Tesla's Touchscreen

When Tesla launched the Model S around 2012, the giant center touchscreen was one of the most talked-about features in the car. Climate, navigation, media, mirrors, seats: almost every control moved into the glass, and the interior looked like the future. It also meant taking your eyes off the road to adjust the windshield wipers. The design was clearly Apple-influenced, and it worked, up to a point. Then safety researchers and regulators started raising their hands, and Tesla quietly began adding some physical controls back.

For anyone building a product, this is a case about the difference between what photographs beautifully and what works in the hand. It sharpens the question of whether part of your product is designed for how it looks in a demo rather than how it actually gets used, eyes and hands occupied, in the real world. The line minimalism crosses when it ignores context, and how to find it before your users do, is the part the app saves for you.