Part I: Apple iPhone Analysis
Abstract
This article is an analysis on the usability of the Apple iPhone and it is basically a rehash of an assignment I submitted for a class on usability for mobile devices. The analysis is divided into two parts. The first part is an overall analysis based on my own impressions of what aspects I find the iPhone easy and difficult to use. The second part is a more formal analysis based on Schneiderman’s Eight Rules of Interface Design.
The Apple iPhone in my opinion is a device that is both easy to use and a device I find hard to use, depending of course on which particular task is performed on that device. One of the main reasons I have chosen this particular single device for my analysis is because in terms of cellphone and smartphone technology it has many features and innovations that work exceedingly well, while surprisingly having other features that are either sub-par or missing entirely (compared to even the most basic mobile phones) on the exact same device.
Describing the Apple iPhone
For the device you find easy to use, describe or answer the following (each in a few sentences):
What is the device?
The Apple iPhone
What task(s) does the device perform?
A Multimedia Smartphone – Phone, Music and Video Player, Mobile Web Browser, Mobile E-Mail Client and personal organizer (calendar, reminders etc.)
Present at least one way in which this device is easy or enjoyable for you to use?
The Apple iPhone quite simply has one of the most intuitive and easiest to use interfaces on a mobile device, thanks to its innovative “multi-touch” screen. The multi-touch interface really shines when using the Safari Mobile web browser which is one of the main iPhone applications, especially when connected through a WiFi network as opposed to connection using EDGE, which is a lower-bandwidth wireless mode alternative that is available to the iPhone that works though the cellular network.
As an analogy you can consider EDGE to be slightly faster than a 56Kbps dialup connection, while WiFi can have bandwidth of up to 54Mbps, thanks to the Wireless G capability, so connecting through WiFi can be close to 10x faster then EDGE depending on the wireless connection, so iPhone users will preferably connect through WiFi when available and use EDGE, which has a significantly wider range of coverage as a backup when away from a WiFi Hotspot.
With the iPhone’s multi-touch interface, the user can browse full web pages and easily navigate to different parts of the page by swiping the screen to a particular section of a webpage and either doing a “reverse pinch” on the screen with your thumb and forefinger to zoom the screen in or double-tapping your finger on a particular text block or image you want to zoom in on. You can change the screen orientation on the fly thanks to the built in accelerometer by simply rotating the device horizontally or vertically to accommodate text or images while browsing and of you need to zoom back out to see a larger portion of the web page you are browsing, you can do “pinch” on the screen and the Safari Browser will zoom out accordingly. This makes web browsing on a small mobile device with a fraction of the screen “real estate” of a larger PC or Laptop, not only intuitive but quite easy to use once you get the hang of it all.
Aside from mobile devices that have their own “QWERTY” keypad built into the hardware such as Sidekicks, HTC Pocket PC phones, Palm Treos, Blackberry devices, etc. the iPhone also has one of the best text-entry interfaces in a mobile device thanks to the touch keypad. The touch keypad is especially effective in the horizontal orientation so that the virtual keyboard takes up the width of the screen and the user can more easily and quickly type with two thumbs. Also, thanks to the predictive text feature, one can not only type fast, but with a surprising degree of accuracy. Personally I found it much easier and faster to type in full, non-abbreviated sentences using the touch keypad than it was to type in other devices that use a standard numeric keypad and T9 or iTAP for predictive text.
The bottom line is that Apple really hit the ball out of the park in terms of user interfaces with their iPhone device. After coming off the iPhone and switching to a different device such as a laptop or someone else’s phone, I found myself instinctively wanting to navigate by touching the screen and may have even accidentally, mistakenly and sometimes embarrassingly double tapped an icon or two with my finger on devices that did not have such a touch screen, which should be a testament to how intuitive I found the iPhone’s interface.
· How might someone else find this device difficult to use?
