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Re: Nav is very poor design
I spent about the same time figuring out my blackberry as I did the P Nav. And I did the bb while sitting still; the P Nav while driving. The only feature of the P Nav I still don't have sorted is the multi-hop trip; guess I'll have to read the manual for that. I don't know what I don't know about the bb.
Having spent the time, I find them both about the same regarding user-friendliness.
I have to do a hard-reset of the bb every few weeks. Hope the P has better MTTF.
The bb is limited to how fast I can throw it - 35mph? - while the 911 goes significantly faster.
The bb usually indicates some issue I need to attend to for work; the 911 is great fun.
The bb continually frustrates me with limitations - screen hard to read (I have an 8700, the latest and greatest), doesn't correctly guess my misspelled words, can't read .xls attachments, no or lost network, battery about to die, need to reset, ...
The 911 hasn't disappointed me yet. Now, it's only 5 days old, but my 986 kept me happy for most of it's 7 year life with me.
Having spent the time, I find them both about the same regarding user-friendliness.
I have to do a hard-reset of the bb every few weeks. Hope the P has better MTTF.
The bb is limited to how fast I can throw it - 35mph? - while the 911 goes significantly faster.
The bb usually indicates some issue I need to attend to for work; the 911 is great fun.
The bb continually frustrates me with limitations - screen hard to read (I have an 8700, the latest and greatest), doesn't correctly guess my misspelled words, can't read .xls attachments, no or lost network, battery about to die, need to reset, ...
The 911 hasn't disappointed me yet. Now, it's only 5 days old, but my 986 kept me happy for most of it's 7 year life with me.
Re: Nav is very poor design
Quote:
STRADALE said:
...I disagree, I think the Porsche NAV design is excellent. Honestly wouldn't change a single thing about it. Good job Porsche!
I think several users here will be surprised that some of us were actually in Porsche NAV focus groups and we liked the Porsche NAV system compared to others.
Re: Nav is very poor design
Quote:
vtrader said:Quote:
STRADALE said:
...I disagree, I think the Porsche NAV design is excellent. Honestly wouldn't change a single thing about it. Good job Porsche!
I think several users here will be surprised that some of us were actually in Porsche NAV focus groups and we liked the Porsche NAV system compared to others.
Only thing I'd change is a touch screen to save all the knob twiddling, and here in the UK at least a full postcode search facility rather than the next to useless part search used at the present.
Otherwise agree, it is an excellent system.
Re: Nav is very poor design
Quote:
vtrader said:Quote:
STRADALE said:
I think several users here will be surprised that some of us were actually in Porsche NAV focus groups and we liked the Porsche NAV system compared to others.
Did they ask you before the group to write down what your "perfect" nav would be like and what the experience of using it would be like?
Did they ask you what you would change about the nav in your current/previous car?
Did they ask you what the most intuitive and least intuitive pieces of technology were that you used each day beyond nav?
My big question is how can you possibly replicate nav usage in real world conditions while sitting in a focus group? Not much traffic or distractions in a room with a viewing mirror...
Focus groups are absolutely the worst place to evaluate something like nav. Porsche should know much better than this and if people complain about the nav system this is the root of the problem: poor development.
Re: Dont buy Nav unless life is perfect or you love tech man
Quote:
GA997S said:
It would be nice if we could position the on-screen arrow (car) closer to the bottom of the screen showing more of where you're going as opposed to 50/50. You would have seen more with more detail but the screen would still rotate.
Odd, the on-screen arrow indicator is not centered for me. I would say it is located about 25% from the bottom of the screen. Without having the DVD I can not actually build a destination to go to, but for general driving around the arrow is not centered.
Aug 31, 2006 3:31:33 PM
- SoCal Alan
- Rennteam VIP
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- Loc: Orange County , United States
- Posts: 7268, Gallery
- Registered on: Mar 6, 2004
- Reply to: Le Chef
Re: Nav is very poor design
Quote:
Le Chef said:Quote:
vtrader said:Quote:
STRADALE said:
I think several users here will be surprised that some of us were actually in Porsche NAV focus groups and we liked the Porsche NAV system compared to others.
Did they ask you before the group to write down what your "perfect" nav would be like and what the experience of using it would be like?
Did they ask you what you would change about the nav in your current/previous car?
Did they ask you what the most intuitive and least intuitive pieces of technology were that you used each day beyond nav?
My big question is how can you possibly replicate nav usage in real world conditions while sitting in a focus group? Not much traffic or distractions in a room with a viewing mirror...
Focus groups are absolutely the worst place to evaluate something like nav. Porsche should know much better than this and if people complain about the nav system this is the root of the problem: poor development.
You're sitting in the vehicles (Porsche and other cars) and asked to perform some "real-world" uses of the NAV. You're asked to comment on likes/dislikes, etc. of the Porsche NAV and the competion's NAV. The only thing that would be even more realistic would be if you were actually outside on the side of the road and asked to perform tasks on the NAV and to drive to that destination.
