We always feel like cranky old fogies when we say it, but gosh darnit, having basic driver controls like air conditioning, seat adjustment, defrosters and seat heater functions be buried in a screen is annoying. Especially when you’re driving.

Hyundai recently published a study analyzing drivers’ responses to screens versus buttons. Unsurprisingly, the survey respondents agreed that screens are “annoying.” Tech-challenged drivers feel their stress rise when they have to dig through menus just to access simple functions.

So, the company’s been doing what works best: using a touchscreen for functions that people don’t need while driving, and leaving driver functions as buttons. There’s a simple reason for this: muscle memory.

“You really don’t want people to look at the screen: you want them to look at eye level,” Hyundai’s senior vice president of design, Simon Loasby, told Autocar. “With this philosophy in mind, we quite quickly realized that the central screen is actually just a distraction.”

Knowing where important buttons are keeps your eyes on the road

With frequently used buttons like air conditioning, seat or steering wheel heater, rear climate control, media volume, and others are buttons near the center console, he says a driver’s eyes never truly have to leave the road.

“So our philosophy is to keep your eyes on the road and keep your hands on the wheel, and then you could very quickly look at what your frequent-use interactions are,” he continued. “There aren’t many… but you want them to stay as physical buttons because those are things I want to adjust without looking away.”

Make no mistake, Hyundai loves its screens—and the automaker purposefully designs them to be easy to use. And there’s a simple yet overlooked reason for that, too. Calmness.

“It is all about the philosophy of calmness. The technology is there, but it is not shouting at us, but the architecture is keeping the driving experience safe,” said Loasby. “So we will have a balance of physical buttons, but the display [will be there too] because it gives you the extra layers you can go into.”