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“That’s Dad’s screen in the car!”
At nearly four years old, Rose is a bit young to drive a car – but she is proud to be an inspiration for her dad Josh Moore, a Ford SYNC software engineer.
Having Josh's skills in the family comes with some fun benefits for Rose. Few kids can say that their dad created a secret ‘easter egg’ in the software deployed on thousands of vehicles, directly inspired by their name.
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The SYNC® 4A infotainment system in Ford vehicles, such as the Mustang Mach-E, comes equipped with entertainment apps plus built-in games to entertain yourself or passengers during stops to charge or other waits. With experience coding apps for the SYNC 4A system, Josh designed a brand-new drawing app that meshed perfectly with the existing platform. Passengers can easily craft drawings or doodles using the center touch screen when parked.
To start, Josh meticulously crafted different visual concepts for the app using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop*. Interest from management surged after he presented mock-ups, prompting him to embark on coding the entire application. He then incorporated features, including a special function inspired by his daughter.
Josh’s team rallied around his creation, with colleagues vouching their support for the app and its implementation.
“Having people around that believe in you and who push the limits to what is conventional was instrumental,” said Josh, “I could not have done it myself.”
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After successfully creating the Sketch app, Josh wanted to add a small surprise to celebrate the birth of his daughter – a rose drawing created especially for her and only accessible to those that know how to activate the secret function by quickly tapping the Sketch tab on the top of the screen within a period of 4 seconds.
Josh tinkered with the app’s functionality at home in his off-hours to perfect it, and he surprised management by pitching them the fully completed creation late in the year – with all the work done either in the late hours of the night or early mornings.
“Ford is dedicated to vehicle personalization and customization,” said Josh, “and SYNC technology allows our customers to personalize their vehicle specifically for their tastes. A decade ago, achieving similar levels of customization required the expertise of a professional mechanic, whereas today, users can effortlessly personalize their vehicles with just a few taps on their screens.”
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Although the SYNC 4A system was introduced in 2021 with Sketch first launching on Mustang Mach-E, the rose is still one of SYNC’s least known secrets. In the spirit of personalization, Josh decided to let users figure out how to access the function for themselves.
Josh’s dedication to personalization informs his work, day-in and day-out, and he may have plans to add a few more secret functions – but you’ll just have to wait and see. For now, Rose is slated to be the most popular kid in the class in future “take your parent to work” days.
*Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Inc. The mention of these trademarks in this document does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by Adobe Inc.
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Have you found the secret Sketch function in Sync 4A? What other Easter Eggs have you seen in Ford vehicles? Let us know in the comments.
