A Newer Design: Apps List + Notification Center Concept, Take Two

[AgentTheGreat]

Hi AgentTheGreat, firstly, great work!

I wonder if you want your Notification Centre to be accessible within an app? My only concern is, if so then the swipe gesture would need to start from the left edge of the screen. Personally I think this gesture should be saved for switching between apps just like what you do with WinRT tablets.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!

Firstly, thanks very much!

As I said before, I don't think the notification center needs to be accessible from anywhere other than the home screen because Windows Phone supports toast messages that tell you the whole story when you are within an app. Swiping on a toast message to get to the notification center might be a good idea though -- as one of the guys pointed out above.
About the task switching: I think that is more feasible on a rather large tablet but on a 4 or 5 inch phone I think swiping from edges when you are in an app would create some major issues, because swiping gestures that are expected to be registered by the app for scrolling, for example, would get confused by the system as app switching gestures. You can imagine how frustrating that can become! Now adding a 'charms' bar to the top of the UI would work well, because the gesture is unlikely to get registered as something else.

 

[phander]

Shut up and take my money!

Very nice work. Well done.

 

[MobileCal]

I hope Microsoft is lurking in this thread

 

[Raj Chahal]

Great Idea !

and really hoping this to be one of the implementations in near future

 

[cadeross]

everything looks great besides the fact we dont want just a notification center that can only be accessed by the homescreen we want a notification center we can access from any app like a pull down notifcation center or something accessable from other apps and locations on the device.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Re: Apps List + Notification Center concept: Take Two

I've chucked in 3 votes myself. Good idea.

 

[MohamedIdle]

Re: Apps List + Notification Center concept: Take Two

swype them away individually or check them all like in the concept above.
also have notifications accessible directly from the lockscreen like nokia did in meego.
and a little bit off-topic but please some tile grouping on the home screen just like in win8

I like your idea about having the notification center being directly accessible from the lockscreen so that you can perform the same action of swiping to the left just as you would on the homescreen with the ability to click on a notification which takes you directly to that app you chose. Any thoughts ?

 

[AgentTheGreat]

everything looks great besides the fact we dont want just a notification center that can only be accessed by the homescreen we want a notification center we can access from any app like a pull down notifcation center or something accessable from other apps and locations on the device.

I really don't think the notification center needs to be accessible from everywhere. That might be the case with Android because it doesn't show you toast messages; however, in Windows Phone if you are using your phone, you see the toast message when something happens. If you are not using it, the phone is most likely locked which would be showing the lock screen notifications (the 5 icons) or is in the home screen -- and the notification center will be quickly accessible from there.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

I really don't think the notification center needs to be accessible from everywhere. That might be the case with Android because it doesn't show you toast messages; however, in Windows Phone if you are using your phone, you see the toast message when something happens. If you are not using it, the phone is most likely locked which would be showing the lock screen notifications (the 5 icons) or is in the home screen -- and the notification center will be quickly accessible from there.

Actually, many a time I have swiped up and unlocked the phone and it automatically returns to the app, not going to the homescreen. This would cause the issues described by it, say I missed a toat. My suggestion, long press the home button to automatically go to the notification centre. This creates the one press people are accustomed to, without using the plain Android/iOS-esque dropdown notification centre. Or perhaps a right to left swipe on the system bar (whatever it's called, the row of icons at the top. I've read about the name through my app development, but it eludes me currently), but this has the issue of apps that don't show the app bar but I will probably make it visible everywhere on WP8 due to the changes of the panorama view on WP8 (but I know other developers won't, perhaps MS could force it on WP8?)... Also, I don't have all apps posted on my lock-screen. I have Calendar on detailed view, then Call, Skype, Messaging, Email, and Battery Meter, on the quick view for the Lockscreen. What about other apps? You can't exactly expect me to constantly cycle between the apps on the lockscreen can you? And what if I cycle out the Skype app and then get a notification on Skype?

 

[Coolknight1968]

I have been saying the same, notifications area to the left. My Logic was Past, Present, Future... Notifications, Live Tiles, Apps I can run.

 

[AgentTheGreat]

Actually, many a time I have swiped up and unlocked the phone and it automatically returns to the app, not going to the homescreen. This would cause the issues described by it, say I missed a toat. My suggestion, long press the home button to automatically go to the notification centre. This creates the one press people are accustomed to, without using the plain Android/iOS-esque dropdown notification centre. Or perhaps a right to left swipe on the system bar (whatever it's called, the row of icons at the top. I've read about the name through my app development, but it eludes me currently), but this has the issue of apps that don't show the app bar but I will probably make it visible everywhere on WP8 due to the changes of the panorama view on WP8 (but I know other developers won't, perhaps MS could force it on WP8?)... Also, I don't have all apps posted on my lock-screen. I have Calendar on detailed view, then Call, Skype, Messaging, Email, and Battery Meter, on the quick view for the Lockscreen. What about other apps? You can't exactly expect me to constantly cycle between the apps on the lockscreen can you? And what if I cycle out the Skype app and then get a notification on Skype?

