The Perfect SCATT

The team at SCATT is doing great work lately reaching out via their forum. One of the things they are asking for is to have feedback from the users with feature suggestions. Based on that and on my comparison of the SCATT Expert and Professional software (where my preferences are also stated), I’ve prepared a list with features that I would like to see added to their software and also those that I would like to keep in future versions.

This is my list of features for a perfect SCATT, both for the software and the hardware it runs on. I’ve recently changed from a SCATT USB to a MX-02 model and this has had an impact in my preferences. As I keep on using SCATT, learning, and experimenting this list will probably grow and change over time.

Software

• Includes speed, momentum and direction of gun muzzle at the moment of shot release (when it counts the most).
• Has a Match mode to participate in online and postal matches that does not show the traces and stops when you reach the time limit. Traces can be seen after the match is finished.
• Has a toggle to hide and show the traces (during some exercises I don’t want to be distracted by over-analyzing, but I want to be able to go back to having the trace without ending the session).
• Has an option to hide results and traces while showing the number of shots (I suck at counting with the screen off and many of my training programmes start with shots without seeing the screen results).
• Has a pause button so that I can dry fire to the target without having a trace show up (specially important for matches, otherwise I just hide those shots).
• Includes direction arrows in every shot (like in Expert).
• Can deactivate auto zoom on targets (both for trace target and for series targets).
• Allows to change default replay start (eg: only replay from 2 seconds before the shot).
• Does some analysis work for the shooter, helping get insights and not just data.
• Keeps track of historical training data of each shooter, displays relevant charts and data, allows comparison to other shooters in the same computer.
• Creates highlights of shooter, like number of 10s in a row (session and overall), maximum number of continuous shots inside the 9 ring, best scores, record of X (bullseyes), best scores for the different statistical data (speeds, distance to center, etc.).
• Has the looks in line of Expert rather than Profesional (the ellipse or square to understand the trace is helpful and easier to see than the yellow cross for the center of the last second’s trace). 
• Can open files among versions without issues and files can be open by all other versions (e.g: currently Pro can’t open Expert).
• Export/import from/to all versions of SCATT. 
• Shares the same folder for the files of different versions (Professional, Expert, future versions) so we don’t have to import, they are all available in all versions, and it is easy to sync with Google Drive or similar programs they are recorded.
• I can easily find the file for the session in a directory in my hard drive that I can sync for backup (can’t do with Expert).
• It tells me which files have failed to import and why (and makes it easy to copy this information). 
• Has a search box for the shooter’s past practices (date ranges, text, stats…) 
• Exports easily to spreadsheets (CSV, Google Sheets, Excel…) to be able to easily play with data, arrange trackers, create charts…
• Has all the keyboard shortcuts of Professional.
• Allows me to choose multiple files to open with ctrl and shift plus clicks (not working in Expert, we have to click on each file). 
• Has slide bars in the series column to easily navigate. 
• Has a coordination graph for current shot (not average like now on Expert) available to insert as an overlay over the bottom of target where the current shot is displayed. 
• Keeps buttons to navigate to the next and previous session like Expert or opens all chosen sessions in tabs (with the date on the tab).
• Allows me to close the session I’m watching and goes to the next session I’ve loaded. 
• Analyzes the data of my sessions for me and provides insight and pointers on what and how to improve. 
• Has a screen with all the final stats for each session of the shooter and the average at the end. Can be exported as CSV/Excel. Highlights trends. 
• If I have multiple sessions open, it keeps the screens exactly where I left them, so I don’t have to scroll each time I go back to a session to find what I was looking at. 
• Exports sessions individually as single files with shooter name date and time like in Pro. If multiple sessions are exported to a single file the name of the file is Shooter name + date range. 
• No “Back” button like in Expert, it is confusing as we are already  going back to a previous session. Home icon should be in the same button group.  
• Two click new session launch like in Pro. 1 click button for new sessions with the same parameters and shooter. 
• Double click in any parameter in the list of sessions to open them (eg: can select sessions by clicking on date/time or info or box).
• Has tips on how to use everything on screen, also solving light problems, distance setting, etc. 
• It can be launched via the app menu in Linux (not just a file like the current Linux app, an app that actually installs or a shortcut that can launch the app).
• Open API to easily allow third parties to connect and get data so that they can do magic with it (data currently stored as SQLite database).
• Has a manual that explains in simple language how to use it, get the most out of the data, ranges of results to compare to… They already have a lot in these articles.
• Works on Linux, Windows and Mac. 
• Has a mobile app for Android and MacOS that allows to open all files.

Hardware

• Can be connected to the mobile with WiFi/Bluetooth and USB cable.
• Works on mobile at least to allow you to see your past sessions (Android first). 
• Mobile is synced online with shots or can be connected to a Google Drive folder. 
• Sensor auto detects distance to target so that we don’t have to fiddle with the distance ring.
• Works with no target (like using blank targets on a SCATT USB).
• Has adapters to put the sensor on the weight rail of the pistol for all brands, not only Steyr LP and Evo (I would love to have it on my Feinwerkbau P8X), so we can change cylinders without messing up the sensor’s position.

What would you like to have?