New "Ultimate" Front End Being Developed: Looking For User Input - Page 2

malcom2073 · 07-08-2009, 08:35 PM

LMAO indeed.

nalav · 07-08-2009, 08:46 PM

It's relatively easy to make stuff cross platform nowadays, there's no need to limit this to just Linux or Windows.

NSFW · 07-09-2009, 12:51 AM

Looks nice, but the buttons in the middle are too small. Stare at something a foot away from your monitor (the "road), reach up to your screen, and press play, without bumping the Nav, forward, or rewind buttons, and without taking your eyes off the "road" for more than once quick glance.

NSFW · 07-09-2009, 12:58 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by UnusuallyGenius

I am debating between weather or not to build touch screen support into this project. I am a huge fan of the Griffin Powermate. I would like to base the entire interface to be controlled with that device.

I'm a huge fan of tactile input devices, and I bought two Powermates, but I still wouldn't give up my touch screen. Just gotta be conscious of how to design for it.

IMO it would help to have only a few buttons on each screen split up UI into multiple screens if necessary. Set aside a portion of the screen for a small set of buttons that never changes, so users can operate them without looking (mute, back, nav, music...). No scroll bars ever - drag the list box content instead.

How would you use a Powermate to operate the buttons in the simulated screenshots above?

Jistari · 07-09-2009, 02:55 AM

Another vote for Touchscreen and WindowsOS here.

No problem with the main screen for a start. Dont know how much "Video" is being played on car pc's to warrant it on the main screen though ?

I know what I happen to use is 1) XM/Sirius/HD radio 2) Playlist Audio and 3) Nav (in that order). Im rarely going to System level things on a regular basis, so might as well use the screen real estate for what is mostly used.

Ive seen a lot of work on media selection (arrows, scrolling, throwing lists, dials, Ipod alphabet zoom) which is all well and good, but have yet to see a well done Radio screen. Most try to show whats playing on a bunch of stations, but if you are going to go that route it really limits the number os stations you can show at once on a 7 inch screen and keep them visible (text large enough to read while driving) so it hasnt worked out well as far as Im concerned.

What Id like to see is better attention to that aspect (the Sat radio). Most either give you an arrow to scroll through stations, but then you still have to touch the station to hear whats playing, or they give you a small amount of way to small preset buttons. Either way, its not easy to just cruise through the Sat radio dial.

There's a reason why car radios evolved with buttons :-) If you store a station in the second position on FM2, you know where it is without looking. I guess Id want a Sat Radio subscreen with like 36 or so nice large preset buttons the bottom right of which just jumps from whatever station your on to the next one in your favorites and immediately starts playing that station (most media playback screens do this, and some UI's keep that visible at all times, but when your playing Sat Radio and you hit the "next track button" nothing happens). While you are at it, add one button that brings up an OSK number pad with enter key so you can key in a one two or three digit station and hit enter and it goes directly to that station and disappears.

That bit above about keeping an easily used regular set of controls to jump to the next track in the playlist or next station on Sat Radio favorites in the smae position on all screens would be a plus.

csfile · 07-09-2009, 06:30 AM

voted for windows...but would have voted for cross platform

hairyMerkin · 07-09-2009, 08:25 AM

If you omitted touchscreen support, it would fail hard.

Sonicxtacy02 · 07-09-2009, 09:14 AM

I'm lost as to why that exact design cant be replicated by nearly ANY of the skinnable front ends out there? Aside from the navigation area which i'm assuming is still theoretical at this point.

NSFW · 07-09-2009, 12:41 PM

Perhaps it could be. For some people it's more fun/appealing to write code than to write a skin.

Which skins that use lists that scroll by dragging the list box content, so there's no need for scroll bars?

soundman98 · 07-09-2009, 12:57 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by david69leonard

Road Runner IS the ultimate front end!!!! LMAO!

+1 it is really starting to sound like you are trying to recreate rr...

if you chose to program it expecting users to have certain equipment, it will hurt the overall development-- who is going to want to use something that they can't use until they have 'x' parts besides a computer? this is what makes rr so great-- i can expand it later, if i want-- i don't have to buy a bunch of stuff just to get it to work.

to make it universal, you really need to start with what most users have(a computer and a touchscreen and/or keyboard and/or mouse), but allow for user modification to change parameters to allow for things like a powermate, or other devicces to control functions.

i am not sure what you mean by including touchscreen support-- most t/s's emulate a mouse...

SjLucky · 07-09-2009, 01:32 PM

Ok, I'm gonna bite even though I really don't want to get into this. After reading and rereading all the post and a few of my own ideas on an "Ultimate" FE, I have a few thoughts.

I believe we have grown as a community to a point where we are starting to **** in the wind when it comes to software. Some want to face north others want to face west and some have lost their compass and are going willy nilly all over the place. All of you have came up with wonderful points on a stable, functional UI but I feel that the point has gotten lost. As I have said in an other thread, "the perfect FE" is like looking for the fountain of youth not gonna happen. Someone is always gonna be a wet blanket and screw it up for the rest of us (I.E. Proabition).

With all that nonsense written, and I have to go to lunch, I will leave you with this, If the ultimate FE was created it will formed out of many projects instead of one such as this (I.E. Manhatten Project). I would love to see parts of CF in RR and parts of RR in SD and vise versa. I feel it will only come about when we pick up our tools and work as one on one project collectively.

On a side note Guino and Mitch and done and awesome job with RR (As well as all the other FE devs No Offence Guys) as far as calling it the Ultimate FE is streching. Granted alot use it but I have not heard a single person say it was a breeze to install the first time or the third or the fifth. Its justa PITA to get working right and if you dont have the specs its gonna be christmas...

Bxsteez · 07-09-2009, 01:36 PM

I agree with soundman 100%

I think the easiest way to find out what we want is to see what we don't have. U know all of us want our cake and we want to eat it too thats why we have computers in our cars. We want what RR, Centrafuse,etc... has plus what it doesn't. Maybe that is just my opinion.

malcom2073 · 07-09-2009, 01:49 PM

You will never make everyone happy with the "perfect" frontend, because everyone is looking for something different. This is why I think the future of frontends is in the modular approach, where users and developers can choose to add or remove modules are they wish.

UnusuallyGenius · 07-09-2009, 03:43 PM

New Images Posted on First Post

NSFW · 07-10-2009, 12:51 AM

With Powermate:

1. Glance at screen, see which button is highlighted
2. Move hand from steering wheel to powermate
3. Twist Powermate
4. Glance at screen, confirm correct button is highlighted
5. If correct button, press powermate; if not, go to 3.

With touch screen:

1. Take hand off steering wheel, move toward screen.
2. Glance at hand and screen.
3. Press button on screen.

You can see why I'd rather navigate the UI with a touch screen with big buttons on it.

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