week 8: about face

Chapter 9

This section of chapter 9 addresses the different postures of the mobile interface. The first, Satellite posture, refers to viewing and retrieving data. It uses as much of the screen as possible to display content loaded from the desktop. While not as commonly seen in the iphone, this format is used for cameras and e-readers such as the Kindle. Standalone posture refers to applications that are full screen and have functions that are accessed through menu and navigation bars along the top or bottom of the screen. They include transient, modal, dialog-like screens, or pop ups. Tablet devices are stated to not be treated like big phones, as this messes with lists, icons, and other elements visually. Kiosks have their own posture as well, and should be treated as if the user is using one for the first time. Size, needs, and visual balance are all important and should be kept in mind when designing for different sized interfaces and postures.

Chapter 19

Chapter 19 starts by talking about the impact the creation of the iphone had on the mobile touchscreen world. How it replaced a jumbled mess of the typical user experience with a large screen, now universal gestures, and contextual information that revolutionized the generation of mobile apps. Because of this, most modern handheld devices use the same forms of content organization. Stacks, used by most non game oriented interfaces, are vertical list-like displays featuring a top or bottom navigation bar. Stacks can come with index panes, a list of information shown separately to the side, like in an email’s inbox. Screen carousels are a form of multiple screens navigated by swiping to the left or right to reveal new content. The weather app is a good example of this format. Grids organize app icons into rows and columns, like what’s seen on the homescreen. Swimlanes are a horizontal scrollable feature allowing users to swipe left and right to view content. Netflix is a common example of this, allowing users to scroll through their available shows. Cards are a self contained combination of media, web, and text links. Social media platforms like facebook make great use of this idiom. Tabs bars contain sets of icons allowing one to move between different lists in the main content area. Apple, Google, Windows all use this function. Chapter 19 continues to mention various other forms of navigation and organization with the mobile interface. All in all, this chapter provides a vast amount of information regarding formats of organization across mobile devices.