Can the next generation Mach-E please include more buttons?

[User100723]

Am I the only one who actually prefers the current portrait version of our screens as opposed to the wide landscape versions found in Teslas and other vehicles?

Appearance wise, sure, early on I wasn’t exactly a fan of the whole “tablet jutting out of the dash” look, but aside from that, to me, the overall layout is just right. The onscreen hvac controls are right where you’d expect physical hvac controls to exist. They are persistent, never to be confused with changing menu options and such. And the buttons are quite big compared to other vehicles I’ve been in, plus we’ve got that gigantic knob that functions pretty well (and looks plain cool poking out of the screen!).

A wide landscape screen means I have take my eyes off the road more often and for longer to try to make out and pin point the different buttons that might be on the far end of the screen, and that I have to raise my hand up higher and further away from the steering wheel to reach said elements on that far side of the screen. Not very comfortable or safe on windy roads or busy highways- especially during night, deer or rain.

In my Mustang Mach E, I barely have to move my hand away from the wheel or my lap to adjust the hvac, as the controls are right there next to my hands.

And since the screen’s lower edge isn’t flush with the center console, it’s actually proven quite useful for physically orienting my hand without taking my eyes off the road. A simple grip of the bottom edge of the screen and my fingers are right where they need to be to control the hvac: there are only three large buttons evenly spaced out horizontally, and a few smaller ones situated just below. They never change, and are always there no matter what.

My only suggestion for hvac would be to add a one touch button for fan speed control, as you currently have to pull up a menu to access that, which can be distracting when driving. Fan speed should be as easy as toggling and adjusting the temperate and heated seats from the main screen.

For me, physical controls are not any better than what we get in the Mustang Mach E unless they are few in number, decently spaced apart and are probably of a slightly different shape and texture. You can have all the physical buttons you want, but if they are flat touch buttons, (like my previous car), or are all identically sized/positioned buttons with no spacing or texture difference between them, or can be arbitrarily changed on a whim (like they are in the EV6), the situation is no different than operating a touchscreen-based hvac, as you still have to take your eyes off the road to see what you are hitting or want to hit. I think Ford pretty much nailed it with the Mustang Mach E’s hvac controls in the latest update, just need the fan speed control added to the main screen.

For people who still prefer to actually feel the difference between the hvac buttons on the Mustang Mach E’s touch screen, here’s a little hack: get a pack of these (https://a.co/d/aul1Mih), and stick a few of the stripes not on the buttons, but IN BETWEEN (or BELOW) them! Should go a long way in improving the tactile feel that some of us rely on. I was considering doing the same for my Mustang Mach E when I first got it, but have since gotten pretty good at the grip and poke method I mentioned earlier.

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[933233311602]

only problem is newbie passengers are looking for door handles.

And that's a big problem, frankly. I'm already sick of needing to roll down the window and yell "push the button!" while picking someone up at a busy curbside.

It's also an unnatural, clumsy operation. Push button with finger then change hand & wrist position to pull door open. It was absolutely not designed with the natural motions of the human body in mind.

The world didn't need an electric car door.

 

[933233311602]

prefers the current portrait version

Yes; portrait orientation is the sensible way for a horizontal screen meant to display information. That's exactly how a page of paper is oriented for that same reason.

Horizontal is better for images and video since that's how we naturally view the world with our eyes horizontally left and right of each other.

Computer screens got worse when everything went widescreen 16:9 to match with movie film. While great for watching movies, horizontal screens make for terrible computer displays. Lines of text that long are very hard to read and the shorter screen height requires more scrolling.

One good attribute about horizontal screens in a car is that they follow the natural longer width of the dash. Cars are wider than they are tall.

Really, square screens would be ideal for text information and circular would make great control and GPS screens. But I'll guess the added cost to have such things custom manufactured wouldn't be worth it.

 

[User100723]

Yes; portrait orientation is the sensible way for a horizontal screen meant to display information. That's exactly how a page of paper is oriented for that same reason.

Horizontal is better for images and video since that's how we naturally view the world with our eyes horizontally left and right of each other.

Interesting, for me the portrait orientation just makes more sense in cars as it’s pure information that’s laid out closer to your reach. It’s not like I’m watching videos in the car, but I guess I’m in the minority there too as more automakers add apps like YouTube and Netflix.

One good attribute about horizontal screens in a car is that they follow the natural longer width of the dash. Cars are wider than they are tall.

Yeah, I recently sat in a new Nautilus, which would be the epitome of a screen that follows the general shape of the dash, and while it looks cool, I just couldn’t think of any reason why I would want to dart my eyes all the way to the right to glance at something I can’t reach while driving, when I could just quickly look at and interact with the display that’s closest to me.

Now I realize that’s an extreme example, but I think it kinda illustrates my point. It might look cleaner and more elegant, but there must be a reason why most vehicle interiors up until recently (at least the ones I’ve been in) have had most of the critical controls (such as hvac) in a portrait-oriented column, just below the line of sight, and very close to your reach (for easy tactile memory), which was not that far away from the gear shift.

Plus the Mustang Mach E’s screen is huge. Yeah it’s portrait, but it’s still a lot wider than many landscape screens you find in other cars, so it kinda negates the need for a landscape oriented screen imho. Maybe a little wider might be nice, but overall the portrait orientation just makes more sense to me. I like seeing more of the road in front of me on my navigational map (portrait), as opposed to seeing more trees and lakes beside the road I’m on (landscape).

Anyway, it was a very interesting discussion! I hope I didn’t come across as argumentative, just found this topic quite interesting as it seems we’ve got different tastes, preferences and ways of looking at and interacting with our cars. TIL: I’m probably in the minority on this topic!

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