Graphical User Interface (GUI) Needs Redesign for Operation and Safety

[bbachrac]

The graphics / colors are worse, but IMHO, the layout he suggested with the big buttons and most controls easier to find with less clicks looks a lot better than what we have now. The biggest thing I see lacking on the current and mock-up is the camera button. That should always be one button, not hidden behind another icon.

The coloring was not meant to be an artistic theme and was just for distinct labeling. Any graphics was just suggestive and the grid showing through was just for sizing the mock up which I did in powerpoint.
I have never used the camera button, but now see where it is.
Today I changed the charging percentage from 85 to 80%. It took 6 button clicks to get there.
I also just looked up IMHO - in my humble opinion.... Thanks for comments.

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[zhackwyatt]

The coloring was not meant to be an artistic theme and was just for distinct labeling. Any graphics was just suggestive and the grid showing through was just for sizing the mock up which I did in powerpoint.
I have never used the camera button, but now see where it is.
Today I changed the charging percentage from 85 to 80%. It took 6 button clicks to get there.
I also just looked up IMHO - in my humble opinion.... Thanks for comments.

A few things, one there isn't any organization. HVAC controls are in two seperate places which I find confusing. Also, it's OK for something that is typically a set it and forget it to be six clicks down... IMHO.

 

[DevSecOps]

No I wasn't describing smaller buttons. I may create a separate thread for comment with a mock-up I created. All the buttons and tabs are a least 1".

I'm a hard no ...

You have fan on there 3 times (In 20 years of driving I have never changed the fan once)
You have radio/media on there twice and it's already an option in the slider
You have sacrificed valuable screen space that is used 99% of a drive for items that are used for 1% of a drive.

When we evaluate how to use screen space we normally look at call to actions and how to maximize the main view. Too many call to actions is clutter and distracts from where you would want someone to go. This is part of the reason for things like collapsible side navs and hamburger menus. We also keep like settings together.

The slider can be used for the majority of these items. Simply trash the ones you don't want. I think Ford actually did a pretty good job with the slider. There's 4 visible cards and you could easily put Radio, Media, Map and EV stats in there. That eliminates 6 of your buttons. Removing the duplicates takes care of 2 more. Now 8 buttons are gone.

When designers design UI's we use tools like heat mapping which show us where people interact and how often. Based on the UI you proposed you would be taking up valuable space for very few interactions.

Design is highly subjective to the individual. That being said it would be nice if Ford developed something that allowed people to customize the UI to their liking, then you could do you and I could do me and we could all be happy (kinda what they did with the slider). But so long as they are going to force us to adhere to a layout I'm gonna say they are probably going to give us a one that is used more frequently. I think that profession and age also play a large role. As an example, I would guess that people in tech and the younger generation prefer dark mode, while those who are older and in non-tech industries prefer the light mode.

 

[jlauro]

The slider can be used for the majority of these items. Simply trash the ones you don't want. I think Ford actually did a pretty good job with the slider.

Hard NO on the slider. The slider does not work well in a moving vehicle and is not something the should be considered done well. It is the absolute worst control for seat and cabin temp. The volume control is gimmicky but they actually did that well. If they made that context sensitive it would work well to replace the sliders.

I agree too many duplicate buttons, but I don't think that was the point of the layout. I think the point was more about placement and size than actual button labels.

When designers design UI's we use tools like heat mapping which show us where people interact and how often. Based on the UI you proposed you would be taking up valuable space for very few interactions.

Some buttons make sense to be on top even if they are rarely used. The question is not always as much how often is it used, but how quickly do you need to get to it when you need it. For example, I rarely use the camera button, but taking two clicks is just bad UI design. I'll give up the screen space to always be on top even if seldom used according to a heat map.

Design is highly subjective to the individual. That being said it would be nice if Ford developed something that allowed people to customize the UI to their liking, then you could do you and I could do me and we could all be happy (kinda what they did with the slider). But so long as they are going to force us to adhere to a layout I'm gonna say they are probably going to give us a one that is used more frequently. I think that profession and age also play a large role. As an example, I would guess would be that people in tech and the younger generation prefer dark mode, while those who are older and in non-tech industries prefer the light mode.

Not seeing your point about the slider??? How do they let us customize that? That is one UI that does not belong in a screen in a car. It would be fine if it was a real physicals control.

I do wish they allowed customization or at least a few themes to pick from. Apparently some like sliders, I find them extremely broken and annoying on a flat screen in a moving vehicle.

 

[SoriceConsulting]

One thing that pops up frequently (just did in comment #34) in these UI threads - and which I and others have mentioned consistently - seems to be a great solution to many of these issues (sliders/buttons/hard to use in moving vehicle, etc.).

Make the Volume control CONTEXT SENSITIVE.

It's big, easy to adjust without taking your eyes off the road, etc.

