In November 2020, SBD Automotive carried out its infotainment expert usability evaluation of the Volkswagen ID.3 cockpit in the UK. The first of a new generation of Volkswagen EVs built from the ground up with a consolidated software defined architecture, it's not easy to overstate the importance of the ID.3 – the company's fortunes rely in no small part on its success. Volkswagen set itself an enormous task to develop an entirely new electrical/electronic architecture with as much in-house development as possible, and for this they should be commended. However, the current output of this approach does not appear to have been effective and the findings of SBD’s report reiterate this viewpoint.
The system features a minimal cockpit with a central pod housing the same 10-inch landscape screen found in the Golf 8, and running a near-identical version of MIB-3 software. Below the screen are sliders for volume and temperature and below these are four system shortcut buttons plus the hazard light button. On top of the steering column is a second, smaller pod containing a 5.3-inch screen which serves as an instrument cluster. A HUD is available on some models with an augmented reality element due for release in the imminent ME2 software update. The most significant issue with the ID.3 is the number of bugs and issues the system exhibits. Over a relatively short testing period, SBD identified 14 system bugs, many high frequency, including a complete lack of GPS signal for a day which prevented any route guidance (more of an issue than usual due to no smartphone mirroring provision), frequent interruptions to the data connection, several system error messages, multiple issues with voice recognition, several crashes of discrete elements within the system, a 110mph recognised speed limit (the UK national limit is 70mph) and unexpected waypoint recommendations when setting a route including nearby fuel stations. Operation of the buttons below the central display is problematic for several reasons, mainly their proximity to the screen. Due to them being touch sensitive, operating the screen results in frequent misoperation of the buttons, particularly as the lower row coincides with the knuckle when using the lower part of the screen. The sliders directly beneath the screen are unintuitive, and while they operate slightly better than in the Golf, they lack any backlighting which makes operation far more difficult at night. Beneath the windscreen is the ‘ID.Light’ light bar, a new interface to inform/alert the driver to various different vehicle states. Comprising a thin LED strip running the full width of the dashboard, it informs the driver by flashing or pulsing for use cases including navigation information, braking prompts, voice recognition (VR) feedback and battery/charging status. This is a feature that divided the testers: one felt it presented tangible benefits with minimal increased distraction, the other viewed it as something that duplicated information in a less informative manner. ID.Light is one of only a very few positives identified with the system. Overall, the ID.3 provides the user with a sensation of unreliability and inconsistency due to the number of bugs and issues encountered. Combined with missing functionality, difficulties using the controls beneath the central display, the learning curve required to become accustomed to HVAC, the tiny instrument cluster and the ineffectual VR, this is a system that currently fails to impress. As the car currently stands, it seems Volkswagen set itself a more extensive challenge than was reasonably achievable in the defined timescale. With the imminent software update and the forthcoming release of the ID.4, it remains to be seen whether functionality and stability can be improved to a level that will please customers, particularly those that don’t consider themselves early adopters.
The ID.3 report is the eighth in a series of 12 infotainment expert user experience evaluations SBD Automotive is carrying out this year. These reports have been produced for several years and provide an expert evaluation of the leading navigation and infotainment systems in the European, US, Chinese and Japanese markets. The series has four main objectives, aimed at supporting clients at various stages of the development cycle: Benchmark and score, Define areas of concern, Outline best practice and Provide tangible recommendations. For these studies SBD Automotive evaluates the three core components of user experience: functionality, ergonomics and usability, to ensure a fair score can be provided across each system evaluated. The reports rely on a robust methodology that has been developed over the lifetime of the series. It captures over 1,000 data points across 12 different disciplines including static and dynamic testing, system performance, a feature checklist and SUS scoring (see charts) to build a data set that can be consistently benchmarked against all competitor cars, including an overall final percentage system UX score.