New set of WP8.1 UI concepts

[RahulRana]

just can wish all these thing coming too windows phone soon

 

[Jazmac]

No telling what we're going to see in the next update. Lot of teasers but no one knows.

 

[AngryNil]

I continue to take issue with the notification centre being placed to the right of the task switcher. No, it's not one swipe away, it includes a long press that I'd bet many users don't even know about, let alone use. If you've actually thought about using it, it's far more clunky than any other implementation – next to the tiles, launched from a tile or swiped down from the top. You've kind of dumped a little too much into the task switcher in general. For example, we have a hardware search button so there's no reason why universal search should be in the task switcher. As for IE, I'm not sure how I feel about triple tap, and back + forward need to be on the app bar, simple and plain. Don't think find on page and recent need to be that prominent.

Pretty darn sweet concepts you've got in there, though. I like a lot of them.

 

[berty6294]

I always felt that the notification center should be accessed by the double tapping of the home button.

 

[Gaichuke]

I continue to take issue with the notification centre being placed to the right of the task switcher. No, it's not one swipe away, it includes a long press that I'd bet many users don't even know about, let alone use. If you've actually thought about using it, it's far more clunky than any other implementation ? next to the tiles, launched from a tile or swiped down from the top. You've kind of dumped a little too much into the task switcher in general.

I strongly disagree. Accessing task switcher screen and the notifications within is not particularly fast implementation option, but then again there's no real need for urgency accessing them either. It's far more important to be able to access them without interruptions to the general user experience. Accessing task switcher happens without visual interruptions (like transition through black which happens when start button is tapped) and the back stack will make sure that you're only one back tap away from the screen you were in before you went to the notifications.

 

[raccoon210]

I always felt that the notification center should be accessed by the double tapping of the home button.

That is just about the best idea I've heard for the notification center!

 

[AngryNil]

I strongly disagree. Accessing task switcher screen and the notifications within is not particularly fast implementation option, but then again there's no real need for urgency accessing them either. It's far more important to be able to access them without interruptions to the general user experience.

And you base this on what? People are asking for a notification centre, because they want notifications fast and easy. The two leading mobile platforms place a huge emphasis on quick access. Why should Windows Phone, the "glance and go" OS, be worse? Android even sticks the specific notifications in the status bar. It sounds like you are making an argument for static icons over Live Tiles and lock screen notifications.

 

[Gaichuke]

And you base this on what? People are asking for a notification centre, because they want notifications fast and easy. The two leading mobile platforms place a huge emphasis on quick access. Why should Windows Phone, the "glance and go" OS, be worse? Android even sticks the specific notifications in the status bar. It sounds like you are making an argument for static icons over Live Tiles and lock screen notifications.

For urgent notifications and immediate access, WP has toast notifications for that purpose. Because of that, there's no real reason having speed as a priority number one when considering notification center for Windows Phone, especially when we are considering a difference of about one second after all. Task switcher screen implementation offers enough other benefits to justify the lost second easily.

 

[AngryNil]

For urgent notifications and immediate access, WP has toast notifications for that purpose. Because of that, there's no real reason having speed as a priority number one when considering notification center for Windows Phone, especially when we are considering a difference of about one second after all. Task switcher screen implementation offers enough other benefits to justify the lost second easily.

Sorry, but are you being serious? You realise Android and iOS have push notifications too, right? And by all reports, they are far more reliable than Windows Phone's toasts. You also realise that one of the primary reasons for requesting a notification centre is because a 5 second notification is easily missed? On Android and iOS, your missed push notifications aren't a problem because of the notification centre. On Windows Phone, you're screwed.

 

[Gaichuke]

Sorry, but are you being serious? You realise Android and iOS have push notifications too, right? And by all reports, they are far more reliable than Windows Phone's toasts. You also realise that one of the primary reasons for requesting a notification centre is because a 5 second notification is easily missed? On Android and iOS, your missed push notifications aren't a problem because of the notification centre. On Windows Phone, you're screwed.

There's something clearly being misunderstood in here, let me try again.

My point is that since toast notifications already provide a quick and immediate access to the notifications, there is no particular need for WP notification centre to have fast access to it as a design priority number one since toast notifications cover that already.

 

[AngryNil]

There's something clearly being misunderstood in here, let me try again.

My point is that since toast notifications already provide a quick and immediate access to the notifications, there is no particular need for WP notification centre to have fast access to it as a design priority number one since toast notifications cover that already.

