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Buttons vs screens

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LastDayScout

LastDayScout

Scout Community Veteran
1st Year Member
Nov 16, 2022
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Let’s collectively start a discussion on buttons and screens. I’ve had both and everything in between. Don’t forget that good voice control can do a lot of functions without searching for buttons or going into the screen pages. I’ll start with a few ideas.

Buttons/lever
1. Defrost
2. Wipers
3. Suspension control
4. 4x4 control
5. Seat and steering wheel position setting control

Screen
1. All other HVAC controls (they’re mostly automatic anyway nowadays)
2. Stereo / Nav/ CarPlay
3. Personal settings like interior lights, lights on after lock, child lock controls, etc.
4. Some sort of entertainment like Tesla has. My kids love watching Disney plus on it.
 
LastDayScout said:
Let’s collectively start a discussion on buttons and screens. I’ve had both and everything in between. Don’t forget that good voice control can do a lot of functions without searching for buttons or going into the screen pages. I’ll start with a few ideas.

Buttons/lever
1. Defrost
2. Wipers
3. Suspension control
4. 4x4 control
5. Seat and steering wheel position setting control

Screen
1. All other HVAC controls (they’re mostly automatic anyway nowadays)
2. Stereo / Nav/ CarPlay
3. Personal settings like interior lights, lights on after lock, child lock controls, etc.
4. Some sort of entertainment like Tesla has. My kids love watching Disney plus on it.
Click to expand...
I have Hondas and acuras and they got hammered for removing the volume control knob. They are on the steering wheel so never understood the gripe but may want to consider a basic on/off knob for stereo.
 
J Alynn said:
I’ll also add it would be great to tie heat and cool into verbal commands. That’s the only verbal command I haven’t seen executed very well if at all
Click to expand...
I know I sound like a Tesla fan boy… but they do a great job with voice HVAC
 
LastDayScout said:
Let’s collectively start a discussion on buttons and screens. I’ve had both and everything in between. Don’t forget that good voice control can do a lot of functions without searching for buttons or going into the screen pages. I’ll start with a few ideas.

Buttons/lever
1. Defrost
2. Wipers
3. Suspension control
4. 4x4 control
5. Seat and steering wheel position setting control

Screen
1. All other HVAC controls (they’re mostly automatic anyway nowadays)
2. Stereo / Nav/ CarPlay
3. Personal settings like interior lights, lights on after lock, child lock controls, etc.
4. Some sort of entertainment like Tesla has. My kids love watching Disney plus on it.
Click to expand...
Daughters Jeep has a touch screen stereo with no knobs or buttons. I've found it to be annoying not to have the volume knob to quickly turn down if needed. After experiencing this, I find the stereo set up with a mix of buttons and knobs around the touch screen is preferred.

Did like a previous post about a Sabb button that turns off most of the lit up dash as well.
A series of accessory switches, or a location for them to be easily added as needed would be nice.

Touch screen - ability to select each passengers phone for use of phone calls and audio. Once each family members preferences is set, a way to easily find and select different phones to be selected for audio (kid in the back seat want to listen to thier music).
 
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LastDayScout said:
I know I sound like a Tesla fan boy… but they do a great job with voice HVAC
Click to expand...
I want to like voice commands, however I find myself using very few mostly because of not remembering remember the specific combination of words to get the desired outcome. The ID.4 has a very few simple ones that I use like

  • "I'm Cold" : Turns up HVAC Temp
  • "I'm Hot" : Turns Down HAVC Temp
  • "Open Sunshade"
  • "Close SunShade"

For the ID.4 you have to say "Hello ID"....this seems so formal....why not just "Hey ID"?

I put my request in now for the more relaxed "Hey Scout...." :)
 
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PapaTire said:
I want to like voice commands, however I find myself using very few mostly because of not remembering remember the specific combination of words to get the desired outcome. The ID.4 has a very few simple ones that I use like

  • "I'm Cold" : Turns up HVAC Temp
  • "I'm Hot" : Turns Down HAVC Temp
  • "Open Sunshade"
  • "Close SunShade"

For the ID.4 you have to say "Hello ID"....this seems so formal....why not just "Hey ID"?

I put my request in now for the more relaxed "Hey Scout...." :)
Click to expand...
I should add that Tesla learns the way you speak. Here are some commands I use…
Take me to “destination”
Turn on rear defroster
Play songs by “artist”
Play “song” by “artist”
 
My thought on HVAC
A Switch / button that that toggles Climate control system On and Off. When switched on, the main touch screen interface would automatically go to the HVAC controls and stay on for a preset amount of time before returning to whatever screen was previously displayed. There would also be a cancel / close screen button to allow driver / passenger to immediately return to previous screen. Allowing the HVAC menus to be customized or contextual for differing needs of hot weather vs cold weather climates would be interesting.
 
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Regarding the screen, I'm wondering if it can be used to tell us anything that is wrong with the Scout. Avoiding the "check engine" light that you have to take in to the local auto parts store to read a code. Instead just have it describe the issue that needs addressed.
 
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I think y'all need to check out the 8.4 Uconnect from Jeep/Dodge/Ram(FCA).

We have a left button/knob that turns on the stereo/infotainment and volume control.
Middle knob is HVAC on/off and fan up/down.
Right knob is tuning.

Then the HVAC controls are still button AND infotainment.
Heated seats are button AND infotainment.
Rubicon mode controls are just buttons, but the off-road pages give tons of info(could still be executed way better).
Navigation is all on the screen. Radio presets are all on the screen... etc.

Honestly, I only have several real gripes.
Still is wired AA.
Offroad pages won't let you see inclinometer AND navigation. Or additional gauges AND navigation. Kinda sucks.

