Poor ergonomics of the Sky Q controller

[Jagfour]

Hi.

This post is directed at Sky personnel responsible for ergonomic design of Sky Q controller, and selection processes within the Sky user interface.

Today, I received my Sky Q box after 18 years use of Sky tv, having had the Sky HD+ box for the last 7 years. As far as I know, the same controller was used for those 18 years.

Now, before I go on, I will introduce myself with an insight into my hand skills with tools.

In the 70's, I built a wooden boat. I was to continue making in wood, masts, booms, gaff's, rudder boards and stocks. Tillers, jiggers and centre boards.

In the 80's I was to build rooms where you cook which included wall tiling.

In 1990, I joined the RAF as a aircraft engineer, a career that was to last over 26 years, servicing Hawks, Jaguars and Tornado's.

Have you ever tried a vol 6 skin repair?

What about a complete skin replacement of a taileron leading edge for the Jaguar. 400+ rivets in that baby.

I have laid carpets, tiled floors and laid wooden panel flooring, and painted the inside of a complete house.

I know how to handle a tool!

But, I can only describe the Sky Q controller as built to be handled by a small child.

No stiction to my hand and fingers, no rubber grip surface as was in the old design.

Almost a complete doubling of button presses needed to do the same thing I could do with the Sky HD+ controller!

Access to buttons has needed a 2 hand grip of the controller after the controller fell out of my hand. The old design never fell out of my hand in 18 years!

I rate the ergonomics of the Sky Q controller at about 3 out of 10. That is how bad it is.

Now I have done my best Sky, to be as constructive in my desription of the Sky Q controller as I could.

You should have zero doubt about my ability, to give you full and honest constructive criticism of this controller.

My advice is thus.

To reuse the body of the Sky HD+ controller, using all black material as necessary and the buttons from that controller.

Why do I need more button pushes to achieve the same thing I achieved with HD+ system?

That reconstruct of the selection processes will need to be looked into, very closely.

Did I tell you about my 4 years of facilitating corrective processes in the RAF, at a base of some 4000 people?

I look forward, very much, as to how you will be correcting these issues, including time scales and facilitating the replacement of controllers, to SKY Q users.

[PandJ2020]

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@Jagfour wrote:

I look forward, very much, as to how you will be correcting these issues, including time scales and facilitating the replacement of controllers, to SKY Q users.

---

You are not addressing Sky here. Just other customers.

The Q remote will not be changing especially given how long the product will be around.

Sky accessibility may be able to provide a controller more to your liking.  https://skyaccessibility.sky

[Daniel0210]

@Jagfour 

You won't receive a reply from Sky on here. Sky Q is now 8 years old. I've had mine since 2019 and the same remotes are in use for the main box and the mini box. Sky won't be redesigning the remote at this late stage in the life of Sky Q which has a continuing life span of about 6 years. 

[oldfella]

A long rant which I haven't fully read @Jagfour 

However the punchline is that there is no chance whatsoever that the Q remote will be changed or redesigned.

If  have an Apple device with Sky Go you can set up a virtual remote to control your Q boxes.
See following link.
https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-TV/Virtual-Sky-Q-Remote-Now-Available-on-Sky-Go/ba-p/4363637?

[nigea99]

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@Jagfour wrote:

Hi.

This post is directed at Sky personnel responsible for ergonomic design of Sky Q controller, and selection processes within the Sky user interface.

Today, I received my Sky Q box after 18 years use of Sky tv, having had the Sky HD+ box for the last 7 years. As far as I know, the same controller was used for those 18 years.

Now, before I go on, I will introduce myself with an insight into my hand skills with tools.

In the 70's, I built a wooden boat. I was to continue making in wood, masts, booms, gaff's, rudder boards and stocks. Tillers, jiggers and centre boards.

In the 80's I was to build rooms where you cook which included wall tiling.

In 1990, I joined the RAF as a aircraft engineer, a career that was to last over 26 years, servicing Hawks, Jaguars and Tornado's.

Have you ever tried a vol 6 skin repair?

What about a complete skin replacement of a taileron leading edge for the Jaguar. 400+ rivets in that baby.

I have laid carpets, tiled floors and laid wooden panel flooring, and painted the inside of a complete house.

I know how to handle a tool!

But, I can only describe the Sky Q controller as built to be handled by a small child.

No stiction to my hand and fingers, no rubber grip surface as was in the old design.

Almost a complete doubling of button presses needed to do the same thing I could do with the Sky HD+ controller!

Access to buttons has needed a 2 hand grip of the controller after the controller fell out of my hand. The old design never fell out of my hand in 18 years!

I rate the ergonomics of the Sky Q controller at about 3 out of 10. That is how bad it is.

Now I have done my best Sky, to be as constructive in my desription of the Sky Q controller as I could.

You should have zero doubt about my ability, to give you full and honest constructive criticism of this controller.

My advice is thus.

To reuse the body of the Sky HD+ controller, using all black material as necessary and the buttons from that controller.

Why do I need more button pushes to achieve the same thing I achieved with HD+ system?

That reconstruct of the selection processes will need to be looked into, very closely.

Did I tell you about my 4 years of facilitating corrective processes in the RAF, at a base of some 4000 people?

I look forward, very much, as to how you will be correcting these issues, including time scales and facilitating the replacement of controllers, to SKY Q users.

---

hi @Jagfour 

Whilst there may be a few years left for SKY, it is effectively end of life and won;t be getting any hardware updates and only limited software upgrades. 

SKY Q has been around for  nearly 8 years and if they were going to react to customer feedback they would have done so by now.

I am sure many people like it, probably most put up with it & some, if not many feel, similar to yourself

I don't know too much about SKY Stream - SKY's product going forward but I think that remote is not too dissimilar to the SKY Q remote.

Personally, I am not too sure that they do enough customer research across all demographics, although no doubt they will say they do  

[TimmyBGood]

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@Jagfour wrote:

I look forward, very much, as to how you will be correcting these issues, including time scales and facilitating the replacement of controllers, to SKY Q users.

---

As noted above, that's not going to happen for a nine year old platform (released in February 2016).  Q was the final independent product from Sky before Sky Group was acquired by the Comcast Corporation in 2018, and has since been superceded in their hardware lineup: end of life will coincidence with satellite television broadcasting to the UK ceasing to be a thing.

There is (or was) a Q Accessibility Remote based on the Sky+ era handset, but annoyingly without Voice Control.

Historically it's perhaps worth knowing that the current Q remote is actually the third generation model, following the Touchpad and Clickwheel versions.