Hubs Over Folders, Lenses To Improve Core Apps?

[MSFTisMIA]

One of my favorite features in WP8 is the Lenses app. I like how (as long as the dev codes in the feature) you can easily seen common Photo apps that you can jump into from the Camera app itself. I think that it is an idea that can be expanded to other areas of the platform. I could see where apps like "Add to Contacts" getting access to the People Hub, maybe a smart dial app that ties into the People Hub, improved calendar apps that tie into the stock Calendar, apps like Foursquare tying into the Bing search Hub. This might allow devs to add additional features to the platform and not solely leave MSFT to update the calendar app, for example which some has said needs to be updated (I agree there).

While I agree that it would be better to group apps I like to use, I'm not that thrilled about using a "Folders" type set-up in WP8 as seen in iOS/Android, in spite of how decent the "Folders homebrew" on WP7 looked.

Should MSFT expand the Lenses concept to some of the other core apps in WP8?

Should MSFT give users the option to create our own Hub, allowing us to group our apps together that way instead of using the "Folders" option as seen in iOS and Android?

 

[Nick Garza]

I like the idea. Not sure its possible, at least at this time, but is definitely cool. I'm not a huge fan of folders either.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I like the idea. Not sure its possible, at least at this time, but is definitely cool. I'm not a huge fan of folders either.

What if they combined the custom hub look by having two when you open the buh? When the hub is pinned to the start menu, it looks like the medium tiled messaging with the large counter to show you how much notifications you have, then when you open the hub, the default is a space where you can see the notification and tap on that to open the app and get to what you need directly, and a swipe to the right gives a list that looks like the one used by games in the games hub?

 

[rockstarzzz]

When in 2009 they started talking about hubs and design language of WP that's how I visualised it!

There will be a ME hub - that has everything about Me! - my social feeds, my notifications, my achievements
There will be a Music hub - that will have everything music - so all apps that do music be it online radios, streaming, offline radios anything, on install will go there!
There will be a Video hub - same as above but everything that does video goes there.
There will be communication hub - so sms, calls, emails, chats, IMs - all goes in there
There will be games hub - everything gaming
There will be productivity hub - office, note, skydrive etc

So you get the idea?

This is how I actually used to think and to me those live tiles were actually the "window" to these hubs so you just pin those live tiles that you want to get info on hubs from. That way you literally would have about 10-12 tiles, each live and bringing recent activity in your hub to you, live - in form of pictures and texts, flipping away!

The panorama of our Xbox gaming hub is how I thought these hubs will operate but just more beautifully...

Alas! Joe Belfiore didn't think the same way as me

 

[finiterex]

Agree with the last post - this is why I purchased my Lumia 920 and ditched the **** of masses of icons, folders and siloed data a-la IOS!

I too am disappointed that the implementation of Hub's is not as integrated and all encompassing as I thought it would be.

Here's hoping that 8.5 or 9 take hubs forward (and the keyboard input which is the one thing i think IOS had over WP8)!!!

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Agree with the last post - this is why I purchased my Lumia 920 and ditched the **** of masses of icons, folders and siloed data a-la IOS!

I too am disappointed that the implementation of Hub's is not as integrated and all encompassing as I thought it would be.

Here's hoping that 8.5 or 9 take hubs forward (and the keyboard input which is the one thing i think IOS had over WP8)!!!

the keyboard has gotten better with WP8, but to fully take advantage you just need to download more languages. I used to use my iPod Touch for Japanese because the keyboard was better on iOS than both Android and WP7. Once I added the Japanese language pack, my iPod hit my drawer. Still, in landscape mode they could make the keys a little bigger in future updates.

I somewhat like the integration of hubs here in WP8 but think they need to flesh things out a little more. I don't think every area of the OS needs a full hub, and I would hate to see the OS completely a Hub prospect (this they should do with Windows RT)...although that would make WP even more unique.

 

[WavingReds]

When in 2009 they started talking about hubs and design language of WP that's how I visualised it!

There will be a ME hub - that has everything about Me! - my social feeds, my notifications, my achievements
There will be a Music hub - that will have everything music - so all apps that do music be it online radios, streaming, offline radios anything, on install will go there!
There will be a Video hub - same as above but everything that does video goes there.
There will be communication hub - so sms, calls, emails, chats, IMs - all goes in there
There will be games hub - everything gaming
There will be productivity hub - office, note, skydrive etc

So you get the idea?

