A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system is described, the thermostat having a user interface that is visually pleasing, approachable, and easy to use while also providing intuitive navigation within a menuing system. In a first mode of operation, an electronic display of the thermostat displays a population of tick marks arranged in an arcuate arrangement including a plurality of background tick marks, a setpoint tick mark representing a setpoint temperature, and an ambient temperature tick mark representing an ambient temperature, the setpoint temperature being dynamically changeable according to a tracked rotational input motion of a ring-shaped user interface component of the thermostat. In a second mode, the a plurality of user-selectable menu options is displayed in an arcuate arrangement along a menu option range area, and respective ones of the user-selectable menu options are selectively highlighted according to the tracked rotational input motion of the ring-shaped user interface component.