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Sigh.....UI

Discussion in 'Prime Audio, Electronics, and Infotainment' started by ElectricSpike, May 12, 2018.

  1. ElectricSpike

    ElectricSpike Member

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    Our very new Prime feels so glitchy with the Entune. When will Toyota "get" that their UI is sooooo behind the times? My graphic design daughter said that within 5 minutes of getting into the car, and she is in college. Toyota will lose young drivers.

    Toyota should hire some rising senior graphic design students as interns and throw them into a think-tank and have them come up with a user interface that has logic (and maybe a few buttons!). The people who have worked on it probably have a lot of reasons "why not" but maybe a fresh set of eyes will come up with some solutions that will work.

    Then have the engineers get involved. Why, or why, is it not integrated with my iPhone? I can't even ask Siri for directions. Why can't I press a button on my wheel and have it ask what text I want to send? Why, when I receive a text, does the Entune Screen say "No new messages??" Why do I need to ask Siri to read them to me? Why, when I enter an address verbally, and the Entune voice repeats it back to me exactly, and I say "yes" does it then require me to choose from a numbered list? I already said "yes" - Poor logic behind the curtain.
     
  2. ElectricSpike

    ElectricSpike Member

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    And whoever designed the screen has never driven the car at different times of day. I cannot see the screen in the morning because of glare. How can I turn the fan up if I can't see the screen, let alone display something else. Why didn't they tilt the screen towards the driver, or allow the screen to be adjustable?
     
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  3. ElectricSpike

    ElectricSpike Member

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    This morning she walked out, and some of the first things out of her mouth:

    "they definitely chose some seasoned white dude who had been designing since the early 2000's to head the UI program, and it definitely shows"

    also

    "it really bogs down a potentially revolutionary car with dated, mediocre design choices." I asked her to slow down and repeat, so I could type it all.

    Yesterday she loved the outside when she saw the Prime. Once the car was turned on, and the music started/the screen turned on, she was really put-off.

    The music at the beginning.
    The animation.
    The lack of iPhone integration.
    Difficulty with her figuring out how to use the non-intuitive climate. She sent me a text immediately to see what would happen. She put the UI through its paces, as much as she could, while I drove.

    When I turned off the car, she was again commented on the dated quality. (I think because of the ending music? - Who does that? ) She was horrified at this part of the design, eyebrows raised, smirk on her face. It all said "ewwww." The next sentence out of her mouth was "I wonder what the UI on the Tesla is like?" That was NOT how I wanted my daughter to think of my new car.

    She is Toyota's future. And she was having none of it. She made clear that she would not buy one herself based on the dated UI.
    TOYOTA!!!!!!!!!!! You really should listen. This is from the mouth of a 20 year old with great design skills, and a VERY clear sense of what good design is. The Prime UI is not cutting it.
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Didn't it used to be @Prius Team you alerted? But it's not auto-completing when I type it; am I missing something? Maybe they're not members anymore? (n)

    Regarding your focus: our Canadian 2010 Touring doesn't even have an info screen, and that's working fine for me. What displays it does have, the speedo for example, can wash-out royally in bright sun, as you mention.

    And I'm not a fan of the uniform, indistinguishable row of climate control buttons, especially the "mode" button: once you've looked down to just find it, you then need to continue to keep your eyes off the road, doing multiple pushes of said button, watching the shifting LCD display, till the mode you want comes up. Go too fast, and you'll go right by it, have to repeat.

    I'm usually needing to do the above at night, rain coming down, on the twists and turns of the Barnet Highway, with the windshield fogging up.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, May 12, 2018
    Last edited: May 12, 2018
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  5. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

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    Not to excuse the UI any, it really does suck, but climate controls are the easiest thing on the car, just have it set on auto and only change the temp, which are buttons not on screen. The dashboard screen also has a setup for climate, and if there's any customization i need done, I use it and the buttons on the steering wheel, not the big screen. I believe there are verbal commands that can do it too, but I haven't even bothered figuring it out. There's always more than one way to do something, so try the others and you might find something you like... I wish it did have apple carplay. The on and off tunes can be turned off, but it's just no biggie to me. I didn't buy the car because of the infotainment system, I bought it for the other tech. (super high gas mileage, and all the safety things)
     
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  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    isn't apple play coming to toyota?
     
  8. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

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    Not our existing cars...
     
  9. ElectricSpike

    ElectricSpike Member

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    Bob, I am still learning (have had the car a week) the climate is on automatic, but I can't seem to figure out how to turn the blower up higher without touching the screen. Guess I need to hit the manual. We also didn't buy it because of the infotainment system, but we do use the navigation, basic music (am/fm and bluetooth) and we are used to being able to ask the car to read incoming texts. I do not ever check texts while driving, but it appears as if I should be able to have the car read them to me. They don't show up. I've checked my phone and the car.
     
