Are Sat-Nav Systems Becoming Information Overload?

curtS writes "The Economist's tech editor reviews the ever-more-detailed assistance of mobile GPS devices, and wonders if the attention-sucking visual complexity isn't more trouble than it's worth. He contrasts the simplicity of London's Underground map (not directionally accurate but visually easy to understand) and his own habit of dimming the display and using the audio commands for guidance."

Comments

Re:technology editor sucks at technology?

[digitig]

Yes, but it's only looking at one side of the issue. "Overall, the Carnegie Mellon team concluded that the time drivers spent fixated on their satnav displays decreased sixfold and the number of glances needed to confirm results decreased threefold when the navigation system simply used words and numbers to convey instructions rather than fancy graphics." Fine -- but what did it do to the number of missed turns, or the number of times the driver gets into the wrong lane becuase they don't really understand what the words and numbers are actually telling them to do? They're things that can make drivers "especially vulnerable to doing stupid(which in a car means dangerous) things" too. Most of the time sure, I just listen to my satnav. But at complex junctions, actually seeing the layout and where I'm supposed to end up is invaluable. A picture really can be worth a thousand words.