Windows Phone 8.1 is it really less user friendly than iOS 8?

[portalfocus]

Think about it this way, this company, who gave the review, more than likely has stock in Apple, so it would be in their best interest to help Apple sell as many products as they can. Doing that doesn?t just help Apple, it also helps their stock value. This is a very simple game I played when I was 9, with my friends and our Z-Bots.

Help your 'Friends' help you

 

[welsbloke]

I suppose the settings menu is cumbersome and if I think that then a new entrant would find it more confusing. Interesting point raised about WP7 sorting by frequency if that was brought back to WP8.1 that actually resolve my issues with its cumbersomeness as I typically go to the same 2 or 3 settings in the menu regularly. This would not help new starters on the path to maybe a few thought out submenus would do the trick. Not sure if pressing to hold is part of the user friendly issue of WP8.1 or if these types of touch based changes are not already common place in the touch phone world however I see plenty of messed up home screens which they have accidently destroyed and can only assume they do not know how to fix themselves.

I still do not see anybody suggesting real reasons why iOS is better rather pointing out some annoyances of 8.1, I am sure if I was an iOS user I could find a similar list.

 

[kg4icg]

Someone show me a settings menu on any phone that is alphabetized, and I'll show you a company that is highly anal retentive.

 

[Colorado_User]

IOS now does have widgets in the Notification menu (scroll down from top but make sure to fully scroll down or you get the search - and don't scroll up from bottom because that's settings). Then there is the IOS all encompassing button - is it a back button? Is it for Siri? Is it to show what apps are open? Is it to take you to the home screen? Any time you have one button that has so many different functions, it stops being in intuitive because its not easily repeated (did I double tap, hold down, tap once, etc.). The Settings in WP 8.1 should be alphabetized though are probably organized by most popular. Other than that, the settings are a whole lot easier to use.

 

[Chris_Kez]

If they want to make settings user friendly, make them searchable; provide an index; provide a "more info" option by long-pressing on the term; have a web version specific to your device/OS/firmware combination that you can explore through a browser on your desktop. "Settings as a service"

 

[Waylon Payne]

Or create a separate tile screen for settings where I can create my own tile groupings...

 

[Asskickulater]

What windows phone needs is a general settings menu overhaul, its still using a system that was used for wp7 (which it worked very well on!) on an OS that's grown to big, I've seen some fantastic mockups, I'm sure the settings menu is gonna come with one of the two remaining GDR's and if not, it will certainly come with w10

In my honest opinion, I think a hybrid setup would work wonderfully here, keep the most used settings at the top, while alphabetizing the less used settings, and throw the OEM tweaks into a separate tab, throw a slightly fancier UI on that and I think it would make a fantastic settings menu!

 

[Paul Verizzo]

I have always found terms like user friendly and intuitive, very interesting. If you stuck a smartphone, WP, iOS or Android, in front of someone who had never seen one before, what would happen. Even that is dependent on prior understanding. If they had seen a phone before and had an idea what that was for probably they could muddle through making a call. Without some concept of what the device could do, how would you discover how to do it. Discoverable. Now that's a more interesting concept. There is even more than one aspect of that. There are those things you expect something to do, but need to figure out how. There are those things that you don't even know it can do, and should run across somehow. When you get right down to all three OSs, are basically the same. You click an icon that launches a function/task you want to do, then tap a button at the bottom to get back to the list of app icons. Outside of that basic functionality are the differences, and those things that are difficult in one, if you are used to the other. Given you feel the need to close an app, how the heck do you discover how to do that in the three OSs? How about deleting/uninstalling an app? Switching between running apps? Is any one easier once you know how? Are the others less 'intuitive', if you have been using one for a year? I might say that iOS may be easier as an out of box experience for many because it has so many fewer options. You have screens of icons, that's it. You don't have all the Widget options of Android and the Live Tiles of WP to configure. You get a new app on iOS, it's on the screen, simple as that. In my mind, that gets old fast. I want my device to do more, and it can. Actually all of them can, but all of them may need some guidance as to how.

Um, paragraphs, perhaps? No way could I go through your block of words.

 

[BJNavarre]

As someone who just switched from an iPhone 4 to the Lumia 1020, I can confirm that the settings menu in iOS is also terrible. Equally terrible? I dunno, but there's a bunch of stuff in places where you wouldn't expect, and important stuff buried 3 clicks deep in the iOS settings menu.

In terms of overall user friendliness, iOS is still more user friendly, but if you're somewhat tech savvy the gap is negligible. If you're borderline computer illiterate, then iOS is much simpler and easier to use. WP is still a little quirky and slightly behind in some features. My #1 pet peeve is that there's only 3 brightness settings and the "low" setting is hardly dimmer than the medium/auto setting! iOS, as you'd expect most OS's to do, lets you set the brightness however you like. There is NO REASON why MS does not give the user more control over such an important setting. The other oddity is the lack of forward button in IE. Sure, you can swipe for, but that is not obvious, and sometimes a forward button would be more convenient.

That's not to say iOS is perfect, but in general is simpler and less quirky. I do think WP is WAY more attractive. iOS is still a wall of icons, except with the release of iOS7 they now look like icons designed by my 5 year old. Android is the same, but uglier. WP is both modern and attractive, and they don't get nearly enough credit on that front.

 

[tgp]

In my honest opinion, I think a hybrid setup would work wonderfully here, keep the most used settings at the top, while alphabetizing the less used settings, and throw the OEM tweaks into a separate tab, throw a slightly fancier UI on that and I think it would make a fantastic settings menu!