This is how I actually used to think and to me those live tiles were actually the "window" to these hubs so you just pin those live tiles that you want to get info on hubs from. That way you literally would have about 10-12 tiles, each live and bringing recent activity in your hub to you, live - in form of pictures and texts, flipping away!

The panorama of our Xbox gaming hub is how I thought these hubs will operate but just more beautifully...

Alas! Joe Belfiore didn't think the same way as me

I really liked the hub ideas as well, everything aggregated into one spot, I really wished the improved on the the people / communications hub, like Skype should just be aggregated into the messaging hub like how sms, mms, faceook, and the old live messenging used to be. I believe maybe in the future they will do that as Skype is supposively heavily integrated into WP8.

Or that in the feature we'll be able to "make" our own hubs, i.e. "folders" but that is extremely wishful thinking.

 

[finiterex]

MSFTisMIA - sorry have to disagree, MS needs to harmonise how the OSs function (as well as the underpinnings). While they're needs to be flexibility the hubs design philosophy needs expanding, and pushing out to the other Windows platforms.

 

[finiterex]

On the note of skype integration which hub do you put it in? Messages? People? Or should there be a more all encompassing communications hub? E.g. Why is email not in the messaging, or indeed communications, hub?

 

[rockstarzzz]

On the note of skype integration which hub do you put it in? Messages? People? Or should there be a more all encompassing communications hub? E.g. Why is email not in the messaging, or indeed communications, hub?

If there was a communication hub, Skype should go to that hub along with sms, emails, IM apps - anything that connects you with others but not social networks though! That goes in People Hub.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

MSFTisMIA - sorry have to disagree, MS needs to harmonise how the OSs function (as well as the underpinnings). While they're needs to be flexibility the hubs design philosophy needs expanding, and pushing out to the other Windows platforms.

Don't get me wrong here. Ultimately I'd like to see the OS go the Hub route eventually. But as for right now, as much as the market may clamor for something different, MSFT has to overcome this thing in the eyes of some consumers that the brand is "suspect" (for lack of a better word). I suppose that's why they've adopted this "shut up and ship" approach, which they should have done years ago, to be more of a better company which really performance driven. I like this recent roll with bringing in Pandora, and its great to see these new apps rolling out frequently.

I hope WP8 has laid the groundwork for better communication between hubs as well going forward. For example, in the People Hub I should have better calendar integration to see upcoming events tied to a specific person and view notes or tasks made related to that person. It would be nice to tap into that note or calendar and get pulled into the calendar app or One Note to edit directly (instead of merely seeing it as listed data currently). You could build Calendar into a Hub and tie in Note apps (Lenses like for Third Party apps like EverNote) and the Office Assistant apps as the primary features, with hooking things like Alarms, Emails, Text messages as secondary features. The People Hub should be more social, absolutely, with the ME Tile,as the,source for notifications (viewing and replying). Phone hub should have email + Skype as primary and, 3rd party IMs (these also hooks into People hub as secondary features as well) and video chat as secondary.

Where I'd love to see WP go with Hubs is this honestly: I should be able to start a video chat from either the Phone Hub or the People Hub. I should be able to send and email from the Phone Hub, People Hub or Calendar Hub. I'd love to do most things by voice using an assistant in the Calendar Hub. To this end, more key apps should have access to multiple hubs (contact apps to People and Phone).

But that's just my take on it....

 

[rockstarzzz]

By being able to do everything from nearly every hub - doesn't it ruin the whole hub idea? Maybe a page in panorama like we have right now for linked apps is a good idea?

 

[finiterex]

I think i get where MSFTisMIA is going... Hubs have primary functions e.g.

People hub - contact data, social updates

Messaging hub - email, SMS, skype IM, 3rd part IM

Phone hub - cellular voice, skype voip and video, 3rd part voip and video

Productivity hub - calendar, tasks, office etc

Etc etc (music hub, videos hub, photos hub, and on and on...)

But...

With the hubs having deeper cross integration e.g.

I'm in Phone hub but can link to data/functionality in People hub and Productivity hub when viewing a contact i want to phone

Sounds good to me.

Apps in effect become hub plugins.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

By being able to do everything from nearly every hub - doesn't it ruin the whole hub idea? Maybe a page in panorama like we have right now for linked apps is a good idea?

Yes and No - it depends on how it is executed. While you can list all the options in one Hub, but if they are sorted from primary to secondary, then things won't get convoluted.