Well, aside from the fact that I’m an early-adopting tech geek that tends to assimilate technology faster that an average user, the iPhone, being a touch screen device interface aside from the audible “tap” sound relies on visual cues and feedback almost entirely. As such this device obviously cannot be used by the visually impaired. For those who like to type and text by touch, perhaps middle school students trying to hide their texting activities to their peers from their teacher will have a difficult time typing as well without the tactile feedback, plus the audible clicks while typing would be a dead giveaway to teacher with keen hearing.
For the device you find difficult to use, describe or answer the following (each in a few sentences):
· What is the device?
Also the Apple iPhone, which is a Multimedia Smartphone – Phone, Music and Video Player, Mobile Web Browser and Mobile E-Mail Client
· Present at least one way in which this device is difficult for you to use?
For starters, the Apple iPhone for better or worse is integrated with Apple’s iTunes service, which means if you want to add or remove any content to and from the iPhone such as music, photos and videos, it has to be done through the iTunes software. For those who do not own an iPod and have a large music and video library that is not integrated with iTunes, the process can be very long and drawn out, perhaps even excruciating to those who are used to a simple “drag and drop” way of managing files.
I understand that iTunes is a cash cow for Apple with the throngs of iPod users who do not know anything different, but now Apple is dealing a different group of users who have delved into mobile phone technology because they offer what Apple never did in a mobile device prior to (and in some cases even after) the iPhone, such as swappable and expandable memory, removable batteries, wireless Bluetooth stereo and an easy way to move files such as music and video both on and off the device. In terms of features, multimedia cellphones pretty much trumped the iPod in almost every respect, save memory capacity since some versions of the iPod had actual miniature hard drives, which nowadays can go up to 80GB to hold all that music and video that iPod fans have purchased through the iTunes store.
If I were to make an educated guess, the preponderance of technology present in many mid to high-end cellphones in comparison to the now “vanilla” iPod is probably why the Apple iPhone was born in the first place, because Apple’s iPod could pretty much kill every music/multimedia player in the market except for those darn multimedia cellphones, that could not only play music and video, but make phone calls, be used as a GPS, check and send e-mail, browse the web and download at broadband speeds wirelessly and even take a simple picture or video and send it to grandma via MMS to greet her a Happy Birthday.
· How could this difficulty be resolved?
Although I don’t imagine Apple taking the iTunes dependency out of the iPhone anytime soon, it would be nice if I could actually manage the content I have already downloaded through iTunes on the iPhone device itself and put that cool new touch screen interface to good use.
Let me move, delete and rename my tunes and video and create play lists on the iPhone itself instead of forcing me to spend all that extra time on the computer and then forcing me to spend even more time waiting for my PC to synchronize the content to the iPhone. I’m a mobile user and I need to be on the move, let me do as much as I can on the device itself and let the PC be a tool to enhance the device, not an anchor to weigh it down.
· Do you think other users would have a similar negative reaction to the device?
Aside from the stellar touch screen interface, I would think that anyone who has taken advantage of the multimedia capabilities of all the smartphones that are out there would have similar reactions. Aside from people who have an extensive library already under iTunes, I really can’t imagine anyone who is used to the simplicity of dragging and dropping their files directly on to a device via USB cable or removable flash memory card wanting to voluntarily manage their files through the iTunes interface.
In my opinion, aside from that ridiculous and artificial 100 song limit, I think that is one of the main reasons the music phone collaboration between Apple and Motorola, the ROKR E1 failed miserably. It was because competing music phones not only had a simple drag and drop file management system that did not require something like iTunes to use, but it did not have that artificial 100 song limit. Well, that and the ROKR E1 seemed very plain next to the iconic iPod and the newly launched iPod Nano. Using the ROKR would have only been practical for those using the smaller capacity iPod Shuffle.
· Is there anything positive about the design of the device?
Aside from what I had mentioned above in the “enjoyable and easy to use” section, which also featured the iPhone, I believe the iPhone has a superlative build quality. The iPhone truly feels like a solid device. The handful of things Apple did with the iPhone outside of the touch screen interface, such as the “home” button, the volume “rocker” switch, the power button and the “sound on/off” switch were implemented well and complimented the touch screen quite nicely.