What I'd like to see is a collapsed Settings menu. I'm not much of a fan of an alphabetical menu, mostly because we don't always know what what we're looking for is called. (Wow that was difficult to write, and read!) For example, am I looking for Display, or Screen? I like them grouped so the starting point is a short menu. The other issue with alphabetizing the menu is languages. Do you alphabetize by English and then leave the items in the same order in other languages? This would likely mean that they're not alphabetical. Or do you alphabetize by the language used, arranging the items in a different order?

 

[Colorado_User]

The only reason I have seen why IOS is more user friendly that is based in proven UI principles is that the icons are representative of their actual functions (newstand seems like a newstand). The all encompassing button, however, is a continual reason why iOS should be downgraded as a usable OS. Its confusing and frustrating to have one button that does every function. This is a proven principle of UI Design.

As for brightness controls, while WP8.1 does have only 3 brightness settings, it instead has the ability to change color - something IOS should have but doesn't! I will note another annoying thing about iOS that is corrected in WP is the ability to search within a webpage. There are other things too - WP is a bit more uniform than iOS and far more uniform than Android. This inherently makes it more user friendly.

 

[dlalonde]

iOS is certainly more developped that Windows Phone 8.1 (the way they handle notifications with direct responses, their very informative lock screen, their actual toggle switches for different functions like Wifi or data). But those are things that can easily be added with time on WP (lets not forget we're about 3 years late from iOS).

That being said Windows Phone is different, yes, but not user unfriendly. Obviously if you're an iPhone user, you might be more confused on Windows Phone as opposed to Android. But the opposite is also true.

You can't do these kind of comments on an iPhone centric standpoint. If someone who has never touched a mobile phone grabbed a Windows Phone for the first time, I don't think that person would be more confused than another platform.

On the other hand, the WP environment CAN become less user friendly when it comes to apps. Most apps are being made for iOS and Android and, sometimes, for WP and sometimes abandonned (*cough* instagram *cough*). We do sometimes have to go through more hoops to get certain things. For example, on iOS, you can just download the YouTube app (or any other official Google app). On Windows Phone, you have to check out all the unofficial ones to see which one if more trustworthy and functionnal. Same for Instagram, Pocket, Wikipedia and so on. A lot of banks, news papers, radio stations, etc. don't have any apps at all. So, especially for a neophyte, that can be confusing especially if you have to use a third party app.

But that's not the OS's fault... so the OS itself, no, it's not less user friendly.

 

[Asskickulater]

As someone who just switched from an iPhone 4 to the Lumia 1020, I can confirm that the settings menu in iOS is also terrible. Equally terrible? I dunno, but there's a bunch of stuff in places where you wouldn't expect, and important stuff buried 3 clicks deep in the iOS settings menu.

In terms of overall user friendliness, iOS is still more user friendly, but if you're somewhat tech savvy the gap is negligible. If you're borderline computer illiterate, then iOS is much simpler and easier to use. WP is still a little quirky and slightly behind in some features. My #1 pet peeve is that there's only 3 brightness settings and the "low" setting is hardly dimmer than the medium/auto setting! iOS, as you'd expect most OS's to do, lets you set the brightness however you like. There is NO REASON why MS does not give the user more control over such an important setting. The other oddity is the lack of forward button in IE. Sure, you can swipe for, but that is not obvious, and sometimes a forward button would be more convenient.

That's not to say iOS is perfect, but in general is simpler and less quirky. I do think WP is WAY more attractive. iOS is still a wall of icons, except with the release of iOS7 they now look like icons designed by my 5 year old. Android is the same, but uglier. WP is both modern and attractive, and they don't get nearly enough credit on that front.

well, lumia cyan has that feature, so I'd be willing to bet Microsoft will slip it in with windows 10

 

[JamesDax]

No.

 

[welsbloke]

Interestingly I came across a previous iPhone user brandishing a 635 which to my shame I had originally assumed was a iPhone 5c. He claimed to be a convert and had already figured everything out and did not seem phased at all.

However interestingly he did not know a bunch of things such as the live multi tile and even the swipe down for the notifications and more embarrassingly for him when his funky ringtone went of during an all hands meeting had no idea how to silence it easily.

So although he was happy and generally using the OS without issue was oblivious to some basic features.

I think I am going to take away a couple of things, one the settings menu has now got unwieldy within 8.1 and how does one know how to use the functionality of any of the smartphones. I would suggest that users of all 3 platforms all have the same degrees of ignorance on features within the OS of their choice.

 

[bokchoy1]

Some anecdotes about discoverability:

I know a few people who know very little beyond how to install apps, how to press a button to return to the app grid and how to swipe between home screens in order to access other apps. That's enough to navigate iOS and get things done.

I once showed a WP device to one of these iPhone users. This person asked me why WP required scrolling all the way down and hitting a tiny arrow in order to display an even longer app list with even more scrolling. Trying to find a newly installed and not-yet-pinned app must take a lot of patience, especially if said app starts with a 'Z'!

Then there's a WP owner (negligible iOS experience?) who hits the Windows button and reopens apps instead of using the back button. I can sort of understand why - sometimes it takes you back within the app, sometimes to takes you out of the app altogether. That's potentially confusing.

Both of these people asked me to delete/unpin things for them so the press-and-hold gesture doesn't seem all that discoverable either.

I find WP easy to use. That said, I have an unscientific hunch that iOS is easier for people who have little computing/touch screen experience.