Here's what I mean. Say you have a Communication Hub, where text messaging, email, Skype and phone calls are the primary features. Now you tie in all the IM apps and video chat apps here. Now, your People hub only manages contacts and social media notifications like FB, twitter, linked in and shares group calendars. In the people hub, using the ME tab, you see all your notifications and can reply there to those specific notifications. If you want to do more heavy lifting, you go into the Communication Hub where your fav social media app is listed, or in the general apps list. To edit a group calendar in your People Hub, have a transition that sends you to the Organizer Hub that holds your Calendar, Note Apps and Office Assistant apps. Wallet Hub holds not only your credit cards but also your Budget and Financial Apps. Pictures, Games, Music and Videos and Search Hub are still the same. I'd allow users to create two custom hubs only, and corporate still can make their own hub. Kids Corner could be a Hub itself allowing for parents to put in games and other educational stuff in there.

Now you can use this same type transition to go between hubs - when you hit phone book icon in the phone book dialer it sends you to the people hub. you could do this an icon on an option in the menus.

For people who don't want every app hooked in like Lenses, MSFT can do a couple of things. They can take the lock screen approach and in settings, create an option for you to pick the top 5 of certain apps you use to be "lensed in" into a Hub. But, you ask the devs to code in that option into their apps.

Again, MSFT has neat ideas in WP8 already. They just need to flesh them out and use that tighter integration for a more seamless experience.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I think i get where MSFTisMIA is going... Hubs have primary functions e.g.

People hub - contact data, social updates

Messaging hub - email, SMS, skype IM, 3rd part IM

Phone hub - cellular voice, skype voip and video, 3rd part voip and video

Productivity hub - calendar, tasks, office etc

Etc etc (music hub, videos hub, photos hub, and on and on...)

But...

With the hubs having deeper cross integration e.g.

I'm in Phone hub but can link to data/functionality in People hub and Productivity hub when viewing a contact i want to phone

Sounds good to me.

Apps in effect become hub plugins.

EXACTLY. No OS has that out there yet. This could be the way MSFT adds customization options to the user (Android like) but its more extended options to those common tasks people use in a simpler way (iOS like).

You're not killing an app, but pulling the most common tasks or commands people using in an app to put them into the Hub like a plugin. If you need the full app, go open it. But if you need a basic feature, why go leave a Hub to open an app when you can do that basic task there?

And then make all that voice command friendly? Game changer right there.

 

[rockstarzzz]

You know what? We now need someone good with photoshop and stuff - these ideas can actually build into a really good concept and I really wish Daniel or something can push this to the front page! I know this won't ever happen like we are trying to imagine it, but honestly if you try to visualize how this could work in day to day life - it will be super intuitive and productive - definitely not a glorified app launcher, like some platforms around!

 

[WavingReds]

I'm good with photoshops!!!



Designed my guild's entire forums while a friend programmed it

 

[MSFTisMIA]

It's a pity I like the Photoshop skills to do this, but I would love to see how it would look visually. My thoughts are just based on looking at the OS itself and seeing where MSFT could tweak things without going against their current design language.

I think the Lens idea is fabulous and should be used as the prototype to do the plugins into other areas of the OS. Every app SHOULD have the Lens like plugin feature once it gets coded into apps for WP8 and above, but it should be limited so that you don't have an endless stream of apps in something. Again, MSFT has the answer in how the lockscreen works. If you have Amazing Weather and Weather Flow installed, only one at a time can control the lockscreen. Same thing could be done in the camera app...have only 1 kind of panoramic app, 1 color effects app, 1 video app in the main settings plugged in, then use the Lenses for additional apps.

You can also ask Skydrive back up to be coded in as a standard too, or just integrate these snapshot settings into the cloud back up that is already in WP8. They could just add the functionality there and it would kinda be like a ROM image-esque from Android.

The biggest selling point of WP8 should be the "seamless integration of common tasks people use on their devices". Kinda like what we first started dreaming about when MSFT first talked about Hubs and integration between Xbox, Tablet, Phone and PC in 2009.

I think RIM is trying to do something like this in their BB10 Blackberry Hub...but it can get convoluted if you run everything into 1 Hub solely. Now I plan to play with a z10 just to see, but I think if MSFT can spread out the potential clutter of info by just tightly integrating features between Hubs, they really really could make a compelling case of a better out-of-the-box user experience to buy them time to add more of the apps people whine about.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I'm good with photoshops!!!

View attachment 31062

Designed my guild's entire forums while a friend programmed it

Hey, you're welcome to try and photoshop some of these ideas...we would love to see how they look visually...

 

[rockstarzzz]

I'm good with photoshops!!!

View attachment 31062

Designed my guild's entire forums while a friend programmed it

I just take it that you've volunteered to come up with at least one hub design!