Comparative Analysis of Steering Wheel Button Types, Layouts and Functions in the Market

Abstract

Modern steering wheels have evolved from simple mechanical steering devices into complex human-machine interfaces (HMIs), incorporating controls for multimedia and communication, navigation, driver assistance systems and comfort features. This proliferation of functions has increased both the number and diversity of physical controls available to drivers. Understanding how different manufacturers currently address this design challenge, namely which button types they favour, how they group different functions, and where they place controls on the steering wheel, constitutes an important step prior to proposing new interface concepts.This paper presents a comparative market analysis of steering wheel button layouts and functions across six benchmark automotive brands. A total of 69 physical controls were analysed and classified according to input type (press, touch, roller, and hybrid combinations), functional category (Multimedia and Communication Control, Navigation and Menu Control, Cruise Control, and Customization and Others), and their spatial location on the steering wheel. The objectives of this study were to (i) identify the button types most commonly used in current production steering wheels and examine their association with the functions they perform, and (ii) analyse the spatial distribution of these buttons on steering wheels to identify current design practices.The brand-by-brand survey was complemented by an infographic-based visual analysis that mapped button types and functional categories onto six anonymized steering wheel layouts. In addition, a survey was produced for each brand, documenting every control identifier together with its associated function, button type, and location (left side, right side, or central spoke).The results reveal a clear predominance of press-type buttons (59% of the sample). Disaggregating button-type distribution by functional category confirms this pattern, showing that press-type buttons are the most frequently adopted solution across all three quantifiable functional categories, with the highest share in Multimedia and Communication Control (65.2%), followed by Navigation and Menu Control (52.9%) and Cruise Control (57.7%). Conversely, touch-type buttons achieve their highest relative representation in Cruise Control (34.6%).Cruise Control also exhibited the greatest consistency in the spatial placement of controls across the different brands, whereas Customization functions showed the lowest degree of standardization.These findings characterize current tendencies within the analysed benchmark sample and provide an empirical foundation for the development of new steering wheel Human–Machine Interface (HMI) concepts capable of balancing driver safety, usability, and innovation.

Keywords: Steering Wheel HMI, Automotive Interface Design, Human-Machine Interaction, Benchmarking, Driver Distraction

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1008138