While not strictly a user interface issue, the problems I want to discuss are mostly "interface" related, in the sense of interacting with the in-game world through the interface the game presents us with. I'm hardly the first to complain about how things work with mounts and companions, but I wanted to post a detailed and structured feedback thread for discussion, and in the hopes someone from SE actually reads this and picks up on the ideas contained herein. I will also link this to reddit.com/r/ffxiv for further discussion.
  • While mounted, you can not do anything. At all. Not even speak to an NPC. This doesn't make any sense, from both lore and mechanic standpoint, and should be addressed. I can see combat being disabled, but using buffs, items, and other indirect actions such as pet stances, should definitely be allowed. I would not mind seeing casters being able to weave spells from their mounts, at least from a lore standpoint. It's not like sitting on a bird would keep them from pronouncing the incantations.
  • Pets should probably at least ignore incoming damage while the owner is mounted. As it stands, running across aggressive mobs means having to summon my pet when I arrive at my destination. Alternatively, the pet could be "stowed away", and have it reappear once unmounted.
  • Summoning a mount should not be interrupted by moving, and mounting or dismounting should not disable auto run. Lore-wise it makes perfect sense to jump onto your mount while running, and to just run off after jumping off. Mechanically, it's just a lot more convenient and less disruptive. When I want to hop onto my trusty steed, it's because I'm in a hurry. Having to stand there whistling while the chocobo appears is disruptive.
  • When your bird is summoned, you should be able to mount without having to unsummon him first. I see no reason I can't hop onto the bird while he's summoned for combat, just as I should be able to jump back off him, which should not remove him from being summoned, as long as the gysahl timer is still active.
  • Allow us to assign guard and steady stances to our birds.
  • Allow us to summon the bird for combat while moving.
  • Allow to auto-consume gysahl greens if the timer expires, instead of forcing us to summon the chocobo again.