“When were side mirrors invented?”
“Is the electric vehicle charging port on the left or the right?”
“Why is the air conditioner temperature control standard 0.5 degrees?”
“Why is a glove box called a glove box?”

This book begins with these trivial questions about cars.
Cars are machines, spaces, tools, and lifestyles that we use every day.
Among popular artifacts, the automobile is almost the only large machine that people can touch and operate directly.
The history of interfaces within the automobile space over the past 100 years provides crucial clues to understanding how humans and automobiles have coexisted.
This book is packed with engaging stories that anyone studying user experience (UX) or curious about cars will enjoy.
Additionally, the book is even more interesting because it includes the author's experiences as a UX designer at Porsche in Germany, giving a glimpse into the concerns of Porsche, a sports car brand with a history of over 70 years, in the field of user experience.

The structure we commonly refer to as a 'dashboard' actually originated here.
A plank was added to the front of the carriage to prevent the dirt kicked up by the horses' hind legs from flying up. This was the beginning of what we still call the 'dashboard'.
--- p.43

Even until the 1960s, many cars did not have passenger-side side mirrors.
Because the road was only one lane in each direction, there was no need to worry about cars passing from the right.
So, if there was a slow vehicle in front, you could just cross the center line to overtake it, and considering these situations, one side mirror on the driver's seat was sufficient.
Of course, it makes perfect sense from the perspective of a manufacturer who needs to save on costs.
--- p.95

Thanks to this excellence, this seat adjustment interface has become a kind of 'textbook' that almost every manufacturer has copied today.
However, it was not until the 1990s that it became possible to follow this method, as Mercedes' patent lasted for seventeen years, preventing other manufacturers from imitating it.
--- p.144

Cars are objects used by people and are a type of space, so they inevitably reflect people's behavior patterns.
So, as times change, people's behavior changes, and cars change little by little to keep pace with it.
Cigarettes are gone, smartphones are here.
What will occupy this space in the next hundred years?
--- p.169

The part that first-time Porsche drivers always struggle with is ‘starting the car.’
Since it wasn't where it should have been, I remember wandering around for a long time at first.
While most manufacturers place the ignition key or button on the right side of the driver's seat, Porsche places it on the left, an interface that can be said to have its own history in motorsports.
--- p.179

The seat heating feature introduced by Saab in 1972 was designed to automatically turn on when the seat surface temperature fell below 14 degrees Celsius and automatically turn off when it reached around 27 degrees Celsius.
So, the seat heating system at that time was a fully automatic system that did not require separate human operation.
--- p.199

Machines are somewhat predictable.
There are physical limitations, there is a lifespan, and it is programmed to move as it is programmed.
But people are not like that.
Their bodies are all different in shape and ability, they are sometimes absent-minded or delusional, and they sometimes ignore warning signs that are right in front of them.
No matter what anyone says, the most difficult thing to measure is people.
--- p.202

While there's a fine for touching your smartphone, it's perfectly acceptable to touch your car's infotainment system, which boasts a multitude of touchscreens. In fact, some research suggests that in-car software like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are safer than automakers' infotainment systems.
--- p.210

Since humans have eyes and ears, they send signals with lights and make sounds to warn us. But if all the cars on the road were autonomous robots, would there really be a need to exchange such primitive signals?
--- p.267

The overwhelming majority of respondents said they rented a car to sleep while looking for a place to catch their eye in the city, and there were also cases where people rented a car for a short period of time to use as a personal space, such as to make a phone call or change clothes.

--- p.277

Since 2019, all electric and hybrid vehicles have been required by law to emit a sound level of 56 decibels at a distance of 2 meters, which at first glance sounds like the sound of a washing machine.
Of course, in addition to these safety noises, manufacturers also work hard to create 'spaceship sounds' to make the sounds they are going to make even better.

--- p.288