Hi Allan, glad you’re enjoying the series. You don’t have to be a non-specialist to understand the difference between a good design and a bad design. But, principles can help give you a clearer understanding of how to create more intuitive products.

It amazes me how awful some automobile navigation systems are. The Renault particularly has a complicated user interface which ignores a lot of the fundamental design principles described in this article.

The lack of a conceptual model, for a start, is evident in a lot of navigation systems. Automobile manufacturers tend to provide owners with a comprehensive explanation of how to use their features in a printed manual — but who reads these? And why should we be forced to flick through pages of content to figure out something that should be self-explanatory!

What really frustrates me about Renault's navigation system is the high number of button presses required to enter a postcode/zip code and choose a destination. The use of constraints is needed for simplifying interaction, but too many steps can create a negative experience.

Are there design principles you can relate to the navigation system’s you’ve interacted with?