Let me tell you, when you're faced with five different NAV systems and asked to perform tasks on that NAV for the first time, they ALL feel unknown and confusing at first. The only reason I felt comfortable with the Porsche NAV is that I have one on my 997S and so I've used it before. What they should do in these focus groups is to invite people who have never used the Porsche NAV in the first place. Then you will have a more fair comparison.
Re: Dont buy Nav unless life is perfect or you love tech man
I'm very happy with it, I also have and use from time to time a TomTom that I find a bit more intuitive but nothing major.
Yes, a touch screen is handy but the screen is always dirty and greasy and from time to time you don't see much.
I would add one thing: Being able to go from A to B via C. C not being a specific point but a city or a POI for example ...
Because if you use the "Circuit" option and program Leg 1 : A-C and Leg 2 C-B and you don't go thru the center of C, the Nav system will try over and over again to bring you back to C ...
For the time being, I program my final destination (B, activate it and then I deactivate it, so it is stored as a "recent destination". I then enter city center of C and activate it. When I get close to C, I deactivate the Nav system and then switch to B and activate it again ...
Yes, a touch screen is handy but the screen is always dirty and greasy and from time to time you don't see much.
I would add one thing: Being able to go from A to B via C. C not being a specific point but a city or a POI for example ...
Because if you use the "Circuit" option and program Leg 1 : A-C and Leg 2 C-B and you don't go thru the center of C, the Nav system will try over and over again to bring you back to C ...
For the time being, I program my final destination (B, activate it and then I deactivate it, so it is stored as a "recent destination". I then enter city center of C and activate it. When I get close to C, I deactivate the Nav system and then switch to B and activate it again ...
Aug 31, 2006 3:36:51 PM
- Scotty A
- Senior
-
- Loc: New Jersey
- Posts: 606, Gallery
- Registered on: May 31, 2006
- Reply to: SoCal Alan
Re: Nav is very poor design
As I said, I have four Navs now. None are perfect. All could be improved. IMHO, the MB one should be scrapped, but the other three are reasonably user-friendly.
I've done product and UI design in my life. It's always hard, and always involves tradeoffs. The best UIs tend to come from a single person's mind and taste (the original Mac, for instance); the worst from design-by-committee. However, even when it represents one person's vision, it could really s--k for you because you hate their vision! I'm sure the designers of both the MB and P Navs thought that touch screens are a bad idea, since they get smudged and look ugly; my own vision would be that there's an acceptable tradeoff there which I would take.
I've done product and UI design in my life. It's always hard, and always involves tradeoffs. The best UIs tend to come from a single person's mind and taste (the original Mac, for instance); the worst from design-by-committee. However, even when it represents one person's vision, it could really s--k for you because you hate their vision! I'm sure the designers of both the MB and P Navs thought that touch screens are a bad idea, since they get smudged and look ugly; my own vision would be that there's an acceptable tradeoff there which I would take.
Re: Dont buy Nav unless life is perfect or you love tech man
Quote:
Puffy911 said:Quote:
GA997S said:
It would be nice if we could position the on-screen arrow (car) closer to the bottom of the screen showing more of where you're going as opposed to 50/50. You would have seen more with more detail but the screen would still rotate.
Odd, the on-screen arrow indicator is not centered for me. I would say it is located about 25% from the bottom of the screen. Without having the DVD I can not actually build a destination to go to, but for general driving around the arrow is not centered.
you're right...it's not centered but still shows where you've been more than necessary.
Re: Dont buy Nav unless life is perfect or you love tech manuals
Quote:
911csbcn said:
i dont have the nav and think its a good way to save money on your car. ypu can get two sets of tyres for that price. and if you get los youll have more fun
This is what I thought until I got it. Now, I can purposefully explore the hills and valleys and get lost (NAV off) and then turn on the nav to lead me home when I'm done....
Re: Dont buy Nav unless life is perfect or you love tech manuals
For me the Nav's OK - a bit tough to use as the map - you deffo have to RTFM to get that. Buuuuuuut, either I drive too fast 
or is it a bit too slow? I often seem to have taken a turning before it tells me to... Hasn't caused many probs, but a few...
I like the Traffic Jam display thingy - works well here in the UK, although the petrol / bleifrei / gas station feature has the "Zoom Out And Its Gone (TM)" feature that MMD likes so much
.
But no matter how much you zoom out it still shows golf courses
... Is this what Porsche thinks we are? A bunch of golfers ????
P.S. Apols to those - power to you - who love golf - I just ain't one of them.
or is it a bit too slow? I often seem to have taken a turning before it tells me to... Hasn't caused many probs, but a few...I like the Traffic Jam display thingy - works well here in the UK, although the petrol / bleifrei / gas station feature has the "Zoom Out And Its Gone (TM)" feature that MMD likes so much
.But no matter how much you zoom out it still shows golf courses
... Is this what Porsche thinks we are? A bunch of golfers ???? P.S. Apols to those - power to you - who love golf - I just ain't one of them.
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