I’ve written on more than one occasion in this blog defending MyFord Touch, and it looks like it’s time to do it yet again. JD Power released their Initial Quality Rankings, and the biggest story was Ford plummeting from 5th to 23rd. While issues with the dual clutch transmission contributed, the focus surrounding the fall has been on MyFord Touch and customer issues with usability. When we evaluated the user experience of MyFord Touch with consumers , we found the voice interface to be very compelling. Some users found it overwhelming at first and had difficulty with discoverability of features due to the tab structure  on the touchscreen, but once they used the voice interface, they were sold.

Ford’s plummet shouldn’t be taken as a rejection of MyFord Touch by consumers. Instead, the ranking free-fall likely came for other reasons:

1.  Software flaws which reportedly produced black screens and nightly resets which Ford and Microsoft have been addressing
2. There is not a lot of separation between the automakers in the rankings, so a few additional problem can greatly affect one’s ranking
3. JD Power’s method for calculating the rankings

JD Power includes consumer issues with design and usability in their rankings, and those problems (from what I can tell) are given the same weight as manufacturing defects. The IQS looks at problems per 100 vehicles, and doesn’t differentiate between a stuck accelerator and whether the voice interface works with the driver’s particular accent.

With MyFord Touch taking the lead in bringing technology to the mainstream and promoting voice control, there will undoubtedly be some consumers who run into problems. With technology, even the best-designed systems typically have some minor usability issues. The problem is that Ford’s competition has lagged behind, and so they have fewer things that could be a problem.

With more complex technology comes more issues, so should Ford or other OEMs be dissuaded from pushing the bar in terms of in-vehicle technology to avoid the bad PR? I would hate to see that happen. Nor should it be forgotten that by pushing technology, Ford has shown well in other JD Power rankings, dominating the 2010 U.S. Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study. 

What also should not be lost in this is the view from JD Power, as mentioned in the Detroit Free Press: “Sometimes a pioneering technology, such as Ford's voice-commanded vehicle control system, may meet resistance that shows up as a quality flaw in short-term quality surveys…But in the long term, it almost certainly will be a very good idea."

As anticipated Kia Motors America used CES 2010 to unveil its new "UVO" in-car infotainment system with advanced voice- and touch-activated features, based on Microsoft Windows Embedded Auto software platform. The system will be offered during the third quarter of 2010, starting with the 2011 Kia Sorento. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kia-motors-unveils-advanced-infotainment-system-powered-by-microsoftr-80696117.html http://ces.cnet.com/2300-31052_1-10002123-1.html?s=0&o=10002123&tag=mncol;page

Kia, plus other vehicle OEMs also planning new connected infotainment introductions with similar capabilities, are no doubt hoping to automatically mimic at least some of the success Ford has enjoyed with its MS Windows Auto based Sync product. However while such systems will no doubt offer an impressive array of entertainment, information and connectivity features, OEMs will find that consumers acceptance and satisfaction with such multifeatured offerings is highly dependent upon a well-designed and user-friendly HMI. This conclusion is borne out by Strategy Analytics ongoing User Experience and Automotive Consumer Insights research that highlights that consumers' ultimate verdict of what is a "good" or "bad" product frequently hinges on the ability of the device HMI to quickly, conveniently, and reliably (add "safely" for the on-the-road context) enable users to achieve their particular operation objective at any given time. Strategy Analytics product useability evaluations continue to highlight HMI challenges. e.g.: Vehicle Entertainment and Navigation User Evaluation: 2010 Infiniti M35 http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=ReportAbstractViewer&a0=5203 Navigation Device User Evaluation: Garmin nüvifone G60 http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=ReportAbstractViewer&a0=5127 Kia is placing its bets on the first in-vehicle integration of Microsoft's intelligent speech engine technology to differentiate its UVO HMI user experience - supplimenting the 4.3 inch multifunction full-color touch screen.  Let's hope it doesn't disappoint!

Of course, the mobile handset vendors are amongst the most experienced in designing consumer electronic HMI. Strategy Analystics offers some of the lessons that can be learnt by vehicle makers and their suppliers in a complimentary presentation from its Automotive Consumer Insights program that can be found at the link below: Smartphone User Interfaces - Lessons for Automotive Multimedia Design http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=ReportAbstractViewer&a0=5045