Examples:
> Touch the Fan control and the 'volume' button now adjusts the fan speed.
> Same for temperature
> Etc. Lots of possibilities

See this thread:
Ford - Make the 'Volume' button so much MORE... | MachEforum - Ford Mustang Mach-E Forum, News, Owners, Discussions

 

[agoldman]

For me the heated seats controls are the most distracting. rather than having a single button that toggles through the settings?

 

[DevSecOps]

Hard NO on the slider. The slider does not work well in a moving vehicle and is not something the should be considered done well

Not seeing your point about the slider??? How do they let us customize that? That is one UI that does not belong in a screen in a car. It would be fine if it was a real physicals control.

I'm not suggesting that you swipe the slider while driving. And I'm not talking about the slider for seat heat. I'm using "slider" as labeled by the UI design he provided, which is already in the car. The slider provides 3 quick access functions just by tapping on them. While not all functions are available in the slider, radio, media and ev stats are. I would agree that Ford should make more functions available in the slider, like the camera. The cards can currently be customized by trashing them (sliding down) so that you can display the things you access the most.

It is the absolute worst control for seat and cabin temp

I think they should leave it how it is, but add tap functions to accommodate those who don't want to use the current way. This has been discussed a few times and I think that would be a welcome change for many.

Some buttons make sense to be on top even if they are rarely used. The question is not always as much how often is it used, but how quickly do you need to get to it when you need it. For example, I rarely use the camera button, but taking two clicks is just bad UI design.

See this is where you are thinking about yourself and not others. You don't do that in design in general. What you want is not what I want so in order to see what the majority want you test for that. Unless it's completely customizable, which it could be and I spoke to, then you're going to have many people who disagree with your choices.

I have never used a camera button in my life of owning cars. It comes on automatically in reverse and when parking. I don't know when else I would need it. Anything else is just being lazy. If you need to see what's behind you get out, turn your head etc.

I personally think that the physical park button in the center console should bring up the cameras with parking options on that screen. As of right now you push it and you get a lot of blank real-estate and you have to push more buttons. This would be a good place to put the cameras and park options in the blank area above the cameras.

I'll give up the screen space to always be on top even if seldom used according to a heat map.

And I would not.

My Dad, who drove my car, said he hates it because it has a screen and he wants 100% physical buttons. I get it, he's old and stuck in his ways. If you don't like touch screens then maybe you should look at another car.

 

[bbachrac]

I'm not suggesting that you swipe the slider while driving. And I'm not talking about the slider for seat heat. I'm using "slider" as labeled by the UI design he provided, which is already in the car. The slider provides 3 quick access functions just by tapping on them. While not all functions are available in the slider, radio, media and ev stats are. I would agree that Ford should make more functions available in the slider, like the camera. The cards can currently be customized by trashing them (sliding down) so that you can display the things you access the most.



I think they should leave it how it is, but add tap functions to accommodate those who don't want to use the current way. This has been discussed a few times and I think that would be a welcome change for many.



See this is where you are thinking about yourself and not others. You don't do that in design in general. What you want is not what I want so in order to see what the majority want you test for that. Unless it's completely customizable, which it could be and I spoke to, then you're going to have many people who disagree with your choices.

I have never used a camera button in my life of owning cars. It comes on automatically in reverse and when parking. I don't know when else I would need it. Anything else is just being lazy. If you need to see what's behind you get out, turn your head etc.

I personally think that the physical part button in the center console should bring up the cameras with parking options on that screen. As of right now you push it and you get a lot of blank real-estate and you have to push more buttons. This would be a good place to put the cameras and park options in the blank area above the cameras.



And I would not.

My Dad, who drove my car, said he hates it because it has a screen and he wants 100% physical buttons. I get it, he's old and stuck in his ways. If you don't like touch screens then maybe you should look at another car.

I have used GUI since 1974 starting with the Xerox PARC Alto. Functional preferences are not just a matter of age.

From my perspective the point of this post was to gather some user based market specifications on the vehicle GUI that Ford could use in redesign. The mock up was meant to be a reference for discussion not a frozen concept.

I wasn't sure if there was any interest, so I didn't provide much description. There was a comment about 3 fan buttons. Actually I liked the idea of the two in the bottom reserved area being capacitive knobs. Since that would be a hardware change, it could take longer to implement.

I can see the value of a camera button for the front view since in my vehicle the front camera only comes on automatically when I am like 3 inches from something. I also find the rear camera useful for seeing if I am parked in the middle of a space.

Seat heater toggle buttons can be added. That is how they work in most cars.

I have a Garmin GPS Smartscreen 61 which has a 7” screen, so I thought an 8" navigation window would be sufficient.

If anyone would like the powerpoint mock-up file to make their own arrangements, write me at [email protected] Attached are three more mockup versions.

 

[bbachrac]

For me the heated seats controls are the most distracting. rather than having a single button that toggles through the settings?

Here is a version with heat seat toggle buttons. I put the radio button on the bottom right for my wife who always adjusts the radio.