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  10. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

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    Just turn the temperature down and the fan will go up. In full auto, you don't really change just the fan speed, but you can change the s-flo (where it either goes to all seats or just driver -- in the highest temperatures, set it to all 4 seats, and you can change that on the mid screen. The txt reading used to work, but not since the iPhone had an update -- they changed something.

    Sorry about my complaining of the complaining, it wasn't really meant that way. It does suck, and it's the biggest weakness of our car. :(
     
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  11. priuscatprimeguy

    priuscatprimeguy Senior Member

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    slightly off topic but similar I got tired of my Windows 10 PC, it quit working even after I reset to factory defaults ( granted I bought it in 2011) So I broke down and bought a iMac Pro with 5K display. long story short I kept my Samsung Galaxy S9+ because of the current issues with Toyota VS i Phones and the grocery store where I work does not accept Apple Pay but does accept Samsung Pay. If sometime in the future the Issues between Toyota and Apple get resolved and the grocery store where I work accepts Apple Pay I will gladly switch to an i Phone.
     
  12. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Apple, what's Apple?? I love ANDROID!!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
    AChoiredTaste.com
     
  13. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    The texts can be played on my S7 Samsung, even while car is moving; when stopped, you can read the texts too.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
    AChoiredTaste.com
     
  14. priuscatprimeguy

    priuscatprimeguy Senior Member

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    yet another reason, I'm keeping my S9+
     
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  15. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    You're probably pretty much on topic my friend; applications, whether they be in cars, on computers wherever, have taken a big downturn for the worst. I've been in the IT business over 35 years, and I still like my 30 year old applications better than the new crap that's coming out today. It's buggy, it's unreliable, it's too complicated, and it's difficult to use. I think it's because the designers are uptight arrogant little twerps who think they run the world. These "boys" (the designers are usually 20-35 year old males) need to get a reality check; put them in the trenches with guys like me who have to help the poor struggling users both at home and at work (most of my clients are women), to see what it's like dealing with these terrible designs! Get more women designers; they tend to be more empathetic to the end users.
    The relatively new encroachment of these designs to the automobile is really straining people's patience. Once again, I reiterate, KISS, keep it simple stupid! Bring back the balance of knobs and switches with instrumentation that can be read in difficult light.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
    AChoiredTaste.com
     
  16. ElectricSpike

    ElectricSpike Member

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    No worries! I guess I'm just embarrassed that my 20 year old is feeling this way about my new car (never had a new car before!)

    Also, about the fan, I don't want to turn it colder/warmer, just have the fan blow more or less. One time where I miss knobs!
     
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  17. SteveMucc

    SteveMucc Active Member

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    I have an iPhone X and it reads every text I get. Pops up a nice big window (which you can disable) and reads it allowed to me. To answer I just hold the phone off-hook button down and enter siri eyes free mode and tell it what I want to do.

    I don't know how you could make the AC controls any easier. you already have hard temp/defroster buttons. I usually leave everything on auto, but it's just one button push to pop up the controls and hit the fan control button. not much different really then if was a fixed button (other than tactile feedback).

    Now, the radio controls blow chunks. That is an absolute nightmare for sure. it's a pita to switch sources, and it's at least a few button push's in SAT to get to a specific station... and once that's done, if you happen to go to the stations info page you have to navigate the whole type menu to get back there again. really crappy (to say the least) design. That's a system that you can tell was implemented by some random programmer, NOT by a UI specialist, and certainly not with any formal review or i'm sure it would have kicked up lots of dust.

    that said, you can do ALL of those things by using the MFD if you want.

    and if you don't like the music, just turn it off... there's a setting for it.


    you can also read all your messages in on the mfd as well... it works, you just have to set it up.
     
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  18. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Apple??? ANDROID??? Hey, I'm still using Lumia WINDOWS PHONE! They don't even have Entune app for it, and I am perfectly happy with that.:LOL:
     
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  19. SteveMucc

    SteveMucc Active Member

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    Loved my lumia. Was an absolutely awesome phone. I was very happy with Windows 10. Unfortunately for me the USB jack failed. I really didn't feel like reflowing it and I was do for an upgrade so ended with an iPhone X (which is a pretty nice phone actually). Still miss the Lumia though. It was my 4th windows phone and they were all good (their cameras were better than anything else out there).
     
  20. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    My Lumia is older version that is still running Windows Phone 8.3, and does not have spec to upgrade to Windows 10. I did purchase Alcatel Idol S4 with Windows 10 when MS put them on sale for $99 (originally priced at $400 ish?), but I am still using my old Lumia as daily phone due to removable battery that last longer than any other smartphone I have ever owned. I have spare batteries as well, so I only need to charge it once a week or less often. I am going to miss it, when OS stop working.:cry: