Android things (2) Android phone Interaction Features

Android has been a hot term in the mobile device industry in recent years. I have compiled this article from the perspective of interaction design. This article is divided into three parts to discuss android with you. In this article, I link to the android things (1) Android in development

The following describes the features of the Android system platform. These features are different from those of other touch-screen mobile phone systems and desktop systems. These features need to be more reflected in our applications, this ensures that this is an Android app. These features may be difficult for users who are used to other mobile phone operating systems and need to learn and adapt again. In addition, the Android System in the growth stage will also be insufficient, the summary of these features helps improve the user experience of applications.

 

First, let's briefly describe who is using the Android mobile phone.DataAccording to Nielsen's recent data survey:

Among female consumers, the proportion of the Iphone to be purchased is 31%, and the proportion of the Android mobile phone to be purchased is 23%;

Among male consumers, the proportion of the Iphone to be purchased is 29%, and the proportion of the Android mobile phone to be purchased is 33%.

Gender differences can be obtained. Men prefer to buy Android phones. This also gives Android a personalized definition: technology, engineering, rules, and rationality.

 

In addition, we can think that most users who use Android phones have a history of using symbian. Users can understand the habit of arranging functional buttons and menus at the bottom of the symbian system.

The simple principle of interaction design is don't make me think. However, after using Android phones, it makes you feel like it makes me think a lot.

Compared with the interaction principle defined by norman, I scored Android (out of 100 ):

Because menu and other elements are placed in the screen space, users seldom fully understand the page functions compared to the Iphone. You must click the menu key to display more functions, so the visibility is not good; consistency is a serious problem due to the multi-version, variety, multiple screens, multiple applications, and multiple users mentioned above.

 

Before the analysis, I summarized five principles of Interactive Design:

1. Reduce the visual pressure. Simplified text

2. Reduce the thinking pressure. Regular icon, less choice

3. Reduce memory pressure. Consistency, using the "7±2" and "Block" principles,

4. Reduce the movement pressure. Display and Operation Proximity

5. Reduce or eliminate the technical burden. It is a common term.

 

The interaction of the Android system is decomposed as follows:

• Layout
  Screen
  Box
• Intent action

Click, hold, drag, and drop ......

• Intent object

Physical buttons, menu, placed on the Screen Object, Status Bar

• Feedback
• Navigation
• Others

Layout 

Application Interface Structure

For an application, from the development perspective, a series of activities constitute an application. From the design perspective, an application consists of a series of screens and boxes, they are the carrier of information and operations in applications.

 

 

Screen 

 

In comparison, we can see that the title of Android does not carry the navigation function, because the returned function provides the physical key to save space. The Android status bar must be visible in any application because it carries the notification mechanism, task management, and other functions.

 

The layout feature is determined based on the operational features. It is required to pursue a visual balance, and more importantly, to meet the needs of mobile phone operations. For example, Android smartphones are full-touch mobile phones, the screen size requires a single-handed grip. To achieve the single-handed operation of the keyboard, we need to place as many operations as possible under the screen, especially for some emergency application functions.

Therefore, we recommend that you place the Category tab below the page, when there is no fixed button. In case of conflicts between the two, the command button that needs to be placed on the screen is prioritized. (This is also based on the principle of minimum movement)

 

There are several typical cases:

1. toolbar for external use of commonly used buttons;

2. the location and number of menus. The system-defined 2x3 arrangement is not applicable in more scenarios. More menus can be placed. We have defined a 2x4 arrangement; the menu policy will be introduced later.

3. For the tab at the bottom, the tab is generally in the form of icons and text. We have given the max number 5,

4. Unlike the bottom tab, the title must be omitted for the top tab. This is because the tab can be used to locate the current page.

 

Box

Why the box format? The reason is:

1. Reasonable Use can reduce the content level and make the application structure more flat.

2. Box is more eye-catching than screen, and the content is clearer. Because the visible area is reduced, the information is more compact.

Is the box category. We can see that there are buttons and no buttons in the upper and lower layers. In addition, a weak toast prompt format is also included in the box.

