[updated] Idea: 8 cover actions + close app using swipe only

asked 2013-12-27 07:35:58 +0200

gukke
503 ●9 ●13 ●16

updated 2014-01-31 03:30:58 +0200

chemist
41469 ●392 ●542 ●615

moderator

http://talk.maemo.org/

Hello! This is an idea for how Sailfish could provide up to eight cover actions + close app option, using only swipe and release. No long press or other stuff is needed. It works very similar to how cover actions work today and is to be viewed as an extension of current active cover functionality, providing the possibility to add up to eight cover actions + close app, as well as ample visual feedback (you thumb is not in the way of what you are doing).

This image illustrates the essence of the idea:

The user swipes the cover, in this case the settings app, causing icons representing cover options (+ close app) to appear in stead of covers of other open apps (if any). Thumb movement is represented by the green arrow and the yellow arrow is a scaled up version of the green arrow that the system uses in order to select the desired action (the user gets haptic feedback every time a different action is highlighted, just like now). Without it, the user would have to move all over the screen in order to select an option. Instead, the user will now be able to select options all over the screen with small amounts of thumb movement, barely moving outside the space of the active cover. This also means that the thumb will never be in the way of what you want to select. Obviously, both of these arrows are invisible in real use.

UPDATE: a better alternative to having all actions appear all over the screen the instant you start swiping a cover would work like this:
1. You swipe left or right on a cover.
2. If you simply wanted one of the standard left/right actions, you release and the action is selected. Thus far everything is exactly as today, even visually.
3. But if you wanted one of the extended actions, you begin swiping vertically (down or up depending on where the cover you activated is situated).
4. This vertical motion causes the extended options to appear like in the picture , and from there everything works as described above.
This way, you don't have to chock the user with stuff popping up all over the screen just because he/she begins swiping left or right (I can see that this clashes with the minimalistic/simple/user-friendly approach) but instead, the options are hidden yet easily accessible would the user need them

So, now the problem of "but which options should be where, and what happens if the active cover used is not the one in the middle?" In my mind, the best way to solve this is having a list (1-8) of cover actions. Here, cover actions are automatically rated by the system depending on how often they are used, with the added ability for users to pin actions. Higher rated options will always appear closer to the users thumb, regardless of where on the screen the activated cover happens to be, and options rated 1 and 2 will always be left and right. Some users would never even have to know this list existed, others would want to tweak it to perfection.

I'm sorry, I tried to be brief, but what is complicated for the developer is sometimes the opposite for the user!

ps. Parasemic posted a similar idea where you access the additional actions by long-pressing instead of swiping. The user could always simply get to choose which alternative suits him/her best. ds.