Tune Folder Push Sound

Concerning my last post regarding hard vs. soft buttons, here is an example of labeling gone horribly wrong. This is from my car.

What does TUNE FOLDER PUSH SOUND mean? This is both a dial AND a button. Let’s go through this:

• Tune: In radio mode, you can twist the dial to tune the radio to a certain frequency
• Folder: In MP3 disc mode, you can twist the dial to change folders. Presumably, your CD has its MP3s organized in folders by band, album, genre, etc.
• Sound: You can push the button at the center of the dial to bring up the sound options such as the level of treble and bass.

So this dial/button serves three functions. The dial does both Tune and Folder and are mutually exclusive because you cannot be in Radio and MP3 Disc mode at the same time. The button does Sound and is accessible from any function. So the Honda engineers decided to use the least understandable label, TUNE FOLDER PUSH SOUND.

It’s understandable that you don’t want two dials and one button all separate on the dash, as that would lead to button overload. But this kind of mislabeling can only lead to confusion. One ideal solution may be technological: have the button face be a little screen that can change based on the current function. If you’re in radio mode, have it say TUNE. If you’re listening to an MP3 disc, have it say FOLDER.

This may sound futuristic, and it kind of is. But this technology is already starting to creep out. For example, the Optimus Maximus keyboard has keys with OLED (organic light emitting diodes) displays that can change depending on how you program it. This, sadly, is the best video demo that I could find. But I can imagine this sort of low-power display being used everywhere, including my Civic’s sound system:

By the way: the cost of this keyboard? Only $462.27.