Various boxes

The dialog box contains the following content:

• Alert dialog box: severe alert
• Select dialog box: Select one or multiple items. A confirmation button is required to confirm the selection.
• Input box: There is input space inside. If the keyboard is blocked, the input box needs to be moved to the top of the screen to ensure it is not blocked.
• List box: similar to a single-choice dialog box, the difference is that there is no radio button. How to distinguish it from a single response depends on whether the content selection result has serious consequences
• Context Menu: A long-pressed display in Android. It is a command set in a similar form as a list box, but the content is different. Here is generally an Action Command
• Description box: mostly used for version description

 

Note the following when designing a box:

1. title: A normal box must have a title. The title should be concise and the purpose of the box should be directly stated, such as "Exit" and "re-download, the title of "prompt" is meaningless. You cannot doubt the tone of the night in the title.

2. Content: It must be formal alignment, similar in structure, and clear and concise in meaning.

3. Reclaim method: Do you want to put a "cancel" button? My experience depends on the situation. Basically, based on the figure above, I will try to use the return key whenever possible.

4. Number of buttons: 1, 2, 3? Select as few users as possible. We recommend that you do not allow ambiguous buttons. The buttons are mutually exclusive.

5. Text: the text on the title. The content text must be consistent with the button text. Try to use "OK" and "cancel ". Do not use other words.

Are some cases

Intent action

Similar to other touch-screen mobile phones, it is particularly emphasized that the long-pressed action in Android has a wide range of applications in the system and is a shortcut for rich interaction under the limitation of screen size.

Intent object)

In simple terms, intent objects are interface elements that can trigger commands. They refer to objects that can be operated by the preceding actions. Android phones are divided into physical objects and screen objects.

Physical object

The physical key is a classic icon of the Android mobile phone.

 

Return key: shows the concept of the Android system activity stack.

Home screen key: ensures the starting point of the navigation and quickly returns to the origin point when the direction is lost.

Menu key: used for calling and storage. The purpose is to retain more space for content display.

Search key: marketing the google search business

Shut down and lock the screen like other mobile phones.

Trackball touchpad

Volume key (-+) and photo key

Global return buttons

1. It can be cross-application. For example, If you enable application a and go back to application B through the notification system, you can go back with the return key. In addition, your application calls another application, you can go back with the return key. Whether a return key appears on the screen is an application. Therefore, the application varies. In your opinion, the application layers are not deep, and the pages do not move forward frequently. Applications with task flow direction such as backend do not return. applications such as browsers have multi-tab page operations, it is necessary to add a response button.

2. The Return key is the primary screen key. The difference between the return key of WP7 is that its return is a bit messy, because the primary screen will be a node, not the end point.

3. Android users are used to using the return key.

The Return key can be applied across applications.

Trackball

• Switch focus in sequence,

• There is focus but no mouse hover effect,

• The benefits of trackball are indeed able to achieve one-hand operations well and get rid of the limitations that must be clicked on the screen.

 

 

 

 

Hidden menu (invisible = unpredictable)

• The purpose of hiding is to save screen space;

• The unpredictability of Menu should be guessed because it is hidden. Most of them are incorrect.

• Unpredictability of context menu

  
  

Three menu representations

 

The figure shows three menu representations in the Android system:

1.Option Icon menuWhen you press the menu key for the first time, a non-scroll icon box is displayed at the bottom of the screen. (By default, the system can display up to 6 buttons in the form of 2x3, but most of the Self-painted menus can be arranged as 2x4, showing the arrangement from 1 to 8 in an application)

2.Option extension menuWhen there are more menu items than the icon menu, the last icon is named "more". After you select it, a list containing any number of menu items is displayed, you can scroll the display as needed.

3.Context MenuLong press on the object to display the menu dialog box applied to the object.

Different menu commands are used for global operations and operations on an object.

The option menu applies to the global, while the context menu is used for one item in the content.As shown in, you can navigate to the menu and select a menu item to perform an operation or open a dialog box.

