BMW's iDrive on the wrong track

BMW's famous iDrive system has been controversial from its start in 2001. The iDrive is BMW's initiative to consolidate the various controls (navigation, entertainment, climatisation, etc...) into one single interface accessed by one knob with a joystick like function. The idea behind the system is to reduce the visual clutter and distraction in the cockpit. Unfortunately, contrary to the systems objective, it is a case study of a Human Computer Interface (HCI) gone wrong. I had the "pleasure" to discover the system on a BMW 3 series (E90 build year 2006) as it came with the optional navigation system. What I don't understand is that after so many years, the system is still a nightmare to use.


photo source: CNET's article see below for reference.

The whole screen lay-out, navigation and menu structure is so contra-intuitive that you have to play with it before you believe how bad this is. You feel the pain every time you need to tweak a setting or change simple things like a radio station. It is very difficult to remember where the designers burried a function. The 3th generation (from 2007 on) abandons the single controller and adds 6 programmable buttons so users can bypass the system altogether and create shortcuts to functions they use most.

Please BMW, hire some good interface design people and get this sorted out.

Read More:

Driving it, Car interfaces and usability on CNET's Car Tech review June 20, 2007 By Wayne Cunningham.

Jacob Nielsen's frustration with the system.

BMW iDrive 6 years in: The world’s best cockpit controller? BMW Car Club of America, August 28, 2007 by Jonathan B. Spira.