I was surprised at how new the user experience felt. Instead of turning a key to start the car, I inserted a plastic device into a slot and pressed a large "Start" button while my foot was on the brake. This process was not obvious to me at first, but it was learnable after a few times. I felt like Toyota was trying to make an experience statement that I was not in a car, but a new type of transportation. Unfortunately, the experience was tainted by the fact that I still had to do old fashioned things like disengaging the clunky parking brake with my foot and putting the car into drive.

From a usability perspective, I am concerned with the dashboard control system. It operates everything from the climate controls to the trip computer and stereo. Below is a picture where the radio interface is active.



Note the hard keys lining the screen. These are used for high level navigation of the features. They work well enough, however they are coupled with a touch screen which has multiple levels of navigation and various widgets for controls. On the screen above, I count 10 buttons and a couple more things that look like controls. I would be irritated if this jumble was thrown at me on a Web site, much less in a car traveling 70 mph that requires my attention. This user interface is far too demanding for someone whose primary task must be to operate a car.

The touch screen is also a poor choice by Toyota. How many times have you kept your eyes on the road while you reached for the temperature controls? You can do this because of the tactile feedback you receive from touching the buttons. Eyes are not required. However, with the Prius touch screen, both fingers and eyes are required to operate the radio. A decidedly poor safety choice by the designers.

The Prius was an interesting experience. I am excited about eco-friendly hybrid cars, but Toyota needs to spend some time rethinking the control system and ways to optimize the experience for ease of use and driver safety.