What is telematics and what does it have to do with usability?
Telematics refers to in-car technology that helps improve the driving or passenger experience. This can include such things as automatic airbag deployment notification, vehicle tracking, personalized driving features, real-time traffic data, emergency aid, satellite radio or video, high speed internet and a variety of other vehicle monitoring systems, entertainment and “location based services”. Users interact with innovative features including Internet access, voice activation, and the ability to control audio and climate from the steering wheel, for instance, or with visual displays and/or buttons on the rear view mirror (as in GM’s Onstar). Usability becomes important really fast in the automotive interiors environment. Distractions, errors and accidents can cause drivers to veer out of lane, collide or crash. The stakes are high, making driver distraction a core issue in the telematics industry. If telematics usability is so crucial, why don’t OEM auto manufacturers saturate the dr
