Design challenge: makng your own remote button layout; want your advice

[Whiterabbit]

I've been kicking around the idea of making my own remote for some time now, and I have some spare minutes to work on the button layout. I want to know what folks here would do if THEY were designing a remote.

I understand many here will not have any training or experience when it comes to "button mapping", but I'd suggest at the very least think about the universal capability before recommending any willy nilly combination.

without further ado, here are the design constraints:

-The remote is to be located BEHIND a steering wheel.
-The buttons will be felt by the hand to know layout/function.
-Button spacing is to be close, but changing spacing can help tell one from another
-All buttons can be one of two sizes. small circle and big circle (approx 2mm and 3mm diameter. 3mm diameter sticks out approx. 1mm farther)
-To make the electronics simple, the only available functions are those found on an existing remote.
-Push buttons only. No fancy input methods.

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Because they are to be out of view, the button orientation is absolutely critical.

So, I found a remote at best buy that has the same functions as the ipod itself, which is to say, seven buttons. (replacing each rotation direction with a button) So here is what I came up with:

A diamond to match the four buttons up down left and right, spaced as close as possible (about 1/4 inch center to center). This forces the "ok" button to be located outside the diamond, but does allow for instant recognition of where the hand is by feel. it would be like the two nubs on a keyboard over F and J keys. the other buttons would be placed accordingly.

I figure four buttons after that would be appropriate. to copy "ok", "touchwheel right", "touchwheel left", and "shuffle" which I find on many remotes too. right and left obviously need to go next to each other, I figure 1/3rd of an inch away from the diamond buttons. I think up and down is appropriate rather than left and right since menu navigation goes up and down.

But placing the OK button in just the right spot is harder. maybe it would be best to make the diamond bigger and put OK in the middle? leaving an orphan shuffle button?

That is probably it. I can make the OK button a 2mm button.

[Whiterabbit]

or really, the OK button will be used with the menu up and down buttons OUTSIDE the diamond controller, so wouldnt it make sense to place it with menu up and menu down? How about this:

a triangle, where the tip of the finger rests on 3mm up and 3mm down buttons, and just inside that, farther up the finger, goes the 2 mm "ok" button. the finger wouldnt even have to move when navigating the ipod unless the "go to previous menu" function was needed.

how does that sound? What would you guys do?

[Whiterabbit]

let's say that functionally, volume will never be used. only navigating and playing the ipod.