Feedback to Pioneer on UI for X- & Z- Units!

[JohnnyDepp]

All:

 

UPDATE: Not sure if some or all of these suggestions will be part of the firmware update to the X920BT and Z120BT that Pioneer has promised on their Facebook page....probably. Let's hope.

 

I think it's time for a new sticky thread that lists all the simple things Pioneer could do to improve the uner interface and experience on the AVIC X- and Z- Series units. I'm hoping the Admins will make this sticky. Don't know how to do it myself...

 

Anyway, I don't mean this thread to unclude requests for significant new FUNCTIONALITY, or fixes of SIGNIFICANT problems, per se. Those should be covered by topic-specific threads in this forum...

 

Rather, there's a TON of plain silly little things that Pioneer did that make no sense in the user interface (UI) for the latest units. These are things that could be easily corrected with a firmware update. Some user testing and feedback might've fixed all of these, so consider this a user feedback thread to Pioneer, if you prefer.

 

Here we go...

 

000. Show XM Station Logos Even if User Hasn't Hit "OK" to Safety Message:

 

An obvious bug they should fix...the XM station logos in the preset bands in the AV Source screen don't show up until a user has acknowledged the map safety warning by pressing "OK" on the map screen. Why? Huh?

 

00. Add Bluetooth Connection Icon to AV Source Screen:

 

Why do users have to switch to the map view to see if their Bluetooth phone is connected??? Add the icon to the AV source screen. Also, see #6 below.

 

0. Let Users Type Lowercase Letters:

 

Come on, Pioneer! Are you kidding with this? We can't use lowercase letters when editing place names in the favorites, etc??? Really?!?!

 

1. Scroll vs. Selection Beep:

 

Remove the selection beep when one is merely SCROLLING on the screen (e.g., through playlists). It makes users think they've made a selection instead of just scrolling (or vice versa). It's intermittent, but truly annoying. Also, it's already tricky enough to know how quickly to "swipe" to start a scroll without inadvertantly selecting something on these units. Making sure that the beep only triggers when one has pressed long enough in one location for a SELECTION 100% of the time would help "train" users how to scroll vs. select on this unit.

 

2. Muting Options:

 

Allow users to change the amount of mute that occurs when directions are being read on a SOURCE-BY-SOURCE basis. Right now, the units force the mute AMOUNT to be the same on ALL sources. Yeah, they at least let you select either Guide/Phone/VR/Phone vs. just Phone/VR muting (or whatever), but one is forced to apply either total, 10db, or 20db as the SAME mute level used for all sources. Bad interface design. Some people want total muting when a phone call is active... but almost NO muting when playing XM.

 

3. Make Arrival Data Button Work As It Used To:

 

Restore Waypoint AND Final destination arrival data to the little timer/distance/arrival cycling button in the upper right of the map screen. Right now, one has to go into the route overview to see final destination arrival data for a multi-point trip. On the D3, there was a little button on the map screen in the lower left corner that used to let the user choose between waypoint and final arrival data. This is a real annoyance...one can be on the phone and be asked when one is arriving at the final destination. Right now, all one can say is "well, I know I'll be at the gas station first in ten minutes...let me fiddle with my screen while trying to answer your question..." Geezuz.

 

4. Group ALL Sound-related Options in Same Menu:

 

There are three different menus relating containing sound options (Two different AV menus, and the system options that include the master Volume sub-menu). This is no non-intuitive, it's ridiculous. It's really annoying that AV and volume related controls are scattered across three different menus.

 

5. Restore The Button to get All AV Options to the AV Source Screen:

 

Yes, one can get to the "EQ" directly from the AV source screen. However, unless we're missing something, one now has to go to the Home screen, into Settings, and then into one of the AV Sound options to change the settings to change the staging, LPF, Loudness, etc. Same thing for Staging! Now, one CANNOT get to the "Staging" menu directly. Why?? What if I'm listing to a playlist with some classical music and I want to use Dynamic Theater....and then I switch to Rock, for which I want the Music Studio staging? As it stands now, a user has to go the main home screen, then into Settings, then into AV....then...WTF, Pioneer?!?!