Even the stereo earbuds, which doubled as a “hands-free” headset had a tiny button to both answer calls and “remotely” control the music. One touch of the button cause the music player to either play or pause, while two quick successive button presses caused the music player to forward to the next song. A very nice extra indeed especially if you happen to be running on a treadmill, you don’t have to break your stride or concentration to look at the device to change or pause a song that is playing.
· Overall, what are the aspects of the devices' designs that contributed to your positive and negative experiences?
The innovative touch screen interface was definitely a major selling point for me as far as the iPhone is concerned but the fact that the iPhone could not do simple things such as send an Multimedia Message Service (MMS) or manage files within the device was an almost bewildering experience for me. I can only hope that competing manufactures can take the examples of what the iPhone does well and expand and evolve beyond it.
I also hope that Apple can improve upon its own iPhone design not only by expanding features with future generation iPhones, but addressing the many things the iPhone is missing by upgrading and patching the current generation iPhone so that it can do things that even the lowest common denominator such as a “free with contract” phone can do, like send an MMS message or send a standard SMS text message to multiple recipients, not to mention the higher end features like having a chat client, or managing the content from within the device itself.
· Apple iPhone Updates
I would be amiss if I didn’t mention a major update that was released after the initial draft of this article in January 2008. Among other things, the January ’08 update added the capability to send multiple SMS messages, a feature that was missing in the original release. The Apple iPhone still does not have the capability to send pictures and or video via MMS, but who knows? It may be made available in a future update.
Other updates include:
1.0.1 -
July 31, 2007
· Safari security update
1.0.2 - August 21, 2007
· Fixed bugs
1.1.1 - September 27, 2007
· This update is commonly called the iPhone "September '07" update by Apple [78]
· iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store
· Louder speakerphone and receiver volume
· Home button double-click shortcut to phone favorites or music controls
· Spacebar double-tap shortcut to intelligently insert period and space (eg: ". ")
· Mail attachments are viewable in portrait and landscape modes
· Stocks and cities in Stocks and Weather can be reordered
· Apple Inc. Bluetooth Headset battery status in the Status Bar
· Support for TV out
· Preferences to turn off EDGE/GPRS when roaming internationally
· New Passcode lock time intervals
· Adjustable alert volume
1.1.2 - November 12, 2007
· Battery charge level shown in iTunes
· International language & keyboard support
· Patched the TIFF exploit
· Adds custom ringtone field
· Fixed bugs
1.1.3 - January 15, 2008
· This update is commonly called the iPhone "January '08 Update" by Apple [79]
· Google Maps gains the 'Locate Me' feature which determines the phone's approximate location using cell tower triangulation and (in the US and Canada) Wi-Fi data from Skyhook Wireless; also adds hybrid map support and the 'Drop Pin' feature.
· Icons on the homescreen can be rearranged and placed on multiple homescreens (up to nine).
· iTunes gift cards can be redeemed on the iTunes Wi-Fi store.
· Movies acquired through iTunes have chapter support.
· Music has lyrics-support feature
· Web Clips can be added to (and subsequently removed from) the homescreen.
· SMS messages can be sent to multiple contacts.
· SMS storage capacity increased to 75,000 (from 1,000)
· Default Gmail IMAP setup for new accounts (previously was defaulted as POP3).
· Multi-touch keyboard (ie: simultaneously pressing "Shift" + "a")
· The clock timer now remembers the last used options. (bug fix)
· Incoming SMS messages now prompts the user to "View" or "Close" (previously "Ignore" or "Reply"). Pressing either option now marks the message as "seen" so there is no way to defer messages anymore.
· Labels for contact data can now be deleted.
· Applications on the phone no longer run as root; they run as the user "mobile" instead.
