Automakers reintroduce physical buttons as touchscreen backlash grows, Nissan designer says
Hiren Patel, senior design manager at Nissan, says the industry's earlier shift toward piano-black, switchless interiors—intended to cut costs and shift controls into software—is reversing after widespread driver complaints about distraction. Patel notes drivers found touchscreen menus for basic functions like temperature and seat adjustment slower and less intuitive than physical controls, prompting a return to tactile switches and greater emphasis on storage in cabin design.