 

6. Make Bluetooth Connection and iPod Album Art Icons Non-Microscopic:

 

Why, in the name of all that's holy, did Pioneer make the Bluetooth connection icon on the map view INSANELY small? It's like...ten pixels across, which is hard to see in a brief glance while driving to insure one's phone is connected. What the hell? Seriously...what the hell? It should be at least half the size the iPod album cover shown on the map screen in the lower right.

 

7. Neatly Align Song/Artist/Title Info in Sound Info Bar at Map Bottom:

 

What's with the apparently random decisions about how to align these in the song info bar that one can open/close at the bottom of the map screen??? And why not use the same little artist/album/song icons they use on the AV source screen to help us quickly interpret which is which? And why not use the same order here as on the AV source screen itself. Just plain sloppy...two seconds' thought on the part of a Pioneer software programmer would've helped here.

 

8. Scroll ENTIRE XM Song Titles, Artist, Etc.

 

We're into the fifth AVIC product line in five years and we STILL can't see entire XM song titles? Really, guys? in 2010?? Support at least 32 characters of XM song data, please...if not unlimited...come ON!!! Seriously??

 

9. Scroll ENTIRE FM Station/Program Name & Remove Silly 'PS:' text

 

Why so few characters for FM station/program names? Why scroll with only about ten characters instead of using more characters? Why place the needless clutter text 'PS:' in front of the station/program title?

 

10. Stop Cutting off "My Mix" Song Memo Text.

 

Self-explanatory...please show the ENTIRE Memo text, including both song and artist, in the list of "My Mix" memos so you can go buy the music or look it up later if you want. They've been cutting the text off -- and not displaying both artist and song -- since the D3. Why? What's the point of not letting the user see the entire memo text until it happens to be playing live on XM? How can you decide which "My Mix" song memos ones to delete or turn off/on if you can't read the titles/artists later on? Just plain idiotic...

 

11. Allow Users to Add Route Cancel as Quick Access Selection Button on Map!

 

Right now, if your passenger wants to cancel a route while driving and looking at the map screen, he/she has to go Home-->Destination-->Route Cancel. Why can't one add the Route Cancel button to quick access menu on the map screen?? Didn't the D3 at least offer that?

 

12. Bring Back the TRFC Button!

 

There was a TRFC button on the AV touch screen in the old D3 that you could program to instantly bring up whatever traffic station you wanted to associate with it (e.g., a local FM station, XM's audio traffic and weather station for your region, etc.). Why'd that go away? Bring it back?

 

13. Don't Change AV Source to iPod Just Because We Plug it In!

 

Someone putting their iPod back after using it in the gym doesn't necessarily want to make it the current AV source...especially if we're listening to a critical news announcement on XM or something! Stop this! Or give a setup option to choose this.

 

14. Default to Current State/City When Searching for POIs

 

15. Change Spelling of "Judgment" in Safety Caution:

 

In American english, "judgment" is correct....in British english, "judgement" is correct. But in LEGAL circles, "judgment" is ALWAYS the preferred spelling.

[LarryB]

All:

 

I think it's time for a new sticky thread that lists all the simple things Pioneer could do to improve the uner interface and experience on the AVIC X- and Z- Series units. I'm hoping the Admins will make this sticky. Don't know how to do it myself...

 

How about changing the map legend so that it actually makes some sense. Even after reading the manual my wife and I couldn't figure out how it works.

 

LarryB

[2003 Red Tacoma]

All:

 

I think it's time for a new sticky thread that lists all the simple things Pioneer could do to improve the uner interface and experience on the AVIC X- and Z- Series units. I'm hoping the Admins will make this sticky. Don't know how to do it myself...

 

Anyway, I don't mean this tread to unclude requests for significant new FUNCTIONALITY, or fixes of SIGNIFICANT problems, per se. Those should be covered by topic-specific threads in this forum...

 

This is a great topic, so I'm glad you started this thread.

