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Hidden interface controls that affect usability

(interactions.acm.org)
559 points cxr | 4 comments | 05 Jul 25 23:10 UTC | HN request time: 0.883s | source
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WarOnPrivacy ◴[06 Jul 25 00:41 UTC] No.44476763[source]▶

    The other day I was locked out of my car
    the key fob button wouldn't work

    Why didn't I just use my key to get in? 
    First, you need to know there is a hidden key inside the fob.
    Second, because there doesn't appear to be a keyhole on the car door,
    you also have to know that you need to disassemble a portion 
    of the car door handle to expose the keyhole.
Hiding critical car controls is hostile engineering. In this, it doesn't stand out much in the modern car experience.
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1. jeroenhd ◴[06 Jul 25 11:42 UTC] No.44479849[source]▶
While this makes several cars a terrible choice for rentals, I do wish car owners would take maybe half an hour of their day after spending a couple thousand to read through the manual that came with their car. The manual doesn't just tell you how to change the radio station, it also contains a lot of safety information and instructions for how to act when something goes wrong.

How can I trust a driver to take things like safe maximum load into account when they don't even know they can open their car if their battery ever goes flat?

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2. mjmas ◴[06 Jul 25 15:02 UTC] No.44481328[source]▶
And often there are useful things that I wouldn't know otherwise.

For example (Kia Carnival): Holding the lock button on the fob for 20 seconds will automatically close the sliding doors and any open windows.

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3. fireflash38 ◴[06 Jul 25 18:12 UTC] No.44482825[source]▶
Because cars have had consistent keys and doors for how many years now? That's half the thing about cars - you shouldn't need to read the manual to know how to open a fucking door. Maybe for service timings, etc, but you should be able to get into any car and be able to use it for completely normal use cases *without* reading a manual.
4. accrual ◴[07 Jul 25 17:44 UTC] No.44492822[source]▶
Indeed, similar on some other models too. My vehicle can up or down the windows by pressing and holding lock/unlock on the FOB. Indeed, a hidden feature without reading the manual or some forums.