【Sofirn New Light UI Feedback Needed】

:star2: CALLING ALL BLF MEMBERS! New Light UI Feedback Needed :star2:

Background:
We’re finalizing the UI for an upcoming release, and your expertise matters!

Visual References:

Image 3: Current UI

Image 4: Redesigned UI

Key Changes Being Considered:

Simplified mode switching (no more hidden combinations)

Dedicated buttons for primary/secondary LEDs

Configurable long-press actions

How to Help:
:speech_balloon: Comment with:

Which layout do you prefer (Old/New/Both)? And your reason?

Is this the fabled hd04???

In the 4th photo, why are there two side light brightness adjustment?

Oh, I thought this was a Wurkkos model.

Here is the relevant part of my early feedback:

  • Not sure if people find the spot LED useful. After all, this is a small flashlight meant to be carried clipped on a strap. Instead, you could make the flashlight a little shorter or add a USB charging port instead.
  • It was unexpected that both buttons turn on the flashlight. This seems to be fixed with the new UI.
  • There is no shortcut to turn on red light from off, if you previously used white light. Also fixed.
  • With the previous comments in mind, having only one white and one red LED, you could assign one button to the white light and one button to the red light, each with the same user interface.
  • Red light is usually used for close distance and low brightness. Another idea would be to have two white LEDs behind TIR optic (one flood, one throw) and two or four smaller red LEDs between the two white LEDs. One button controls the two white LEDs (for example triple click to switch between flood and throw). The other button controls the red LEDs.

Here’s a suggestion of the concept using only side LEDs, but with a charging port in addition. This is approximately designed to use the Sofirn SC13 charging port cover.

2 Thanks

This is how I imagine a Sofirn light with 2 buttons.

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Maybe double and triple clicks should work from both off and on ?

For bottom button may I suggest to switch channels (white - red) with “click + press&hold”? It’s a bit of complication but this will allow to use simple “press&hold” from off for white moonlight and to access red light from both off and on.

Bottom button
click + press&hold (from off): Lowest red light
click + press&hold (from on): Switch between red and white side light

Flashlight with multiple type emiter and two buttons can use user interface like Wurkkos HD50 flashlight.
It is simple and functional.

As we all know, Sofirn and Wurkkos belong to the same company, and this product is now sold by Sofirn.

1 Thank

I’m not a type who likes strobe/sos/beacon in a small flashlight. So I’ll put those modes as optional.
My suggestions are:

  1. Top button (only for main LED):
  • 1 hold: moonlight mode
  • 1 click: on / off
  • 1 click & hold: cycle brightness
  • 2 click: highest brightness
  • 3 click: change mode (here you can put strobe, sos, beacon if you want) → you can add 3 click and hold to enter strobe from off.
  • 4 click: lock
  1. Bottom button (only for side LEDs):
  • 1 hold moolight mode
  • 1 click: on/off
  • 1 click & hold: cycle brightness
  • 2 click: highest brightness
  • 3 click: change mode (red, white side light) → you can add 3 click and hold to enter red from off.
  • 4 click: lock

I prefer the second UI option in Image 4.

However, it will force you to redo the mold for the switch cover, logically to say some combination of “Main/Side” or “Top/Side” or “Top/Bottom” or whatever, but at least it should then be clear to the user which button controls which light. For most lay users, two switches = one switch for each light would be easier to grasp. It would also make it easier to support both being lit simultaneously, if that capability is present.

In Image 3, at least the Mode button is labeled as such, but otherwise, it would not be otherwise clear what the button does, and a casual user could still pick up the light, not notice the label, and become confused.

A simple button is harder to discern as a mode switch than something like a rotary dial, like on the IF24/IF23P models, so that label is essential to understanding what its function is.

(BTW, did you ever correct the behavior on the IF24 twins where the mode switch also acts as a power switch when changing modes, and make it consistent with the IF23P where it does not?)

In the end, try to KISS, and to me, two switches, each independently controlling their own emitter(s), as well as behaving just like they do on typical single-channel flashlight is preferable than having to learn a new combination of two switches that have overlap in how they function. Keeping them segregated also reduces the risk of unintended actions. Like having the IF24 potentially blind you when simply trying to switch modes, because the mode switch also turns on the light.

Thank you so much for your advice!!

Your UI design looks very good, we will take it into consideration

First, I like that more small flashlights are incorporating this type of clip, which makes it easier to mount and hold the light securely.

As for the UI, personally I like the UIs presented by both @SammysHP and @Radu19.

Keep up the great work at Sofirn!

1 Thank

Yes, our buttons will definitely be clearly labeled.
And KISS switch We will take it into consideration in the design.
Thanks for your good advice~

Do you want to be able to turn on both top and side at the same time? If not, make selector switch like on HS21.

There’s the Ultrafire S3 flat flashlight that has white/UV/laser selection via a sideswitch. It’s just up/mid/down, period. Which position selects which emitter is used.

Then for each emitter, the mode is via context. UV and laser are one brightness, only on/off. White has multiple brightnesses.

Same for HS21, with different levels (including moonlight) for each emitter, select the emitter via the ring.

This way, it’s one UI for each emitter, selected by the ring (HS21) / switch (S3).

The above sounds like 2 different UIs, 1 for each switch (“top” vs “bottom”). To me, that’s more complicated, no? I looked at the flowchart and was just confused.