1.1.4 - February 26, 2008
· Fixed bugs
Part II: Analysis using Schneiderman’s Eight Rules of Interface Design
Overview of Schneiderman’s Eight Rules can be found in the link below:
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-gui-list/1998-November/msg00074.html1. Strive for consistency.
· In terms of User Interface, the iPhone follows some of the more standard criteria, such as having a group of icons, which can be used to activate the major applications on the home screen.
· Although the iPhone is using an innovative “finger touch” interface, interaction with the interface itself is rather intuitive because it resembles that of a more conventional mouse and cursor and a touch screen and stylus interface.
· Activating the icons is as easy as “double-tapping” the icon with your finger, which would resemble a mouse click double-tap.
· Although the touch screen is used for the majority of the interactions, affordances such as a numeric keypad for the phone, a QWERTY keypad for text and Play/Pause, Stop, Skip Forward, Skip Back, etc. among other things, have been added to the interface to make the use with the iPhone more intuitive.
2. Enable frequent users to use shortcuts.
· The latest iPhone Patch (January iPhone Update) has added a new feature that allows users to not only customize their own home screens by rearranging existing icons and adding shortcut icons to their favorite web applications, but create multiple home screens as well.
· Prior to that patch, the majority of iPhone users were simply stuck with the default home screen and only those who ventured into hacking the iPhone and potentially damaging the software (sometimes irreversibly) and possibly voiding the warranty could modify their home screens.
3. Offer informative feedback.
· Fingertip touch screens interfaces usually lack the natural tactile feedback of an actual keyboard and/or keypad. The iPhone compensates by providing an audio “click” and visually enlarging the letter that is being typed right above the fingertip.
· Competitors such as Samsung and Nokia are developing touch screens with haptics such as vibrational feedback so that the fingertip being used to tap on a virtual interface will also feel as if something is actually being tapped.
· In terms of navigation, the iPhone offers visual feedback in terms of an icon of a dot moving around in a circle when a web page or application is being processed in the background.
4. Design sequences of actions so they are organized and yield closure.
· Most of the functions are designed as discrete tasks.
· For example, the user can make a phone call by first tapping the phone icon.
· The user can either select a name from the contacts list or dial the number from the numeric touch keypad.
· Once a number is selected the user can tap the “Send” button to send the call.
· The call will then connect through the wireless carrier and the person, voicemail or answering machine at the other end will pick up.
· The user can then have a voice conversation or leave a voice message.
· The task is completed when either side of the wireless phone connection terminates, the user can manually terminate the call by pressing the “End” button.
5. Offer error prevention and simple error handling.
· Although it is not exactly perfect, the iPhone has a predictive text feature that can automatically correct common spelling errors and help speed up typing with the touchscreen.
· There are also standard fare “yes/no” confirmations when performing difficult to reverse actions like deleting iPhone’s WiFi settings or wireless e-mail configurations.
6. Permit easy reversal of actions.
· The iPhone more or less provides the standard fare in terms of reversal of actions. There is a “back” feature of the web browser and a backspace feature for text entry.
7. Support internal locus of control.
· For the most part the iPhone works well with this paradigm as long as the user is fine with using iTunes to manage and synchronize his or her multimedia content.
· The paradigm breaks down however if the user is used to working with devices with a more open “ecosystem” since other mobile devices have multiple and convenient ways to transfer files, such as USB mass storage mode, where the connected device acts as an external hard drive, hot swappable flash memory card (such as MiniSD, MicroSD, M2 Memory Stick, etc.) Bluetooth Object Exchange (OBEX) and transferring files via WiFi, managing and transferring files exclusively through iTunes can be restricting.
· For other functions such web browsing, the internal locus of control is also maintained. The user can browse the web on the iPhone in a way that is similar to full desktop, going forward and back, entering text and even browsing multiple pages.
· Thanks to the multi-touch interface and the pinch and reverse-pinch gestures, most pages on the web can be browsed in it’s full mode, which greatly reduces the reliance on mobile-specific web pages.