 

Let me start out by saying that I love my 920BT, and am so excited about the many cool features of the unit. So I just encourage the engineers to finish what they started and make it a fantastic unit.

 

1. The voice recognition system needs to be scrapped and replaced.

No, I'm not exaggerating; I'm totally serious. When I speak voice searches to my iPhone Google App, it can understand 95% of what I say. When I try to use my 920BT to dial from my list of imported contacts, it can't understand even one. I have a standard American accent, and friends have also tried it. I've tried last name first, first name first, exaggerated enunciation, everything. It is just weak technology.

 

2. Recognize a spoken address.

I should be able to speak "Find 123 Main Street, Folsom, California" and be routed right to it.

 

3. Recognize a spoken contact's address.

I should be able to speak "Find John Smith: home (or work)" and be routed right to it.

 

4. Recognize a spoken business name.

 

"Find the nearest Burger King".

 

5. Navigation should default to current city and state

 

I should be able to start with my current city and state when typing in navigation parameters, and change them if that's not what I want

 

6. Navigation should list the street associated with the city I selected

 

If I've already selected the city, I shouldn't have to wade through street names from other cities.

 

7. You should include a printed (paper) user manual.

 

It's an expensive unit, so please give me a manual that fits into my glove compartment that I can reference whenever I want. There are lots of things to figure out for this unit, and if you have to take your laptop down to your car every time you have a question, it's hard to figure it all out.

 

8. Pandora should fully restore itself after a phone call

When I hang up from a call, my Pandora resumes, but the text and album art that typically display are gone. I have to then unplug and replug my iPhone to restore them. The whole point is to keep your hands on the wheel, and it takes two hands to disconnect and reconnect your phone.

 

9. Decrease the sensitivity slightly for the scroll feature.

 

When I strum the screen to scroll through Pandora, I can't do it with my fingertip, because it then selects one of the stations inadvertently. I have to instead strum lightly with the side of my forefinger, and then select with my fingertip. Decrease the sensitivity slightly so you have to poke a little harder to select a choice.

 

10. Add consistent iPhone-style navigation throughout.

 

Part of the time, you can browse by finger strumming; other times you have to select a number, or other old-school navigation tricks. Bring the nice modern navigation to all of your menus.

 

Hope the above wasn't too harsh, but hey I love the unit, and just want to see it excel on all fronts.

[VBLUE42]

1. I have about 95% success but I have seen other report problems. What they need to improve on is that damn "OK" button scheme. They almost got it right when they improved it over the 110 but they still screwed it up.

 

4. Works just find as is for me.

 

We may see some of these improvements with the new software.

[JohnnyDepp]

This is a great topic, so I'm glad you started this thread.

 

Let me start out by saying that I love my 920BT, and am so excited about the many cool features of the unit. So I just encourage the engineers to finish what they started and make it a fantastic unit.

 

1. The voice recognition system needs to be scrapped and replaced.

No, I'm not exaggerating; I'm totally serious. When I speak voice searches to my iPhone Google App, it can understand 95% of what I say. When I try to use my 920BT to dial from my list of imported contacts, it can't understand even one. I have a standard American accent, and friends have also tried it. I've tried last name first, first name first, exaggerated enunciation, everything. It is just weak technology.

 

2. Recognize a spoken address.

I should be able to speak "Find 123 Main Street, Folsom, California" and be routed right to it.

 

3. Recognize a spoken contact's address.

I should be able to speak "Find John Smith: home (or work)" and be routed right to it.

 

4. Recognize a spoken business name.

 

"Find the nearest Burger King".

 

5. Navigation should default to current city and state

 

I should be able to start with my current city and state when typing in navigation parameters, and change them if that's not what I want

 

6. Navigation should list the street associated with the city I selected

 

If I've already selected the city, I shouldn't have to wade through street names from other cities.

 

7. You should include a printed (paper) user manual.

 

It's an expensive unit, so please give me a manual that fits into my glove compartment that I can reference whenever I want. There are lots of things to figure out for this unit, and if you have to take your laptop down to your car every time you have a question, it's hard to figure it all out.

