Flag

We stand with Ukraine and our team members from Ukraine. Here are ways you can help

Get exclusive access to thought-provoking articles, bonus podcast content, and cutting-edge whitepapers. Become a member of the UX Magazine community today!

Home ›› Automotive ›› Does the Red Light Mean the AC Is On or Off? #wtfUX

Does the Red Light Mean the AC Is On or Off? #wtfUX

by Josh Tyson
1 min read
Share this post on
Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Save

Turning the air conditioning on and off in a rental car finds one user confused by the meaning of a little red light.

Automotive UX does not have the best reputation. Sure, there have been some wins, and carmakers like Tesla have put interface design front-and-center, but curious problems persist. We’ve got another bout of quizzical automotive interfacing for you courtesy of Deborah Sommers.

“After giving up being a car owner for the convenience of rentals and city cars, one of the challenges has been finding the buttons for all the little things like tuner, volume, and—in particular—air conditioning,” Sommers says. “However, this most recent rental topped them all for poor design. We easily found the AC button on this Renault Captur, but had trouble understanding how to turn it on and off.”

“The console features a tiny red light to indicate OFF and no light to indicate on!” she says. “It took a while for this to sink in and I found the need to keep testing to be sure this was actually true. For me it was a real WTF design moment.”

Keep these coming. Send them to us via Twitter or Facebook using the hastag #wtfUX or email them to: [email protected] with “#wtfUX” in the subject line. Include as much context as you can, so we get a full understanding of what the f%*k went wrong.

post authorJosh Tyson

Josh Tyson
Josh Tyson is the co-author of the first bestselling book about conversational AI, Age of Invisible Machines. He is also the Director of Creative Content at OneReach.ai and co-host of both the Invisible Machines and N9K podcasts. His writing has appeared in numerous publications over the years, including Chicago Reader, Fast Company, FLAUNT, The New York Times, Observer, SLAP, Stop Smiling, Thrasher, and Westword. 

Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Related Articles

Discover how personalization crosses the line from serving users to silently shaping them.

Article by Tushar Deshmukh
The Ethics of Personalization: When UX Crosses the Line from Helpful to Harmful
  • The article argues that personalization walks a fine ethical line between empowering users and quietly manipulating them.
  • It exposes how over-filtering doesn’t just limit content; it limits identity, replacing user curiosity with algorithmic compliance.
  • The piece calls on UX practitioners to treat ethical personalization as a foundational responsibility: one that demands transparency, fairness, and respect for human dignity.
Share:The Ethics of Personalization: When UX Crosses the Line from Helpful to Harmful
4 min read

Learn why your users decide whether to stay or leave before they even understand your product.

Article by Tushar Deshmukh
The Psychology of Onboarding: First Impressions Rule the Brain
  • The article argues that onboarding is not where users begin; it is where they decide whether to stay or leave.
  • It shows that most onboarding failures are not design problems; they are psychological ones.
  • The piece challenges designers to recognize that first impressions are cognitive anchors and that the brain rarely revises its judgments.
Share:The Psychology of Onboarding: First Impressions Rule the Brain
5 min read

Discover how “consent theater” manipulates the psychology of choice, and what ethical design should look like instead.

Article by Tushar Deshmukh
Consent Theater: Are Users Really in Control?
  • The article argues that digital consent mechanisms are designed to look ethical while engineering the opposite outcome.
  • It exposes how legal compliance and ethical design have become dangerously decoupled.
  • The piece challenges designers to recognize that user psychology can serve as a tool for empowerment or a means of manipulation — the choice is theirs.
Share:Consent Theater: Are Users Really in Control?
8 min read

Join the UX Magazine community!

Stay informed with exclusive content on the intersection of UX, AI agents, and agentic automation—essential reading for future-focused professionals.

Hello!

You're officially a member of the UX Magazine Community.
We're excited to have you with us!

Thank you!

To begin viewing member content, please verify your email.

Get Paid to Test AI Products

Earn an average of $100 per test by reviewing AI-first product experiences and sharing your feedback.

    Tell us about you. Enroll in the course.

      This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Check our privacy policy and