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Old January 6th, 2014, 08:02 AM   #8
adouglas
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Name: Gort
Location: A secret lair which, being secret, has an undisclosed location
Join Date: May 2009

Motorcycle(s): Aprilia RS660

Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 6
MOTM - Jul '18, Nov '16, Aug '14, May '13
Agreed.

WAY too much clutter.

What possible use could, say, the number of GPS satellites you're receiving be while riding?

There are gratuitous icons. A picture of a satellite? What for? A picture of a fan? What for?

I write for a living. There's a very old, tried and true rule for editing:

First you put down everything you think you need to say. Then, go back and remove everything that isn't actually about the topic.

(At this point, I could go into four paragraphs about the effect of too much information on operator performance due to distraction, the false belief that because a bit of information is available it is therefore useful, the cultural tendency to pay too much attention to technology, etc.... but none of that is about the topic. See?)

You're in the first half of that rule. You've got the kitchen sink.

Step back a minute and ask what you actually need to know while riding the bike.

I'd say:
  • Gear position
  • Speed
  • Fuel
  • Health of systems (which doesn't mean every bit of data you can get, it means "is the bike running well or not?")
  • Basic navigation (not lat/lon to the second or elevation, but info that will help you actually get you to your destination).

Save the heavy detail for a second, info/service/troubleshooting mode.
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I am NOT an adrenaline junkie, I'm a skill junkie. - csmith12

Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est.
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