Saturday, September 21, 2013

iOS feedback (usability flaws in iOS 7)

I've just sent this to Apple feedback:

I generally like iOS 7, but:

For example, windows of folders only show 9 icons until you scroll (and there’s only a microscopic hint that you *can* scroll. Not a scroll bar or an arrow, just the three tiny dots at the bottom). There’s lots of space between icons and lots of space outside the window, but you can’t change any of it!
That's sinful wast of space. There could easily be at least twice as many icons in a window.
Perhaps the iPad version was behind, and this is partly just a port of the iPhone interface (there are exactly nine icons in those windows on the phone). I noticed that all the previews we saw were shown on iPhones, not iPads. I guess that'd be a good sign, because then it's likely it was not on purpose and will be fixed soon.

And how about a Special Mode for advanced users where you *can* change the size of windows, maybe even icons too? Maybe have two windows open at once? Maybe even two apps?  Imagine the uproar if you couldn't do those things on the Mac. The iPad is the Post-PC device, isn't it? It shouldn't have such tight limits on its capabilities.

Also in menu windows, if you can scroll (if there is more content than is seen), it *should be clearly indicated*. There still is none, except if you somehow figure out maybe you can scroll and try it, there's an aneamic tiny line on the right which moves when you move your finger. I'll bet many don't even notice it, and it disappears when you no longer scroll. Why?

I heard Jon Ive says that now people know how to use a touch-interface, it has freed the designers tremendously from having to show how to do stuff (like indicate what's a button and what's not). Well, there's truth in there, but I recommend having a talk with Jakob Nielsen. There are still millions of users who are insecure about touch interfaces, and billions more who haven't even used one yet.

Why does iOS now refuse to set a desktop image at the size I prefer? It blows it up until it's all blurry and only the center of the image is shown. It is *not necessary* that all the screen is covered at all times. In fact, I like it when there's space outside the image for icons.

Oh, and regarding the new idea with very thin, very small, and very light-colored text and buttons... It's aesthetic, but I wonder if your beta test group contains anybody over the age of 45? It's a bit overdone, is what I'm saying. Some of it is nigh invisible, like the buttons in Safari. (Oh, just found a tip to make the very thin font bold.)

I'm sorry, don't mean to sound bitter, in general, iOS is way better than the alternatives. But interface irritants really rub me the wrong way.

 -----
Look at this: There could easily be space for many more icons, making scrolling unnecessary in many cases. You know that many people will quickly have 100+ apps in one folder, that'll make for a lot of scrolling.

Otherwise I generally like the new interface.
(This was one of the lucky images where just the center enough, and sharp enough, to function well as wallpaper. (Of course it's Isabella from Phineas And Ferb.))

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I strongly encourage you to go to the app. store and download a free copy of iPad User Guide for iOS7. Just about every one of the items you're ranting about can be changed using the options available.

What? You mean Apple didn't customize iOS7 exactly how you'd like it?

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Thanks for the tip, Kathe.

I have found the guide (I had to go via a web search, oddly it did not turn up on a search in the App Store).
It does not seem to have a Contents section, nor an index. So I used Search.
I'm sorry to report I searched in vain for any way of changing the size of folder windows, or making regular scroll bars appear.

Nor do I find any info about how to make the OS allow me to make the screen image smaller than the screen.

anon said...

Perhaps you should search better, found this in about 15 seconds...

http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1595/en_US/ipad_user_guide.pdf

It has a table of contents, haven't read it yet so I don't know if it contains the info claimed.