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Re: [Design] Page stack back gesture

 

I agree with Sid that any potential gesture should be possible with only one digit and preferably the thumb.

I'm personally not keen on either the shake or pinch ideas. I think shaking is a cumbersome and ugly gesture on a phone (and especially tablet). After using iOS and having shake as the only method to invoke undo, I'm tired of feeling that I could fling my phone across the room accidentally! Pinching requires more than one digit, and in my opinion, interrupts the users flow (I realise I suggested it earlier, but on 2nd thought, it's not good UX).

Taking the gesture idea further, how about the idea of tracing a circle (anti clockwise, one finger/thumb), in the centre of the screen, mimicking a large circular dial/knob as a method of navigating back. The welcome screen, circle device would fit this idea nicely. Each 'click' of this the gesture/dial would represent navigating back one step. It's essentially a software version of the click wheel. I can see the novelty value of this, but is it good UX?

My main concerns with this idea would be:

(1) Why didn't Apple implement it on iOS, does it make for a bad experience? (2) Dealing with increments - some dials may require, for example, just 2 steps, others 5. This would make the dial always un-familiar and play havoc with muscle memory.

Aside from the original gesture I suggested in my email (tracing a anti clockwise semi circle/back shape). I wonder if the toolbar should be visible by default on 'page stack' pages. I think that the page context requires it. I can only envision 2 types of scenario where page stack is used:

    (1) Navigation to a destination (drilling down through lists).
(2) Destination (information of some kind that requires an action, whether adding, editing or navigating away via the 'Back' button).

If this is actually the case and I'm not blind to other scenarios, I see that enforcing a chrome-less, full screen view without a toolbar would be detrimental to the experience. I feel that if the toolbar was visible on page stack sub pages, it would still be in-line with the spirit of using full screen to enable the best possible user experience (where appropriate).

Taking it one step further, the toolbar could be shown by default on page stack sub pages, but hidden when the use begins scrolling, this idea comes from Evernote on iPhone when editing a note.

However, I must concede that a visible toolbar wouldn't be anywhere near as attractive and clean as the current hidden-by-default toolbar!

Lou






On 12/06/13 11:22, Sid Payton wrote:

I really like the idea having a gesture for going back since the back button is hidden which is the biggest drawback ubuntu touch has in my eyes. But it shoudn't be something you need two or more fingers for. I want to be able to use my phone With just one hand.
So a gesture Wirth is easy to do with the thumb comes to mind.
Something like a fast stroke To the right and back to the left. Or to fast Strokes To the left. Something that doesn't interfear with the other gestures. Or like a triangle witjout the button. Just two strokes.

Am 12.06.2013 11:41 schrieb "Clément Gimenez" <clement.gimenez@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:clement.gimenez@xxxxxxxxx>>:

    Hello all,

    First contribution as well for me today ;)

    I agree with Lou's ideas : a nice gesture for going back would
    have a real added value. Of course in addition to the
    "traditionnal" back button, which then will be most of the time
    hidden in the menus for the old folks...

    I'd go for the multitouch gesture : Pinching to come back to an
    upper level seems to me quite natural. It's not new, as we have
    the same features in the Android and Win8 homescreens that can be
    pinched to give an overview on them.

    For the particular case of the pictures app', we'll have problems
    to combine it with zooming/unzooming the picture we are looking at.

    That's why i'd say a 3 (or more)-fingers pinch would be necessary.
    This would look like grabbing the screen with the whole hand, as
    we'd take away the upper paper of a stack.

    Congrats for the work done so far, and good luck with the
    upcomming tasks !

    Clément

    > Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:11:51 +0100
    > From: lougreenwood@xxxxxx <mailto:lougreenwood@xxxxxx>
    > To: ubuntu-phone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    <mailto:ubuntu-phone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
    > Subject: [Ubuntu-phone] [Design] Page stack back gesture
    >
    > Hi all,
    >
    > This is my first contribution to the list. I've only recently
    discovered
    > the Ubuntu Phone effort, but it looks like it will be very
    interesting,
    > powerful & beautiful, kudos to the artists!
    >
    > I've just been looking through the design guidelines for Ubuntu
    Phone
    > and something stuck out to me. I hope this is the right place to
    raise
    > the concern and I'm not stepping on anyone's toes.
    >
    > Specifically, on the 'Page Stack' guidelines page
    > (http://design.ubuntu.com/apps/building-blocks/page-stack), I
    noticed
    > that the back button will always be hidden in the toolbar. Putting
    > usability concerns aside that such an important exit method is
    hidden by
    > default (see iOS and it's omnipresent back buttons), I wonder
    whether
    > using a gesture for navigating back has been considered, perhaps a
    > pinch, or my favourite, tracing out the shape of the back icon
    (e.g a
    > swipe upwards and to the left or more naturally, a circular
    motion from
    > 6 o'clock anticlockwise to 9)? The vision for the OS seems to be
    very
    > gesture focused, it seems it may have been over looked in this case.
    >
    > I imagine that the page stack will be a very common view, having to
    > swipe up and then stretch and tap, just to go back, could become
    > fatiguing. Perhaps once I get my hands on a working set-up my
    concerns
    > will be unfounded.
    >
    > Thanks
    >
    > Kind regards
    >
    > Lou
    >
    >
    >
    >
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