Honda Low Fuel Indicator Replaces Estimated Miles Remaining
How to Cause Anxiety In Your Drivers
Overview
Honda updated their vehicle’s instrument panel in 2017 with a new Driver Information Interface on select models to include extra information such as estimated range of miles left to drive till empty. In general the new instrument panel is very nice, especially equipping the driver with useful information such as the estimate of how many miles are remaining in the tank.
Honda Instrument Panel with Driver Information Interface.
Honda Low Fuel information in manual.
Prior to the car estimating how many miles are remaining, drivers had to reset the trip odometer when filling up, record how many miles they drove till refueling, remember to reset the trip odometer again, then monitor how many miles they’ve driven as a gauge of when they need to refuel. Or drivers could simply wait till the low fuel light comes on. Either way worked, but the car providing that estimate for you
The User Experience Problem
The vehicle provides an estimate of how many miles are remaining till needing to refuel until the low fuel light comes on. When the low fuel icon illuminates, it replaces the estimated miles remaining to clearly indicate that your gas is low. The problem is that the estimated miles remaining disappears and does not return. The low fuel light indicator cannot be canceled out to be made smaller to reduce the size of the notification and similarly see how many miles are estimated till empty. Why? Why would Honda provide such great mileage remaining estimates and then take that away once the low fuel light comes on. If anything, wouldn’t you want to know how many miles you have remaining especially once the low fuel light is on?!
The UX Idea
After 5 seconds of the low fuel light coming on, reduce the size of the notification and show how many miles are estimated to remain till fuel is empty.
The UX Solution
It makes sense to have a large notification for the low fuel light to alert the driver that the fuel is low. It does not, however, make sense to take away the information of how many miles are estimated to remain. After 5 seconds of the initial notification of low fuel, reduce the size of the low fuel indicator to again show how many miles are estimated to remain.
Conclusion
Overall the new instrument panel is very good. Drivers will become used to seeing how many miles are estimated to remain till the fuel is empty. Prominently showing the low fuel indicator is good except that it completely replaces the estimated miles remaining. Taking away the estimated miles remaining can start to cause anxiety in drivers, especially since the low fuel indicator is on! How many miles can you drive now till empty?! Seems like that is exactly when you would want to know how many miles you have remaining?!
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