We recommend that you arrange 8 icons and menus as needed. In case of 1-7 icons, we recommend that you arrange them in a symmetric and stable pyramid form. Note that the position in the lower right corner is always left to the "exit" command.

Recommended arrangement from 1 to 8 in 2x4 Mode

Context menu can be said to be a shortcut to a sub-operation on an element, and there are also special ways of interaction, such as horizontal icon arrangement, which is suitable for the case where the number of commands is small.

In this case, the interaction area of an item is divided into two to three areas, which are the icons before or after the item are combined with long text. Click the context menu that appears on the icon, and the context menu appears in long-pressed text. The first command appears in Short-pressed text.

Command placed on the screen

Commands are directly placed on the screen, usually in the form of text links, icon buttons, or text icons.On-screen commands are easy to find and can be seen directly. The intuitive cost is user space occupation and possible visual clutter.

These commands are frequently operated and can be displayed on the screen. When using such commands, pay attention to the information level and communication effect.

Status Bar

The status bar supports task management, download progress, task notification, and other functions. The notification mechanism in the status bar is the most characteristic side of Android. Open the notification system in the form of a drop-down and drag it up or press the return key to exit the notification system.

The M9 notification page is not full, and has some benefits.

 

Note: in different applications, you must easily receive external notifications from the status bar. In addition to full-screen reading, the Status bar of the game and the pull-down notifications are unblocked.

Use of Status Bar in Mobile QQ reading

Other features

Separated SD card

 

 

Compared with the Iphone, Android phones require plug-in cards to increase the storage space of mobile phones.

Each time you enable the function, you must load it. If the SD card is not installed, it cannot be used normally. When designing applications, consider the absence or installation of SD cards.

Desktop and application drawers

Desktop and application drawers

 

There are many ways and locations to start an application. It continues the features of windows on PC, and users think that important applications will create shortcuts on the desktop. All applications are placed in the application drawer, which is the page pulled up from the bottom of the screen.

There may be two startup locations for an application. Such interaction is different from the Iphone's single portal, causing problems.

• The application shortcuts may be placed on the desktop repeatedly;

• Send messages by letter in the application drawer. It is difficult to find the desired application and the location cannot be determined;

• There is no uniform interaction between the horizontal screen flip and the pull-down mode of the application drawer for desktop application shortcuts, increasing the cost of thinking.

Avoid multi-entry and multi-interaction in application development. You need to find the target object at the specified position.

Exit Software

• Press the Home Key to return to the home screen. The activity does not end, and the application is still running in the background,

• Press the return key or the exit command in the menu. The exit confirmation box appears.

Screen direction

The Android mobile phone has a gravity sensor that can automatically switch between landscape and landscape screens. However, not all applications need to adapt the screen. Because of the large number of screens, the effects are different. Special application features should be taken into consideration.

Design for power saving and traffic saving

The screen size of the Android mobile phone is usually large, and the application consumes a considerable amount of power, while the screen power consumption accounts for the main part. When developing applications, pay attention to the fact that the user has no intention of making the screen always bright, the automatic lock mechanism should be added, similar to the Anti-addiction mechanism in the game.

Designed to save traffic. For traffic-consuming applications, a protection mechanism should be set up to give priority to wi-fi and gprs. It is best to give the user a prompt in advance in a common network. Give the user a psychological expectation for consumption.

Summary

Freedom and unification:The Open Feature of Android determines the growth of its interaction specifications (which keeps pace with the times). There is no strict specification to restrict design innovation. So there is a lot of space for designers to play, but consistent experience is one of the most important factors in the product. Consistency means that the developed applications and system applications have the same interaction and visual consistency. The same product has the same product concept on different platforms, and the same company's products have the same company image.

More AndroidMore Iphone:Many applications directly copy the interaction form of the Iphone, which is not recommended here. Because Android phones have their own characteristics, users will develop the habit of Android and simply port the Iphone to Android, it ignores users' usage habits and cannot give full play to the advantages of Android.


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