 

[bbachrac]

A few things, one there isn't any organization. HVAC controls are in two separate places which I find confusing. Also, it's OK for something that is typically a set it and forget it to be six clicks down... IMHO.

Actually, I change the charge settings quite often depending on the state of my solar with storage system and how much driving I am expecting before the next charge.

 

[DevSecOps]

I have used GUI since 1974 starting with the Xerox PARC Alto. Functional preferences are not just a matter of age.

From my perspective the point of this post was to gather some user based market specifications on the vehicle GUI that Ford could use in redesign. The mock up was meant to be a reference for discussion not a frozen concept.

I wasn't sure if there was any interest, so I didn't provide much description. There was a comment about 3 fan buttons. Actually I liked the idea of the two in the bottom reserved area being capacitive knobs. Since that would be a hardware change, it could take longer to implement.

I can see the value of a camera button for the front view since in my vehicle the front camera only comes on automatically when I am like 3 inches from something. I also find the rear camera useful for seeing if I am parked in the middle of a space.

Seat heater toggle buttons can be added. That is how they work in most cars.

I have a Garmin GPS Smartscreen 61 which has a 7” screen, so I thought an 8" navigation window would be sufficient.

If anyone would like the powerpoint mock-up file to make their own arrangements, write me at [email protected] Attached are three more mockup versions.

If you're designing a modern vehicle UI based on your interactions with a Xerox PARC Alto from the 70s, then yes age is a factor here.

What you are proposing goes against almost all design trends. Functional improvements such as touching the heated seat buttons would make sense, but the layout doesn't. However it's important to keep designs in alignment so if taps are used then it needs to be used elsewhere.

One of the core components of vehicle UI/UX is to reduce the number of call to actions. You have way too many. The NHTSA has even published guidelines for this which state that each button push should be 1.5 seconds looking away from the road and that a total of 12 seconds to complete a task. Meaning that you should be able to identify quickly in less than 1.5 seconds the button to push. When you have 20-40 buttons that's not possible and goes against the NHTSA. The criteria isn't based on your daily driver that memorized button locations, it's meant so that anyone who is unfamiliar with the vehicle can safely operate it. The data shows that searching for something is more dangerous than having fewer clearly defined buttons with drill downs to additional screens. This gives the driver time to look up between actions.

 

[zhackwyatt]

Actually, I change the charge settings quite often depending on the state of my solar with storage system and how much driving I am expecting before the next charge.

But you are in the minority. There is always going to be some corner case that someone has, you have to design to the 90%.

 

[Scooby24]

The statement "needs redesign" is quite out of touch with reality. First...it doesn't NEED anything. The likelihood they redesign it entirely....slim to none. Optimize, enhance, refine. The UI would benefit from refinement - Here is a proposal for consideration.

Ford: Thank you, we will consider it.

There you go. Welcome to IT.

 

[bbachrac]

If you're designing a modern vehicle UI based on your interactions with a Xerox PARC Alto from the 70s, then yes age is a factor here.

What you are proposing goes against almost all design trends. Functional improvements such as touching the heated seat buttons would make sense, but the layout doesn't. However it's important to keep designs in alignment so if taps are used then it needs to be used elsewhere.

One of the core components of vehicle UI/UX is to reduce the number of call to actions. You have way too many. The NHTSA has even published guidelines for this which state that each button push should be 1.5 seconds looking away from the road and that a total of 12 seconds to complete a task. Meaning that you should be able to identify quickly in less than 1.5 seconds the button to push. When you have 20-40 buttons that's not possible and goes against the NHTSA. The criteria isn't based on your daily driver that memorized button locations, it's meant so that anyone who is unfamiliar with the vehicle can safely operate it. The data shows that searching for something is more dangerous than having fewer clearly defined buttons with drill downs to additional screens. This gives the driver time to look up between actions.

Thanks for the link to the 2010 document. There is a more recent one from 2019
Excerpt:
The proposed Phase I distraction guidelines include recommendations to:
1) Reduce complexity and task length required by the device;
2) Limit device operation to one hand only (leaving the other hand to remain on the steering wheel to control the vehicle);
3) Limit individual off-road glances required for device operation to no more than 2 seconds in duration;
4) Limit unnecessary visual information in the driver’s field of view;
5) Limit the amount of manual inputs required for device operation.

As I previously explained, the mock up was for the purpose of discussion so I appreciate your joining in. When I look at other cars, overall they have 20 or more buttons between actual switches and display switches.

Most cars seem to have the heat seat buttons on the console between the seats not on the dashboard.

I regret you didn't understand my comment about age which was that it was not a factor in encouraging discussion.

 

[FLmac]

I have trouble myself adjusting the HVAC controls and the heated seats controls. For me it is a safety hazard to take my eyes off the road for as long as it takes me to try and see/adjust the icons.

This may sound silly or too basic, but I do better using my thumb instead of my finger.

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