred functionality.
Looking ahead, I hope for two things: that VW will rethink their climate controls, and that my beloved Audi won’t follow down the same path.