That's an invalid point. Toast notifications are not unique to Windows Phone. Every other platform has them. Every other platform also has a notification centre, because it's ridiculous to expect users to be on their phones every second of the day to catch every 5-second toast. Users of other platforms get easy access to notifications to check if there is something they missed. Windows Phone users currently have no such luxury, and you're proposing to actively ignore such an important feature.

 

[benrp]

Nice, I do think tabs in ie need rethinking and I like your idea.

 

[Gaichuke]

That's an invalid point. Toast notifications are not unique to Windows Phone. Every other platform has them. Every other platform also has a notification centre, because it's ridiculous to expect users to be on their phones every second of the day to catch every 5-second toast. Users of other platforms get easy access to notifications to check if there is something they missed. Windows Phone users currently have no such luxury, and you're proposing to actively ignore such an important feature.

No it isn't and no I'm not. I want WP to have a notification centre, because toast notifications are not enough for a complete notification system. I'm just arguing that any platform that has a toast notification system don't necessarily have to emphasize a speedy access to the notification centre, since the speedy access is already there from the toasts. The two systems can work in a complementary fashion.

 

[Scottishkitteh]

I really want notification center. Its true that Live Tiles was made to somehow replace notification center but if possible I do not want to clutter my home screen with all apps just for the sake getting a glace at a toast. Oh, another feature that's missing right now is 'hide the keyboard'. ITS HUGE, blocking half the screen and sometimes I cannot select the typing field behind it.

 

[LMZR]

These are pretty impressive.

 

[AngryNil]

I'm just arguing that any platform that has a toast notification system don't necessarily have to emphasize a speedy access to the notification centre, since the speedy access is already there from the toasts.

All your previous posts were very specific to Windows Phone. I find it hard to believe this was your original argument, but I'll take your word for it. Again, all competing platforms prioritise notifications. Windows Phone is about "glance and go" – providing information quickly and simply. Why did Microsoft add lock screen notifications to Windows Phone 8? Surely, the toast notifications for SMS and Skype would be enough, right? No, of course not.

Toasts appear for a few seconds. It is simply ridiculous to call that sufficient for quick access. That's poor justification for complicating the heck out of the aggregation service (notification centre). In fact, there is little reason to de-emphasise ease of use for any aspect of Windows Phone, let alone for a core feature like a notification centre.

I get it, you like the task switcher implementation. That's fine, but you don't have to pull arguments out of thin air to support your preference. "Without interruptions to the general user experience" is baseless considering Windows Phone is the odd one out without a swipe-down notification centre. And perhaps you forget that the task switcher wasn't even in the original release of the OS. Why was the addition of the task switcher an acceptable interruption, insofar that you want to dump everything in there, whereas a different access method for the notification centre isn't?

 

[Gaichuke]

Toasts appear for a few seconds. It is simply ridiculous to call that sufficient for quick access. That's poor justification for complicating the heck out of the aggregation service (notification centre). In fact, there is little reason to de-emphasise ease of use for any aspect of Windows Phone, let alone for a core feature like a notification centre.

There is no de-emphasis of anything in my arguments. Remember, it's still as fast as switching between applications.

I get it, you like the task switcher implementation. That's fine, but you don't have to pull arguments out of thin air to support your preference. "Without interruptions to the general user experience" is baseless considering Windows Phone is the odd one out without a swipe-down notification centre. And perhaps you forget that the task switcher wasn't even in the original release of the OS. Why was the addition of the task switcher an acceptable interruption, insofar that you want to dump everything in there, whereas a different access method for the notification centre isn't?

I think it's pretty rude to call my argument baseless or something summoned out from thin air just because you don't understand it.

I think there's real benefit in the task switcher implementation because there are no visual interruptions between application and notification centre if it's inside the task switcher screen. And there isn't. The zoom effect that occurs after the long press takes the user outside of the application they were using and keeps the original application visible through the whole transition. No visual interruptions. User is now outside the application, it's very obvious for an user now that they are now dealing with information from another applications. Accessing notification centre takes the same time as switching between applications. How exactly are these baseless arguments?

Swipe-down notification centre is very inconvenient gesture, especially when the screen sizes keep on increasing. I would not consider that one a good example at all. Any kind of swipe-down drawer would also be inconsistent UI pattern for WP, since it's not used anywhere else.

What point you're trying to make with talking about the task switcher not originally being there, you'll have to elaborate on that. I have no idea what that has to do with this issue.

 

[Jazmac]

Wow, this cat if forever angry about something Gaichuke. Anyway, thanks for the post OP. We can only hope we get some of those concepts implemented in our devices. Something great is coming, I can feel it.

 

[chezm]

i think these concepts would work well...neat!

 

[ibbyj]

I want my tiles to rotate!