Andriod UI - what are they thinking?

[IOWA]

Why can't you just hit the home button and be back to the launcher? You don't have to back all the way out. Just because you're used to a 'quit' button doesn't mean you need a quit button

Lol people really hit back instead of the home button? Lol?..

 

[LoyalServant]

Lol people really hit back instead of the home button? Lol?..

Actually, yes.
On my Droid X the back button is where the home button was on my Nexus.
So.. I keep hitting that button.
Since my finger is already there I just spam it to get out, I guess.

I would like the hardware makers to standardize on the hardware buttons personally but that's a totally different subject.

We could have a chunk of our screen taken up by buttons like iWidgets have, but I would rather have the hardware buttons personally.

So yeah... I guess I will keep hitting the back button until I train myself to move over one more key to the home button.

 

[marefin]

I can't believe this thread is still going....gonna be a good day at work

 

[shawn1224]

Although I recognize that "officially" android apps do not need to be "closed", my main pet peeve with android is that in many cases one has to keep hitting the back button to completely leave an app.

Case in point, the Browser. If I am several pages deep in my surfing I have to keep hitting back until it exits. I want to stop the browser so when I reopen it comes up to the home page.

What is needed I believe is an "exit" feature (doesn't matter whether it kills the app or not) that stops the app and makes so that upon restarting it is in a known mode. Again in the case of the browser, when I reopen it I want my home page to show up.

It is very telling that one of the updates in Gingerbread is in fact a "close app" feature. Obviously, Google realized something here.

Even though Windows is a bad example, you wouldn't just minimize apps all the time. You always "exit" the app.

So to me, android apps always feel like they are being "minimized" as opposed to "exited".

Having said all this I love android. As I write this I had to rectivate my Blackberry Storm because I am going to Europe and needed a phone. But I already miss the android. The BB OS feels so clunky by comparison.

What I'd love is an android BB. No question in my mind that BB makes the best equipment. If they coupled with android then look out.

If you want to exit a window press menu > windows > the x button on the right

Now if you go back to browser, it will take you to your home page.

Really people, it's not as hard as you're making it out to be.

 

[EarlyMon]

If you want to exit a window press menu > windows > the x button on the right

Now if you go back to browser, it will take you to your home page.

Really people, it's not as hard as you're making it out to be.

On my browser when I'm down to the last window, I have no X - how is it on yours?

 

[IOWA]

Actually, yes.
On my Droid X the back button is where the home button was on my Nexus.
So.. I keep hitting that button.
Since my finger is already there I just spam it to get out, I guess.

I would like the hardware makers to standardize on the hardware buttons personally but that's a totally different subject.

We could have a chunk of our screen taken up by buttons like iWidgets have, but I would rather have the hardware buttons personally.

So yeah... I guess I will keep hitting the back button until I train myself to move over one more key to the home button.

That IS something someone else mentioned (albeit in a troll-like fashion) that irks me. There should be a standard order button set. I think the EVO setup is perfect.

It should be Home / Menu / Back / Search on all android devices.

 

[EarlyMon]

That IS something someone else mentioned (albeit in a troll-like fashion) that irks me. There should be a standard order button set. I think the EVO setup is perfect.

It should be Home / Menu / Back / Search on all android devices.

Absolutely agree because that's absolutely correct.

 

[marefin]

It should be Home / Menu / Back / Search on all android devices.

I disagree. It should be Menu / Home / Back / Search .......... with the volume on the left and power on the right

 

[Bnice]

@EarlyMon
Same here,one always remain depending which you close out.How many windows can you have open at once? I get four.

 

[EarlyMon]

I disagree. It should be Menu / Home / Back / Search .......... with the volume on the left and power on the right

Home being outermost to the app, it makes more sense being the outermost button.

Putting power where fingers may be during a call is whacked, but some phone are like that.

PS to Bnice, yep, 4.

 

[marefin]

Home being outermost to the app, it makes more sense being the outermost button. Putting power where fingers may be during a call is whacked, but some phone are like that.

But it took me so long to get used to the setup on my Captivate. I would literally cry if I had to get used to another setup at this point

 

[EarlyMon]

But it took me so long to get used to the setup on my Captivate. I would literally cry if I had to get used to another setup at this point

They'd be tears of joy.

Srsly tho, I have to live with both, and you get used to changing gears.

Sammy's got it backwards.

 

[shawn1224]

On my browser when I'm down to the last window, I have no X - how is it on yours?

It still shows the x button on the last window, albeit I'm running stock froyo but I'm almost sure it was like that on eclair as well.

 

[EarlyMon]

Mine's like this - carousel-style:

 

[shawn1224]

I guess those are the sacrifices you have to deal with on Sense UI.

Is there no way to change to a list view?

 

[EarlyMon]

I guess those are the sacrifices you have to deal with on Sense UI.

Is there no way to change to a list view?

No way to change. You take the good with the bad. I keep auditioning other browsers - but I come back to this one because I still like it best so far, and browser preference is just one of those personal things.

I have high hopes for Firefox...

 

[UIexpert]

"Why can't you just hit the home button and be back to the launcher? "

I don't know what you mean. I want to be at the "home" of the App. Not back to the phones home. I'm saying there should be a standard way to do this. Some apps do have "back to home" button, some do not.... and they will always hide in some menu or another. There are no standards... Did google release guidelines to App developers covering such things?


Someone mentioned that he has a "work" space and "play" space etc etc (7 spaces!) How do I create these on my Nexus S? Can I have two sets of spaces (two completely different looks and content?) and switch back and forth?

