Product designers.
 

I just don't get them.

multitouch.

most people hold phone in one hand, therefore there is only ONE thing on the screen, a thumb.
or,
two hands, two thumbs,
or,
support with one hand, use fingers of other hand, four digits.

the famous "pinch to zoom" function which is de rigeure, is an obsolete function 1/3 time, so when compared to the "corkscrew" we have (browser N900), could anyone justify pinch to zoom?


screen/phone size.

who the hell can actually operate a 4.3" device in one hand?

i sure can't, let alone comfortably reach ALL of the screen.

can anyone justify these ridiculous sizes?


Internal storage.

nokia + apple are only phone companies that provide any level of storage. why?


and lastly a slightly subjective one, but all modern mobiles look the same.

there's nothing left of the old HTC diamond with their unique cases, NOKIA is only company that shows consistent individuality. even the LG designer series is dead after that amazing BL40..

how can they think by releasing clones of each other, they can win?


seriously, these are some of the things bugging me about the industry today. could somebody tell me what i'm missing?

and on a side note, i decided not to get an N9
NOKIA had finally gone too far.

but after searching for something else, I couldn't find any alternative!

64gb internal storage?
ability to operate in one hand?
unique design?
global warranty?
solid construction? (the amount of people that have totaled there phone from a hip-height fall is ridiculous)
and it can't be said enough, it's such a breath of fresh air.

sure it could've been so much more, but it's still the best.

it's sort of how usaine bolt won the 100m.
he won easily, setting a new record.
he could've absolutely destroyed the old record, but he only did enough to win.
so we see this, yay, new fastest man, but we're all disappointed.
what could he have acheived if he hadn't held back?

and that's the N9.

Thoughts?

ps, kudos if you read the whole thing!

Re: Product designers.
 

I do. use the Arc 4,2 with one hand and zoom. you use your thumb and the side of your index finger.

I didnt read the whole post. to long. sorry.

EDIT: I think n9 is to small. would have liked 4,2 to 4.7

Re: Product designers.
 

Yes, pinch to zoom is possible with one hand, but awkward. The same is true about reaching some parts of the screen with your thumb, so iPhones etc are actually made to be held in one hand, while being operated with the other.

That's why the N9's focus on improving one handed use is a pretty big deal in this class of phones. As for your other questions, the simple answer is, that it's hard.

There is a pretty big gap in terms of product design between the N9 and the current iPhone, but there's an even bigger gap after that. If you refuse to buy Nokia or Apple out of principle, that is just something you have to live with.

Re: Product designers.
 

And then, we should admit that there is already an almost perfect thumb-operated UI, and it is Symbian s60v3, for keyboard-operated phones. But it's become boring, at least for people that don't have to get things done.

Re: Product designers.
 

I for one actually prefer the corkscrew zoom over pinch zoom, in lets say the browser.

But I do understand some apps need gestures (press, long press, swipe in 4 directions, screw-clockwise, screw-anticlockwise) that you run out of good options and need to stick with pinch-zooming. I do say multifinger-swiping (on a handheld) is not as user friendly as they make it out to be, but this may be a whole another thing on tablets.

Re: Product designers.
 

These days UX/UI designers in general seem to be more focused on shiny than usability.

Re: Product designers.
 

Simply because the users wants it shiny rather than usability.

Re: Product designers.
 

I think too many users aren't thinking at all, just reacting.

Re: Product designers.
 

Yes, the lack of direction in this industry is amazing.

Sooner or later somebody will come and explode the market with a fresh device, like the first iPhone has done some time ago.

The difference will be that this time around it will be a device geared towards doing useful work and interoperability.

Let's face it -- for all its innovative features, the iPhone (and its Android clones) is first and foremost a toy, a glorified handheld gaming system.

Re: Product designers.
 

+google on Texrats both posts
Users are plain stupid. At least most of them. They only want thing because on paper they seem better the any other or better then the rivals in case of fanboys. Will they have any use of it or how is it in actual day to day use it doesn't matter any more because manufacturer said that it is great product. :(

Re: Product designers.
 

Nothing comes close to symbian one handed use. Unfortunately the (generally dumb) users are king, they see the shiny shiny and buy it. And then the thousands of pointless apps to amuse the users.

The N9 however is a step in the right direction - its shiny and should hopefully have some aps, but also have access to the terminal for power users.

Most people on here see the iphone as gimmicky - and thats why nokia probably thought about it too, which is why they are in this predicament to begin with.

Re: Product designers.
 

Yeah I think it's just a matter of perception. I mean, how can people think that obscuring what's on screen with your fingers is better than stylus use for internet browsing for example. That's my main problem with capacitive screens. Unless onscreen elements are big enough, you'll miss the mark 50 percent of the time. Resistive screen plus a hardware keyboard are the best input methods in my opinion.

Re: Product designers.
 

The thing about finger navigation vs stylus navigation comes down to the user.

Most users have their fingers always ready to tap and swipe, but the stylus is usually stored somewhere. And once you adapt to finger navigation, it becomes much faster to use than stylus navigation. I think the stylus should be adopted for specialty uses that require accuracy, whereas finger navigation for things that require precision (most uses).

Re: Product designers.
 

well, yes. But the problem is that users don't have options any more. On P910 I had 4 ways of text input. Now we have one. :( :rolleyes:

Re: Product designers.
 

hmm i tend to agree, same old candybars, wish we were seeing more devices like mozilla labs concept phone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2lj109xEZw

ignore the os and miniUSB etc, some really great hw ideas there

http://www.instablogsimages.com/imag...YHuT_18770.jpg

Re: Product designers.
 

1GHz Dual core, 1GB RAM, microSD, removable battery, hardware keyboard .... sounds right up my alley ;)

Re: Product designers.
 

doesn't anyone feel that the N9 IS the "usability-renaissance" we've been looking for?

i def feel this has equal hype power to the debut iphone. pulling that baby out + swipe swipe, people will just say
"omg"

(assuming it all works as advertised :P )