To key or not to key

I'll be honest. I'm a big fan of German engineering. Especially the automotive kind. My trusted Baby Benz has seen me through some fun drives and some drives where i've pined for a glass of crisp Burgundy all along.

Having leased several vehicles along the way, the options that are provided seem to vary - given availability, price points and such. One such option, I realized was a game changer: Keyless entry.

Keyless entry (left) versus keyed entry (right) 

Keyless entry (left) versus keyed entry (right) 

My first vehicle came with the whole nine yards  - keyless entry and all. The next lease, somehow, I had to give up on that particular option. I had never imagined how hard it would be to move from simply pressing a button to sticking a key and twisting it all the way to get started.

Yep, you know where I'm going with this. Mental Models, Metaphors whatever. Once a user has been provided a convenience, removing that functionality or adding layers before it can be a game changer in terms of customer loyalty. Unless one is a Mercedes Benz customer, of course.

But then I have my eyes set on even grander game changers. Self driving cars. I only hope they don't force me into a keyed entry. If they do, times up buster! Unless they sport a fully loaded wine bar, of course :-).