Your argument still comes from the assumption that the notifications are so vital and critical, that you need to have instant access to them; so much so that you would need to "cycle through lock screen notifications" to know what's going on. I have a more lenient take on the concept. I think people have been getting by even with live tiles acting as sort of a notification center. We already have so many nay-sayers claiming "WP doesn't need a notification center." Therefore, to me, not being able to instantly access the NC doesn't seem such a big deal and I think between the live tiles, the lock screen icons and an archive of toast messages we got it covered. I think the assumption comes from people's observation f how it works on Android and later, iOS -- which of course doesn't have to work that way.
The breathing LED (behind the Windows button) when you have new notifications would be an added bonus.

 

[AgentTheGreat]

I have been saying the same, notifications area to the left. My Logic was Past, Present, Future... Notifications, Live Tiles, Apps I can run.

Actually that is a pretty neat way of looking at it. I didn't notice the chronological order that makes it even more organized.

 

[cadeross]

Still like the pull down notification center. Its the most effective aside from the new bb one

 

[NoidPurity]

Give me this please

 

[Florin Anghel]

I appreciate your work, I really do, but I think that is too far from the Windows tile idea. I know they need some kind of notification center, but that doesn't mean it has to be so big or detailed.
From my point of view live tiles are great, and for notification I would go for a non-intrusive way like a small icon of the app with a number next to it, placed near the bar signals of GSM connection.
So for example you get a notification of something that has arrived, you just swipe up the screen look at the top bar where the GSM connection is, you see the icon of the app which received something then you know which tile you have to check. Simple as that!

Regarding your idea of the notification it basically ruin the live tile idea. What's the point of having a live tile if you have the message/information already in the notification center? Nobody will look at the live tiles anymore, they will be just for design and gizmo looking.

 

[Gaichuke]

There should be a notifications FAQ...

Because if you don't have a Live Tile for a particular app in the Start screen that gets a notification, you will miss that notification.

 

[AgentTheGreat]

I appreciate your work, I really do, but I think that is too far from the Windows tile idea. I know they need some kind of notification center, but that doesn't mean it has to be so big or detailed.
From my point of view live tiles are great, and for notification I would go for a non-intrusive way like a small icon of the app with a number next to it, placed near the bar signals of GSM connection.
So for example you get a notification of something that has arrived, you just swipe up the screen look at the top bar where the GSM connection is, you see the icon of the app which received something then you know which tile you have to check. Simple as that!

Regarding your idea of the notification it basically ruin the live tile idea. What's the point of having a live tile if you have the message/information already in the notification center? Nobody will look at the live tiles anymore, they will be just for design and gizmo looking.

The notification center would be a place where you look only when you need detailed and precise information about what has been going on in a chronological order, including toast messages you might have missed. Right now there is no way for you to see an archive of toast messages that might have been very important but you missed. Also, even if you have the app tile pinned to the home screen and it is in fact showing that you have new notifications, there is no guarantee the app developer decides to show you an archive of toasts his app produced over time.
Add to that the fact that you would have to visit those apps individually instead of having a single, convenient place to look and know exactly what has been going on.

The tiles, I think, give you a look into the content that's interesting to you while the notification center is a more technical place primarily focusing on alerts based on which you might need to take some sort of action. I think it's obvious the notification center provides a necessary service; whether it interferes with what live tiles do is another story.

 

[Florin Anghel]

Again I think you're not following Windows Phone 8 Live Tile idea. This is what I like at this OS that is no bundled up with all the info from 100 apps in one place. It's more refreshing to see each app separated with its own info. I don't like when people lean towards android..the drop down bar or the side menu notification center..I just don't like it. This is why I bought WP8 and I hope MS doesn't get tricked by the people that want smth that is already there.

 

[Flagz]

Again I think you're not following Windows Phone 8 Live Tile idea. This is what I like at this OS that is no bundled up with all the info from 100 apps in one place. It's more refreshing to see each app separated with its own info. I don't like when people lean towards android..the drop down bar or the side menu notification center..I just don't like it. This is why I bought WP8 and I hope MS doesn't get tricked by the people that want smth that is already there.

sorry but I'm not pinning alot if third party tiles, THEY don't follow the metro theme. Its either metro theme tiles or you don't get your ugly typical blown up graphic tile on my home screen.

 

[Mark3dyn]

Again I think you're not following Windows Phone 8 Live Tile idea. This is what I like at this OS that is no bundled up with all the info from 100 apps in one place. It's more refreshing to see each app separated with its own info. I don't like when people lean towards android..the drop down bar or the side menu notification center..I just don't like it. This is why I bought WP8 and I hope MS doesn't get tricked by the people that want smth that is already there.

I can see why some people wish to not have an iOS or Android-style notification center. I, however, do. I use very few apps. I use my phone as, one, a phone, two, as a texter, and three, as an emailer. There are many times in the day that I'm working in the shop, with either coolant or oil from the milling machines on my hands, gloves with resin on them, or just plain in a position not to press the lock button and swipe up, go to the home screen, then launch the app to find out what just happened. I can get 10 emails a minute sometimes.

I just got my Lumia 920 two days ago after four years on the iPhone. I would like to see what is happening in real time, not hear a beep and a buzz to start handling my phone. It most certainly is possible for MS to add this to WP8.1, but I would think, and hope, someone with better programming skills than this Mechanical Engineer has, would be able to make a third party app to accomplish this. I'd pay $10, $20, who cares how much for this (well executed) option. If 90% of the WP users don't want it, no soiling of the WP experience will ever be noticed.

Agent the Great has the graphics, who can do the coding?