A remote controller that interacts with a system under control (SUC) includes: at least one input adapted to receive data from a user; a command interpreter adapted to evaluate data received via the at least one input and determine whether the received data is associated with a remote command from among a set of remote commands associated with the SUC; at least one communication element adapted to send remote commands to the SUC; and at least one haptic feedback element adapted to provide feedback to the user, where the SUC is an in-vehicle system including a display. An automated method includes: generating a list of recognizers; passing user input event data to the recognizers; determining a status for each recognizer; identifying a single recognizer based on the status, and retrieving a command associated with the single recognizer, where the input event is associated with an in-vehicle system having a display.