Also - when I receive a text and check the notification bar I get to the contact first and then I need to click him and THEN I get to the message. I want to get directly to the message without going thru the person. Is that possible?

Thanks

 

[CXXV]

Hitting the home button when in the browser results in it being stuck on the last page visited. So when you open it again it will not be on the home page. Use the Dolphin browser and see I it should be done.

And yes we do know the difference between home and back...why do some people always feel the need to belittle....

 

[marefin]

I don't know what you mean. I want to be at the "home" of the App. Not back to the phones home. I'm saying there should be a standard way to do this. Some apps do have "back to home" button, some do not.... and they will always hide in some menu or another. There are no standards... Did google release guidelines to App developers covering such things?

you want a button that you can press to go back to the home screen of the app that you are in?? umm....WHY? is it really that difficult to just press the back key? i'm really curious to know which app has that many screens that you need to press to go back to the home screen of the app.

Someone mentioned that he has a "work" space and "play" space etc etc (7 spaces!) How do I create these on my Nexus S? Can I have two sets of spaces (two completely different looks and content?) and switch back and forth?

what do you mean my "spaces"? just curious.

Also - when I receive a text and check the notification bar I get to the contact first and then I need to click him and THEN I get to the message. I want to get directly to the message without going thru the person. Is that possible?

I don't have this issue at all. Maybe that's something that is changeable through settings or options?

 

[UIexpert]

you want a button that you can press to go back to the home screen of the app that you are in?? umm....WHY? is it really that difficult to just press the back key? i'm really curious to know which app has that many screens that you need to press to go back to the home screen of the app.

Lets say you are in "maps", layers, more layers, favorite places,London screen.

Now take me back to maps without selecting anything. (I'm in NY) and without clicking 5 times back, or going thru home and clicking maps again.

It's not difficult press back 5 times... no.

 

[EarlyMon]

Some apps do have "back to home" button, some do not.... and they will always hide in some menu or another. There are no standards... Did google release guidelines to App developers covering such things?

You betcha booties they did.

Some app devs simply don't follow them.

And the standard is:

• Home button leaves your app state preserved and takes you to the launcher
• Leave the Home button alone unless you're a service-level app like a launcher or desktop-extender
• Use the Menu for all options, including app exit if you want to provide one

I think you're still looking for the Windows (also Mac) standardized behavior the File menu - that sort of thing. It's not going to happen on an embedded Linux system.

User Interface Guidelines | Android Developers

See also the links to the left on that page.

Correct app behavior for standardization is highly defined.

And - I too would be most interested in your upcoming reply to marefin giving us app names so we can follow your frustration by example and try to help.

Please try to give us examples, always. When you describe things in general terms that others don't experience, it will naturally tend to lead to communication shearing.

 

[UIexpert]

Please try to give us examples, always. When you describe things in general terms that others don't experience, it will naturally tend to lead to communication shearing.

So here it is: Lets say you are in "maps", layers, more layers, favorite places, London screen.

Now take me back to maps without selecting anything and without clicking 5 times back, or going thru home and clicking maps again.

 

[EarlyMon]

Lets say you are in "maps", layers, more layers, favorite places,London screen.

Now take me back to maps without selecting anything. (I'm in NY) and without clicking 5 times back, or going thru home and clicking maps again.

It's not difficult press back 5 times... no.

Actually, I just counted 4 clicks for that and I followed your steps. (I'm using the latest version of maps but - 1. layers, 2. more layers, 3. favorite places, 4. London screen - that's 4 in, so it's 4 out.)

I also tried Alexie Sayle (HI ALEXIE!) to get out the sub-menus, saw a little of London and then just hit my location button, upper left, to get back to me.

OK - you're again getting creamed because we all thought you were referring to something else entirely.

You're referring to the hierarchical pop-up sub-menu navigation within an app, not app page navigation.

Not to be flippant - but I don't think it's a highly common use to get from home to London and then decide that the last you wanted was to visit a foreign city at all. Had you made the last step into London, you'd have been only one button from returning home.

This sort of thing isn't just common to Android - managing hierachical sub-menus on embedded systems with touchscreens - not uncommon for the behavior you're seeing at all.

You might suggest to Google (not being sarcastic) that the standard service that apps link to for pop-ups like that include an upper-right X button.

I suspect that they'll evaluate the suggestion in terms of use cases and need.

PS - Web designs don't seem to have that sort of elements per se. I guess you're expecting that that's like a web popup where you control things in the main navigation and then can kill the pop-up. And Windows sub-menus rarely go as deep as three levels - if that - and you have a mouse to get out of the sub-hierarchy quickly. And a bigger screen to manage it all in.

PPS - When I asked for the example 10 minutes after you posted it, please understand I do read all of your posts - I'd simply asked that being seeing your earlier post. As a mod, I have the pleasure of trying to post and do site maintenance at the same time, and I can't always finish a post quickly enough.

 

[lunatic59]

So here it is: Lets say you are in "maps", layers, more layers, favorite places, London screen.

Now take me back to maps without selecting anything and without clicking 5 times back, or going thru home and clicking maps again.

Those are not screens, but selection menus. While they do occupy the screen their behavior is a little different. Press and hold the back button. The thing there, though is it may back you out too far, depending on the screen you started from.

 

[UIexpert]

Those are not screens, but selection menus. While they do occupy the screen their behavior is a little different. Press and hold the back button. The thing there, though is it may back you out too far, depending on the screen you started from.

It's really just one example, I tested many apps and many times found myself clicking back a few times... pop up screen OR actual window, it doesn't matter... there should be a standard "back to home of app" button... it's only logical really.