Why Volkswagen’s return to buttons is a UX triumph

I borrowed a car recently that had banished almost all of its climate buttons, amongst many others, to the digital realm.

Trying to adjust the temperature whilst bouncing along a rutted road became a game of chance. My hand hovered, jabbed, missed and jabbed again.

I had to take my eyes off the road to navigate a sub-menu, and in those few seconds the cognitive load shifted entirely from driving to operating a computer.

It highlighted a fundamental truth about modern automotive interior design...