How not to design for UX: the Ferrari example

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly Stanley Markowitz on May 10, 2010 at 9:48am

And the video says that this version of the steering wheel is designed to be easier to use than the previous version--sheesh! If this "easy" steering wheel is any indicator, racing is more like flying a plane than driving a car.

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Permalink Reply by Douglas Gorney on May 10, 2010 at 12:04pm

Yeah, good point. In 2009 Ferrari was using KERS, an energy-recovery system from the car's braking (kind of like a hybrid), so at least the drivers don't have that to deal with this year. However, now a bunch of F1 teams are talking about bringing KERS back. Which is good from an environmental standpoint, saves fuel, but it's hard to say "it's not rocket science". Because you'd kind of have to be an astronaut to operate one of these things.

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Permalink Reply by Arno Bublitz on May 11, 2010 at 6:02am

I beg to differ. The Manettino (as everyone else's in F1) is not overly complicated. Nor is it a UX nightmare. Every Hobbyist Racer has a break balance control and other stuff fitted in their car.
But let us have a look at the very basics: specific users in a specific context of use.

>Specific users: Almost every F1 pilot has been racing since their early teens. They know pretty well, what their car does and what every parameter does. Also: They are fulltime professionals, paid to know their stuff.
>Specific Context: while race launches can be pretty dramatic, the rest of an F1 race is not characterized by wheel-to-wheel duels (compared to Cart-races for teenagers or brand cup races). So the adjustments roughly go like this: Start of race: plenty of time to adjust the settings. During the race: Adjust a) to the section of the course b) competetive situation: nothing, defense, attack c) stage of the race. Other buttons like pump for the drink: an F1 pilot will push them so often, he could do so blindfold.

Now let us have a look at some of the design elements of the Manettino:
Multifunction: Central (in terms of importance) functions, signal-bright, easy to distinguish (for a seasoned racer).
Color coding: Functions are color coded to give orientation cues
"L" for Limiter: A wonderful example for working with restrictions: This is the only potentially VERY harmful button. It limits to top speed for the pit lane. Not good when you are being chased. It is designed within a little cup around it to prevent accidential actuation. Still: for a pit stop the access is easy enough.

Racers report a status of flow when they race. Everything just happens. Including some dozens of adjustments on the Manettino. Each lap. The better pilots adjust Break Balance alone for each curve.

Summary: What looks like a nightmare to us is in fact the direct opposite: a most elegant, well informed-by-user-research design. This is one of the rare cases where the designers-engineers capture 100% of their user base: All three pilots of a team are interviewed in- and extensively to optimize the Manettino. Some pilots even have their individual Manettinos.

Thanks for the links, anyway

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Permalink Reply by Douglas Gorney on May 11, 2010 at 11:51am

Ah, someone who actually knows what he's talking about! Thanks for the insight. I guess it's all in the training. As you say, specific users, specific context.

Still, looks like the space shuttle to me…

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly Stanley Markowitz on May 11, 2010 at 12:26pm

This is very good insight into this interface--thank you for sharing it. I hear what you are saying about the importance of understanding the users of this steering wheel and how it is tailored to them. Obviously a lot of work is being put into ensuring that these expensive vehicles operate at maximum capacity.

The one thing I wonder about this steering wheel--and I think the same thing each time I sit down at my computer--is how much of the design is based upon the past. What I mean is, you start off with the steering wheel, (or the computer keyboard and mouse) and everything flows from that. There has been some talk about how ergonomically challenging the keyboard and mouse are--particularly for people who spend a lot of time on the computer. But what can be done? In order to make the computer truly ergonomic, we would have to revolutionize the interface--no more QWERTY keyboard. What if the steering wheel isn't the best interface for these racing cars?

I say this because I have a little vehicle-related experience I want to share. My first car, which I had for many years, was stick shift. A few years before I sold it, I installed a fancy stereo system that came with a remote control. My friends and I joked about the remote control saying that it was silly to use a remote in the close confines of a car. However, I did struggle to change the radio stations when I was driving on the highway, so I decided to see if I could find some way to use the remote. I tried taping it to my steering wheel, and I was able to use the remote, but it wasn't a natural movement. Where the remote ultimately ended up was taped to the front of my stick shift. I could shift normally, but if I moved my index and middle finger slightly down, I could manipulate the remote.

I have often thought about that experience and how easy it was to use the remote when it was in that right-hand position. It makes me think about how so much of our technology is based on old paradigms, and how when we reach a certain point of sophistication, it might be time to throw everything out and start over.

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Permalink Reply by Douglas Gorney on May 11, 2010 at 12:40pm

A great point. (I'm thinking of Scotty's astonishment at the QWERTY keyboard in Star Trek IV after it fails to respond to his voice command.) You'll notice that most cars now come with an option to tune your radio from the side of the steering wheel, where your hand naturally rests. You were ahead of the design curve.

In the case of the f! wheel, I thank Arno for clearly explaining every item on it, but there still doesn't seem to be anything intuitive or innately neuroergonomic about the placement of all those controls. Perhaps driver reaction time could be sped up even further if it were.

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