Dearborn, Michigan — When the “mouse” arrived the PC became infinitely better to use and enjoy.
Derek Kuzuk, V-P, Global Product Design, Ford, instructed his troops to create the “mouse” for the vehicle, so drivers could more easily use and enjoy those increasingly amazing but also increasingly complex entertainment, information, climate and navigation systems.
Not long into the research, they determined they would not be replicating any current automotive solutions, like those based on joysticks or rotary dials.
What they did come up is not one new thing (like a mouse). They determined the best practices from the electronic industry, then crafted all that into a new instrument panel, dash, steering wheel, etc, which they're calling MyFord and MyLincoln.
MyFord and MyLincoln is based on five elements:
There is also a “Media Hub” which has inputs for i-Pod, thumb drives, SD cards, RCA jacks, etc.
The steering wheel controller controls two small screens in the gauge cluster. The left one gives vehicle information, such as fuel economy, mechanical status, and safety. The right is for infotainment, and shows the same stuff as the big “touch screen” in the centre stack.
Derek Kuzuk, V-P, Global Product Design, Ford, instructed his troops to create the “mouse” for the vehicle, so drivers could more easily use and enjoy those increasingly amazing but also increasingly complex entertainment, information, climate and navigation systems.
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Not long into the research, they determined they would not be replicating any current automotive solutions, like those based on joysticks or rotary dials.
What they did come up is not one new thing (like a mouse). They determined the best practices from the electronic industry, then crafted all that into a new instrument panel, dash, steering wheel, etc, which they're calling MyFord and MyLincoln.
MyFord and MyLincoln is based on five elements:
- Steering wheel switches which replicate a 5--way thumb-enabled gaming controller;
- LCD technology;
- The use of colour and designated quadrants on LCD screens to differentiate the four system areas (entertainment, phone, nav, climate);
- Repeatable patterns, that can be quickly and easily learned;
- Providing only requested information, so drivers don't get overloaded, confused or distracted by stuff they don't want or need at the moment.
There is also a “Media Hub” which has inputs for i-Pod, thumb drives, SD cards, RCA jacks, etc.
The steering wheel controller controls two small screens in the gauge cluster. The left one gives vehicle information, such as fuel economy, mechanical status, and safety. The right is for infotainment, and shows the same stuff as the big “touch screen” in the centre stack.
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