Abstract The implementation of electronic shifters (e-shifter) for automatic transmissions in vehicles has created many new opportunities for the customer facing transmission interface and in-vehicle packaging. E-shifters have become popular in recent years as their smaller physical size leads to packaging advantages, they reduce the mass of the automatic transmission shift system, they are easier to install during vehicle assembly, and act as an enabler for autonomous driving. A button-style e-shifter has the ability to create a unique customer interface to the automatic transmission, as it is very different from the conventional column lever or linear console shifter. In addition to this, a button-style e-shifter can free the center console of valuable package space for other customer-facing functions, such as storage bins and Human-Machine Interface controllers. This paper will investigate customer preferences around the layout, in-vehicle placement, and functional attributes of a button-style e-shifter. The Design for Six Sigma methodology was employed to act as the framework for this study. This team defined relevant customer requirements and preferences which pertained to the transmission shifter interface. Functional attributes and regulatory compliance criteria for the button-style e-shifter were identified. The team then designed and conducted a series of customer clinics to gather feedback and preferences on button-style e-shifter placement, function, and interface attributes. These studies included visibility in vehicle, customer reach, gear layout of the shifter and tactile feel of the customer interface. Where applicable, a Customer Loss Function (defined as using customer data to define the inflection point where the customer finds objection to a design attribute) was created to define customer preferred reach zones and limits. The results of this study were the basis for a design guideline, which is to be followed by both styling and engineering when incorporating an e-shifter into a vehicle’s interior environment. Introduction Light duty vehicles have four key human-machine interfaces to the driver: seat, steering wheel, pedals, and transmission shifter. Each of these driver interfaces needs to be a natural and intuitive interaction with the proper feedback in order to convey a confident and satisfying experience to the driver. Traditionally, automatic transmission shifters have been mechanical in design, with the driver interfacing to a shifter located on the interior of the vehicle which connects a linkage or cable between shifter mechanism and the mechanical linkage on the transmission. When using a mechanical shifter, the driver experiences feedback from mechanical detents (either in the shifter or in the transmission) as the transmission shifts into gear. Also, the driver has to initiate an intentional motion to shift out of Park and apply the required force to disengage the transmission’s park mechanism. This serves as both a safety consideration (intentional action by the driver to remove the vehicle from Park) and a force input to disengage the transmission’s park mechanism. Figure 1. BMW e-Shifter [ 1] There are many benefits to implementing an e-shifter. The first benefit is that an e-shifter can provide a new or different customer interface to the vehicle. The e-shifter can be configured to be similar to a conventional mechanical shifter with PRNDL gear pattern. It can also be totally reconfigured to a new, unique experience. For example, the 4 th Generation BMW 5-series (E60 chassis) introduced a unique shift pattern consisting of R-N-D with a separate push-button Park function in 2008 (see Figure 1). A second benefit of an e-shifter is that it offers the opportunity of a smaller physical package. An e-shifter usually has a mass advantage when compared to a conventional shifter, as the mechanical linkage of a conventional shifter is effectively transformed into