| |
| 17 February 2006 |
|
|
Hero and Kickflip phones for Helio. A great example of right done interface – roundabout-style menu and scroll wheel. The wheel rotates, the menu rotates – what could be simpler?
That is, if the round thingie I see is a wheel and not some kind of a d-pad.
(Via Engadget)
 |
|
| Posted at 10:26 AM | Comments (2) |
|
|
 |
| 17 February 2006 |
|
|
Mobile interfaces are taking the wrong turn. I can say that looking at Samsung or Motorola new UI. I can even say that looking at obviously better recent Nokia and Sony Ericsson’s UI. Not because WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointing Devices) doesn’t translate well to mobile interfaces. Because looks like everybody is competing which interface will resemble more a smartphone OS – not by functionality, but for cluttered UI, multi-level menus, overlapping windows etc.
I strongly believe mobile UI shouldn’t be just a succession of abstract actions that you just have to learn and remember - like pushing the joystick down from idle screen to see address book though nothing on the screen indicates that. I think it should be more like a small game world with easily understandable “laws of physics”. Also the interface and controls should work together to provide immersion in this world. Last but not the least proper animation should make the interaction believable.
For example the simplest pan-and-zoom model: all of the “windows” are on a surface. An easy model to understand – you can “zoom out” to seen the whole picture, select some window, “zoom in” to see it in full screen.
Or other model which I’ve called “roundabout-zoom”: windows that rotate along a scroll-wheel.
iPod isn’t a good example here, because I don’t see a strong connection between interface and controls – the wheel rotates, but menu’s doesn’t. I’d prefer to see in this case a roundabout-style menu as in older Philips or Sony phones.
So, my advice to mobile UI developers – instead of designing a miniaturized version of desktop OS, better imagine that you are designing a small game. Simple, engaging and easy to play. |
|
| Posted at 09:48 AM | Comments (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
