I think BMW is one of the most innovative companies out there. One of my favorite interface designs that BMW has come up with is the heads up display. Basically its a display that is reflected off the windshield so the driver can view the road and at the same time view different display data from the car such as travel speed, speed limits, navigation signals, etc. I can just imagine the inspiration for this design, I've always been annoyed by the reflections of papers when I throw them on the dash. But instead of being annoyed, an engineer or designer at BMW saw an incredibly applicable opportunity. My favorite feature of the HUD interface is the performance display, where the HUD shows a digital tachometer, shows the gear number, and speed. This allows the driver to shift at the most optimal points while paying close attention to the road during full acceleration. I LOVE this design; I think its really inspired. Check out some of the videos.
Full Acceleration
HUD Normal Driving
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This is a great innovative feature, but unfortunately BMW cannot take credit. I had a heads-up display in my 1980-something Pontiac Bonneville. I didn't have any navigation symbols that I remember but it did display a digital speed limit and other simple dash info into the windshield. The entire dashboard was electronic, which must have seemed really cool in the 80's but by the time I owned it in 2002 or so was completely messed up. It had episodes where the display flashed and beeped and gauges would randomly go wild. Anyway, it is a very satisfying user experience regardless of when it originated!
ReplyDeleteThanks for clearing that up Laura. Apparently the first production car to ever have a heads up display was a 1988 Cutlass Supreme!
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