8. Reduce short-term memory load.
· The iPhone has a visual interface with generous use of well placed icons so getting to the most common applications should be a simple task for most users.
· Delving into some of the more technical functionality however is a bit more challenging because common functions like turning Bluetooth and WiFi on and off are buried in the same menus where Bluetooth and WiFi are set up. Preferably, such settings should be no more than one level deep from the main menu. I would suggest that an “on/off” slider toggle switch be placed directly under the settings icon option for both Bluetooth and Wifi.
· Turning the ringer (and sounds) on and off on the other hand is as simple as flipping an external hardware switch, which for the most part provides the utmost convenience, as long as one does not inadvertently leave the switch in the “off” position, when the mean to leave it on of course.
These principles are obviously GUI-focused. Which still apply to IAs, which do not? Can you suggest any others related to what we covered in class, i.e some IA specific guidelines?
Schneiderman’s Eight Rules of Interface Design, which better follows the criteria for Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) may or may not apply to Information Appliances (IAs) in the following ways:
1. Strive for consistency.
· Any information appliance no matter how much technical functionality has been added on to it, should follow the metaphors of its analog counterpart.
· Therefore, functions such as “baking” and “broiling” on an IA such as a computerized “smart oven” should achieve the same ends as a regular gas or electric oven. Thus, this principle may easily be applied to IAs.
2. Enable frequent users to use shortcuts.
· Although this principle may be a bit more limited, especially with simpler IA interfaces, it can nonetheless be very useful, for users who not only use a particular IA frequently, but use the same function over and over again.
· One example would be a “smart” coffee maker with built-in grinder.
· The user would set his or her preferred coffee settings on the machine, set the time and finally load the coffee beans and water the night before.
· After the machine has been programmed the first time however, a user should be able to save the settings for the next morning and easily get to it so he or she needs only load the coffee beans and water and press the “preferred coffee setting” shortcut the night before.
3. Offer informative feedback.
· This principle should be rather universal in terms of IAs as well.
· For example, if the microwave is done cooking or defrosting it should beep or ring and if it has a display, it should say something like “DONE”.
4. Design sequences of actions so they are organized and yield closure.
· This would help for IAs that require multiple steps.
· A “smart” dishwasher, for example would instruct the user to:
1. Load the dishes (if the were not loaded already)
2. Load the Detergent
3. Choose load size and temperature settings
4. Start the washing cycle
5. Provide an alert when the washing cycle is over
· This functionality can be further enhanced by allowing the user an easy way to repeat the settings in step 3 or setting up a favorite setting, for example one household may prefer a "powersaving" setting, while another my prefer a "heavy duty wash" setting.
5. Offer error prevention and simple error handling.
· Allowing a user to easily back out of a mistaken entry would be welcome on simpler devices, such as clearing a “300 minute” cycle when the user only want to cook for 3 minutes on a microwave.
· On more complex devices such as the aforementioned “smart” coffee machine, alerts can be provided if insufficient coffee beans and/or water has been loaded for a particular setting.
6. Permit easy reversal of actions.
· A simple “back” or “cancel” button would be welcome on even the simplest of IAs and should be a requirement on the more complex ones like the “smart” oven, coffee machine and dishwasher appliances mentioned above.
7. Support internal locus of control.
· This is one of Schneiderman’s rules that may actually be more appropriate for GUIs than IAs. Because Most IAs presumably have simpler courses of action, it may be better for the IAs to actually indicate to the user what needs to be done next especially for novice users and even more especially if the steps must be performed in a specific sequence such as a series of robots for an assembly line.
· Shortcuts can of course be provided for expert users, but for the most part, the locus of control can remain largely on the IA, leaving the initiation of the task and loading of inputs or requisite materials to the user.
8. Reduce short-term memory load.
· This is also an universal rule that can be applied to IAs, like the example of the different bread makers in class, a common task like baking a simple loaf of bread should be as easy as loading the mixed ingredients and pressing the “Start” button, instead of requiring the user to provide several different inputs to perform the same task.
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