Other than that the 8.4" screen with Uconnect is quite nice. It's the same software in the RAM trucks and they continue to win best interiors.
 

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It is a normal course of product development for manufacturers to spend time in competing vehicles to learn what works and what doesn't. Interior teams spend a LOT of time doing this. We will keep forwarding suggestions to the team and they have enjoyed the feedback and ideas. Keep them coming.
 
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My main request is to consider safety first when designing these integrations. Mazda is one of the few companies that gets this. I shouldn't have to take my eyes off the road to do ANYTHING related to driving or driving comfort. Lighting, HVAC, wipers, basic radio functions, cruise control, etc.

There are very, very few new vehicles that I can operate without taking my eyes off the road anymore. Don't fall into the trap of adding technology if it actually detracts from safety. Put all the crap you want on a screen, but give me duplicate physical controls for the basics above where I don't need to take my eyes off the road. Also, make sure the screens actually dim enough so they're not ruining my night vision. I turn off my radio screens at night in two of my vehicles at night because they're still way too bright, even in their darkest settings.

Despite my "get off my lawn" vibes, I'm barely outside of being a millennial. I repeat again, I DO NOT want a cell phone on wheels.
 
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speedrye said:
My main request is to consider safety first when designing these integrations. Mazda is one of the few companies that gets this. I shouldn't have to take my eyes off the road to do ANYTHING related to driving or driving comfort. Lighting, HVAC, wipers, basic radio functions, cruise control, etc.

There are very, very few new vehicles that I can operate without taking my eyes off the road anymore. Don't fall into the trap of adding technology if it actually detracts from safety. Put all the crap you want on a screen, but give me duplicate physical controls for the basics above where I don't need to take my eyes off the road. Also, make sure the screens actually dim enough so they're not ruining my night vision. I turn off my radio screens at night in two of my vehicles at night because they're still way too bright, even in their darkest settings.

Despite my "get off my lawn" vibes, I'm barely outside of being a millennial. I repeat again, I DO NOT want a cell phone on wheels.
Click to expand...
Absolutely hear you here. Having an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate and purposeful, but still innovative and designed well is definitely on our radar and in mind as we work through the interior of these vehicles. We agree that the interface shouldn't distract from driving or off-roading.

All of these comments are great and will definitely take them into consideration!
 
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Thought on a new touch screen button: Pet Parking. One trouble we currently have in our vehicle is when we travel with our dog and run in to a store/resturant. we leave the car running and set a timer for 20 minutes to come back out and restart it. It never fails that someone sees a dog in the vehicle with the windows up and throws up a red flag. What if you click on this button and the only thing it does is keeps the temp reasonable, conserving energy with everything else turned off. The only other thing on is the touch screen with a message saying (flashing) something to the effect of "This Scout is in Pet Parking Mode"
 
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I personally am not a fan of tech just for the sake of tech. I like manual controls for all functions except for those specific to infotainment. HVAC controls buried in inside a menu are more than irritating. Familiarity with an ergonomically and logically designed dash layout allow you to perform functions without removing your eyes from the road. Most off road people use a good off road navigation app on a tablet or phone. Android auto and Apple Carplay are a must. A decent sized screen for maps would be nice. Perhaps a stand alone on-board method of installing Onx, Gaia, Garmin InReach, etc. would be nice as a subscription. Try not to drown the car in tech. Simplicity is a Scout trait.
 
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Harris005 said:
Thought on a new touch screen button: Pet Parking. One trouble we currently have in our vehicle is when we travel with our dog and run in to a store/resturant. we leave the car running and set a timer for 20 minutes to come back out and restart it. It never fails that someone sees a dog in the vehicle with the windows up and throws up a red flag. What if you click on this button and the only thing it does is keeps the temp reasonable, conserving energy with everything else turned off. The only other thing on is the touch screen with a message saying (flashing) something to the effect of "This Scout is in Pet Parking Mode"
Click to expand...
Great idea. Wonder if it could be a larger format-don’t head-up display on windshield that flashes red or safety yellow. “A/C set to Pet parking mode”. I think you’ve added a brilliant idea and I don’t even have a dog. Make on for obnoxious kids too 😂
 
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Harris005 said:
Thought on a new touch screen button: Pet Parking. One trouble we currently have in our vehicle is when we travel with our dog and run in to a store/resturant. we leave the car running and set a timer for 20 minutes to come back out and restart it. It never fails that someone sees a dog in the vehicle with the windows up and throws up a red flag. What if you click on this button and the only thing it does is keeps the temp reasonable, conserving energy with everything else turned off. The only other thing on is the touch screen with a message saying (flashing) something to the effect of "This Scout is in Pet Parking Mode"
Click to expand...
Love this idea, I'll definitely run it by the team. Huge pet people over here, and could see this being a great feature.
 
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On that similar topic. Depending on what happens with the “frunk “ an option for a grocery a/c option would be great to keep stuff cold on the way home from the store. Even if just a smaller insulated box within the frunk that has a connectable A/C duct would be a nice add on feature and easy dealer add
 
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Harris005 said:
Thought on a new touch screen button: Pet Parking. One trouble we currently have in our vehicle is when we travel with our dog and run in to a store/resturant. we leave the car running and set a timer for 20 minutes to come back out and restart it. It never fails that someone sees a dog in the vehicle with the windows up and throws up a red flag. What if you click on this button and the only thing it does is keeps the temp reasonable, conserving energy with everything else turned off. The only other thing on is the touch screen with a message saying (flashing) something to the effect of "This Scout is in Pet Parking Mode"
Click to expand...
Great feature that Tesla has!
 
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