What is Infotainment?
It seems as if every car you see these days has a large touchscreen on its dashboard. You have to have quite an old car to avoid any kind of screen at all. Manufacturers like to talk about ‘Infotainment’ in their cars. This is a word of their invention, meaning a mix of useful information and in car entertainment. Is this a good idea though, or is it simply a distraction?
Music & Maps
Most people only use the infotainment screens in their cars for two reasons – displaying maps and playing music or radio. These two reasons are a major reason for the growth of screens in cars. Having larger maps on car screens allows drivers to glance over at them without having to pay much attention. This is also true for music selection screens, and contributes to the safety of using a screen in a car at all.
Cars Produce Data
Cars increasingly produce and store data on their own performance. They study their own fuel efficiency, mileage and even the roads they drive on. If this data wants to be useful, drivers need to be able to access it. Infotainment displays live up to their information brief by displaying this data in ways that are useful to the driver.
Over Saturation
Despite their benefits to drivers, surveys regularly find infotainment screens to be unpopular with drivers. A recent study by J.D Power found that learning how to use a new infotainment system was one of the largest problems drivers had with new cars. Customers find it much harder to adapt to new info systems than to driving new cars themselves.
Hiccups
Despite this unpopularity, infotainment screens show no signs of going away. Car manufacturers are convinced that having large screens to display information is necessary. Customers might be frustrated with new technology, but they are also getting used to them being there. In-car info screens might become a vital part of any new car, if companies can make them a little easier to use.