9 Modes, 2 Buttons: The Manual Has Run Out of Room
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Start With One Question
How many modes does your device have?
Now a second one:
To switch to mode 7, how many presses does the user need?
If the answer is "hold for 3 seconds, press twice, then wait for the light to blink twice" — this article is written for you.
A Real Structural Contradiction
Features keep being added. Buttons do not.
On the device side: 9 modes. On the button side: [ Button A ] [ Button B ] — just two.
Two buttons controlling nine modes leaves exactly one path: key combinations.
So you end up with things like this:
`` Hold 3 seconds to enter settings In settings, short-press to step through mode numbers (count the blinks) 4 blinks = mode 4, 7 blinks = mode 7 Confirm requires a 5-second hold; release early and you exit ``
This is not bad product design. It is a button count locked in by structure.
Enclosure size, tooling cost, waterproofing structure, PCB layout — even the worry that "one more button just confuses users" — all of it pushes the button count down.
Buttons cannot simply be added. That is the hardware boundary.
What Happens to the User on That Path
``` 1st time Read the manual → a bit convoluted, try a few times, it works 2nd time Forgot the sequence, back to the manual → try a few more times 3rd time Uses the default mode only (the only one they remember) Nth time Default mode only
Result: 9 modes, but only 2–3 ever get used ```
The features were built, but never reached.
This is not a failure of the engineering team — it is what happens when there is only one entry point. Users are not unwilling to use the modes. They cannot press their way to them.
What a Remote Solves — and What It Does Not
Many devices ship with a remote, and that is a good thing: more buttons, intuitive, no Bluetooth pairing, no battery worries, usable by anyone.
But a remote only solves half of it:
| What the remote solves | What the remote does not solve |
|---|---|
| Enough buttons | Remote lost or broken → can the device still be used |
| No manual needed | Remote not at hand → nothing gets controlled |
| Stable signal | Want a record of "which mode I use most" → not possible |
| Want a timer / remote operation → not possible | |
| Want to upgrade features → must replace hardware |
The key point: a remote is for use on site — but the user is not always on site.
A Screen on the Phone Unties the Knot
Nine modes laid flat on a screen — tap what you want, nothing to memorise.
| On screen | What the user does |
|---|---|
| [Mode 1] [Mode 2] [Mode 3] | Glance |
| [Mode 4] [Mode 5] [Mode 6] | Tap |
| [Mode 7] [Mode 8] [Mode 9] | Done |
All nine are on screen. Nothing to commit to memory.
Side by side:
| Switching with physical buttons | Switching on a phone screen |
|---|---|
| Memorise the sequence | Just look |
| Count the blinks | The name is written on it |
| Wrong press, start over | Wrong tap, tap another |
| Dig out the manual | No manual needed |
Same device, same feature set — a completely different experience for the user.
And This Costs Less Than You Think
The key line:
The remote already exists. Adding an App is a small step from there.
Why?
If the remote works, these things are already in place:
`` ✔ The board accepts external commands ✔ The mapping between commands and features is already defined ✔ The communication protocol already runs ``
In other words, the device has been under "remote" control all along — the transmitter just happens to be a remote control.
Swapping the transmitter from a remote to a phone lets most of the protocol and logic be reused. This is not building a new feature from zero. It is giving something that already works a new entry point.
What It Means for You
| Your situation | The question to ask |
|---|---|
| Many modes, few buttons | Can a phone screen supply the missing entry point |
| A remote is already fitted | The protocol works — can an App connect to it |
| Features added, users stay on default | Can the features actually get used |
| The manual keeps getting longer | Can the manual move onto a screen |
This is not something you must do. If your device is a single switch and a single setting, the remote is enough — no need to add anything.
But if your device has five or more modes, and you know users only ever use one or two of them — then there is room here.
Follow the official account "飞蛋服务" (FeiEgg Service) for the onboarding process and FAQs. Send your device details to the account (how many modes, how switching works today) and we will reply.