Mint Usability

Good news everybody! Apple’s iPhone OS is (some would say finally) getting into the multitasking game. Well, they are about to get into the game, the new OS was just announced today.

I was following the event via Engadget and saw something that caught my eye. Here’s a quote from the QA session in the iPhone OS 4 event (from Engadget):

“Q: How do you close applications when multitasking? A: (Scott Forstall) You don’t have to. The user just uses things and doesn’t ever have to worry about it. A: (Steve Jobs) It’s like we said on the iPad, if you see a stylus, they blew it. In multitasking, if you see a task manager… they blew it. Users shouldn’t ever have to think about it.”

Now, this is why I have a serious love-hate relationship with open source as a whole: It just seems to be unable (as a process) to provide good UX or usability. Lately I’ve been following the Android camp a lot, and I’ve even became quite giddy about the new HTC Desire: The way it (Android 2.1) handles multitasking, notifications etc. is just amazing. Same couldn’t be said about iPhone, at least so far, until the Android-like multitasking arrives.

However, the problem with Android is that it’s open source, which inherently means that anyone can pitch in, even if they have no experience in the matter. Good example is that some Android developers even keep saying that Android needs a task manager, because it’s a multitasking platform. Which, no matter what way you look at it, is just the wrong way to look at the problem. Or, one could even say that the first step is admitting that you have a problem… Meanwhile, UX/usability experts are trying to tell people that if the most downloaded program in Android Market is a task manager, something is inherently off. When it comes to good UX, the user shouldn’t be worrying about these things, rather than just use the damn thing.

This, is something that open source process has, so far, been unable to deliver. However, commercial projects realize this, just because they do focus group testing, they do UX/usability evaluations etc. I’ve talked this lot before and I will say it again – Open source, as in it’s current form, is just not capable of providing products that deliver good UX. Good UX (like good usability) needs designers and testing, neither of which are present in open source projects. Or, if they are, their voices can’t be heard from all the other opinions making themselves heard.

So tip of my hat to Apple. This might actually be enough to get me into the iPad game, since for me the no. 1 problem, hands down, was the lack of multitasking. If I can’t run for example IM messaging, Spotify and a browser at the same time, the device is as good as dead weight for me. “It has the best browsing experience, ever! Boom!” – Well, it doesn’t matter to me if that’s ALL you are going to do with the device. Besides, my main browsing experience is not going anywhere from my desktop and full size real keyboard (and hopefully soon new big screen). But now, with multitasking, the device just got a whole lot interesting!

Now, if they would just let me use it properly without iTunes, I would be a happy camper. But, knowing S. Jobs, that is never going to happen. Which just makes me a sad panda.

PS. I have to say that, I think Steve was wrong saying “stylus is just making it wrong“, as I have bunch of designer/artist friends who would just looove this thing with pressure sensitive stylus.

Today Apple unveiled the much rumored iTablet called iPad. The abilities of the device (or lack of) have already caused lots of conversation out there. I naturally decided to concentrate just on user interface of the device. So, how does the Apple’s new toy go around the bends? I’ve made a quick analysis via Engadget’s hands-on video, and the pictures I’ve seen since the launch. The pictures in the article are also from that same video.

Now, granted, I do not have an iPhone here and do not possess the greatest of memories, so some of this stuff might have been already on current version of iPhone OS but, nevertheless, I’m addressing the issues still.

The Groundwork

The iPad is running new version of  iPhone OS, version 3.2, so for iPhone owner the basic UI should be rather simplistic experience: few desktops, side by side, full of icons and few “permanent” icons down at the tray. Tap any icon and the application launches, simple as apple pie. Since it has no multitasking, the application handling is also as easy as it gets – There simply is no such thing. You’re either in or out from the application.

The Basics

The basic navigation within applications is simple enough – if you drill down within an application (think of artist -> songs) by tapping the top left corner of the screen, the OS always takes you back one level, to the state where you were earlier. Simple enough. This is the basics of tried and true iPhone OS. However, it’s after this foundation where the things start to get hairier.

Continue reading “Quick analysis of Apple iPad’s User Interface”