 

8. Pandora should fully restore itself after a phone call

When I hang up from a call, my Pandora resumes, but the text and album art that typically display are gone. I have to then unplug and replug my iPhone to restore them. The whole point is to keep your hands on the wheel, and it takes two hands to disconnect and reconnect your phone.

 

9. Decrease the sensitivity slightly for the scroll feature.

 

When I strum the screen to scroll through Pandora, I can't do it with my fingertip, because it then selects one of the stations inadvertently. I have to instead strum lightly with the side of my forefinger, and then select with my fingertip. Decrease the sensitivity slightly so you have to poke a little harder to select a choice.

 

10. Add consistent iPhone-style navigation throughout.

 

Part of the time, you can browse by finger strumming; other times you have to select a number, or other old-school navigation tricks. Bring the nice modern navigation to all of your menus.

 

Hope the above wasn't too harsh, but hey I love the unit, and just want to see it excel on all fronts.

 

 

Yeah...some of these are good. All good thoughts, really. However, a lot of the VR-related issues you cite are a matter of degree, I think. It's hard to classify SOME of these as the basic, simply "DUH" head-slapping mistakes/fixes of the type I allude to in the subtitle of this thread.

 

I think the one about defaulting to the current city and state is an obvious and simple fix.

 

I'm an environmentalist, so I prefer NOT having the paper manual...have to respectfully disagree with you there.

 

The sensitivity thing is discussed in a few other threads (including a post I made...). It's a tricky thing, because RESISTIVE touche screens like this (as opposed to CAPACITIVE ones) aren't really designed for scrolling at all. Pioneer pulled off a bit of a trick getting it to work at all. I concur that it's tricky, however...and have said so in a few threads.

 

I'll update my list with some of your thoughts and will (obviously) keep yours here as well....it's sort of a second-order list for wholesale VR improvements, rather than a list of straightforward, almost-mistakes they made..., but your thinking is good.

[VBLUE42]

I am sure one of the improvements we will see very soon on the new units will deal with VR improvements and a higher level of vocabulary.

[ptwat]

When you have a list of POI locations (e.g. Home Depot) the distance to them should update as you are moving (like Garmin). That way you can tell if one of the locations is in front of you or behind without having to go back and forth to the maps.

[JohnnyDepp]

* bump *

[qbnlykwhoa]

1. How about when searching for a POI by name the list returned already be in order from shortest to farthest instead of having to hit sort twice.

 

2. I find many times the radio comes right on straight to the source and then I have to hit Home to get the OK message. VR wont load until I hit OK so I find myself hitting VR and it not working only to realize I haven't hit OK yet.

 

3. Allow to be able to adjust the volume of the system beep. Right now its only on and off. I want it on but not so freakin loud.

 

4. Anyway to get the unit to turn on day and night mode by the time of the day instead of the illum wire? Sometimes the weather is bad or you just want to have your parking lights on during the day. And Yeah we can go to a menu and make it day but it would just be easier.

 

5. Definitely not make the ipod the source when plugging it in.

 

6. Moving dunkin donuts under the coffee category? Right now its listed as fast food.

 

7. Scrolling text on the ipod AV menu.

[ADE]

Just fix the damn map/vehicle indicator accuracy and I'll be happy! All the OEM units I have used over the years have been spot on! My X920BT lags behind and is not acceptable for the high dollar unit that it is! When I pass a street or bridge, I should not have to look down at the unit and it shows me (my vehicle) as just approaching it.

[qbnlykwhoa]

Just fix the damn map/vehicle indicator accuracy and I'll be happy! All the OEM units I have used over the years have been spot on! My X920BT lags behind and is not acceptable for the high dollar unit that it is! When I pass a street or bridge, I should not have to look down at the unit and it shows me (my vehicle) as just approaching it.

 

I forgot to include this, I sometimes find myself second guessing if its this street or the next one coming up because of the delay until I see a street name. The whole point of the nav unit is so I don't have to do this.