[colanderman]

The issue is, how far to turn it?

My Android phone has a similar issue while operating over Bluetooth. While holding "volume up", it takes several seconds for the volume change to register. So I have no feedback for how long I need to hold "volume up". If I wait until the volume is loud enough -- it keeps going up for another two seconds, to the point that it is painful and possibly damaging my hearing.

[throwaheyy]

There’s tactile feedback for that too. You learn how many “clicks” of the knob you need.

[colanderman]

Most rotary encoders are programmed to have "acceleration", so it's not quite that simple. And the amount you need to turn it may vary nonlinearly based on the volume and ambient conditions (sound perception is complex!).

Rapid feedback is important.

[antisthenes]

What if I'm switching air vent direction? There's only 5 positions in most cars.

I know the one it was on, and I know how far to turn it to get to the one I want. This removes the necessity of looking at it.

Same for steering wheel buttons (e.g. Up - next track, down - previous track, same for volume)

Same for wipers - only 3 positions and you can tell by their speed which position it's in.

The problem is when manufacturers take existing solved problems and move it to a strictly worse system like touchscreen. That's an inexcusable regression.

[hunter2_]

True, but dealing with the consequences of laggy response even in this case does not result in taking your eyes off the road. Rather, the troubleshooting feedback loop can happen entirely using your hand and ears.

When using a touch screen, if you don't know whether the lack of feedback is due to its lag or your bad aim, you would likely take your eyes off the road in order to aim better, given that bad aim is a likely culprit.