Icons of Mazda’s Navigation System

Alice Raine, PhD
Sep 7, 2018 · 4 min read

Have you ever used a Navigation System designed for your automobile?

If you’re like me, then you probably don’t remember having a great experience. For as long as I can remember, car navigation systems were always frustrating and difficult to use.

“Manufacturers of navigation systems face a serious challenge as smartphone navigation usage continues to rise and gains preference among vehicle owners,” says Mike VanNieuwkuyk, executive director of global automotive at J.D. Power.

That was written in 2013. Now that it has been nearly 5 years, I thought my new 2018 vehicle Navigation System would be much different. I mean, surely they have realized they need to amp up their game in order to compete . . . right? Wrong.

Good Icons vs. Bad Icons

Navigation for Mazda CX 5

After a good 5 minutes of attempting to use our navigation for the very first time, we gave up and pulled out our Google Maps. It turns out that car Navigation Systems are still less usable than our amazing smartphones.

Since becoming a UX designer, my understanding and vision of technology has evolved meaningfully. I saw the familiar icons of the back arrow, musical note, and home icon to be a common design pattern. These icons have become our new social norm and typical to our understanding. I found myself feeling comfortable with these particular buttons. Nonetheless, Mazda’s icons did not follow a “good design” strategy.

Control Button in Mazda CX 5

The Navigation System seemed to have developed their own design library which was not consistent with many other design patterns used in our smartphones. When the principles of User Interface Design arenot followed, it forces our audience to learn something that they are not already accustomed to. It’s important to design our systems that include icons which are memorable. It take more effort to reinvent the wheel.

Poor Arrangement of Icons

While some icons are recognizable, they can lack usability if they are not arranged in a logical and useful way for our users. If the icons appear ambiguous, it may be helpful to user test how people feel about the organization of your icons. It’s essential to make sure that a design is understood by our users.

If you cannot understand the action of every single one of these icons at first glance, then chances are user will have a very frustrating experience and revert to something they are more happy with.

Bluetooth Music Screen of Maxda CX 5

For instance, in this image some writing to describe the action would have been nice along with these icons. This way, the user can easily interpret them. The icons could have also been grouped into a learnable design which users would easily adapt to.

MediaConnect in Mazda CX 5

I know I have tons of constructive feedback on Mazda’s navigation design, but––to the fair––the experience wasn’t all terrible. There were rare moments when the icons did work. For example, the screen above is less like the previous screens you’ve already seen. This screen is easier to navigate because users don’t need to figure out what each icon means as the title is displayed beneath it describing each icon’s action.

Smartphones apps have become more intuitive as they are designed with empathy for our users. If car navigation systems are to compete, it is about time they take a lesson from User Experience Design and start putting the usability of their users first. No matter how modern and beautiful a design is, if it is not easy or functional to use, it will not motivate us to use it or to invest in it. Perhaps the poor use of icons in navigation systems is only one problem among many other issues that vehicle companies need to explore through usability testing. But fixing these design problems might be a step in the right direction.

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