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Ask HN: Why is the iOS UI difficult to maneuver?

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Re: Ask HN: Why is the iOS UI difficult to maneuver?

#11
> THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL BACK BUTTON

Your desktop computer doesn’t have a universal back button either, despite having 100+ buttons. It’s not a mandatory UI element.

With that said, swiping from the left hand side of the screen will generally perform an analogous function in most well made iOS apps, and swiping up from the bottom of the screen will take the user to the Home Screen

Re: Ask HN: Why is the iOS UI difficult to maneuver?

#12
post #5

>THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL BACK BUTTON! When you need to go back, you have to figure out how the current app wants you to go backwards I'm not mobile UI/UX guy but it seems like this is just bad app design, no? I have a android tablet and I'm trying to think if I've ever actually used the back button. In theory, its a great thing to have since it's "universal" but don't most modern apps have better ways to get around? I'…

Think going back in a browser, going back to the list of contacts from a specific message thread in a messaging app, etc. Swiping from the left works in most apps, but not all of them. The back button works everywhere.

Re: Ask HN: Why is the iOS UI difficult to maneuver?

#13

I’ve always wondered why Android is so hard to navigate. On the Samsung phones, there’s two app stores, two photos apps, two video apps, two security apps, two calculators, two email apps, and they all have different UI styles, how confusing.

That's a Samsung issue, not an Android issue. Samsung heavily customizes their phones to use an entirely different design language and they also preinstall apps you can't remove (Facebook) and mess with notification services for open source apps that don't use Firebase for push.

Re: Ask HN: Why is the iOS UI difficult to maneuver?

#14

90% of apps using UINavigationController or the SwiftUI equivalent will have the back button be a label with a left facing arrow in the top left. A swipe from the left will also trigger this action. Its never tripped me up.

But why is it always on the top left or right? Phones continue to get larger and since iOS doesn't have a universal back button, wouldn't it make sense it put navigation buttons on the bottom left and right?

No need when you can just use edge navigation. The button in the top left is just there for users not as handy with their devices.

Re: Ask HN: Why is the iOS UI difficult to maneuver?

#15
post #11

> THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL BACK BUTTON Your desktop computer doesn’t have a universal back button either, despite having 100+ buttons. It’s not a mandatory UI element. With that said, swiping from the left hand side of the screen will generally perform an analogous function in most well made iOS apps, and swiping up from the bottom of the screen will take the user to the Home Screen

There's an option in windows, just click wibdows+D or click on the bottom right corner.

Re: Ask HN: Why is the iOS UI difficult to maneuver?

#18
post #11

> THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL BACK BUTTON Your desktop computer doesn’t have a universal back button either, despite having 100+ buttons. It’s not a mandatory UI element. With that said, swiping from the left hand side of the screen will generally perform an analogous function in most well made iOS apps, and swiping up from the bottom of the screen will take the user to the Home Screen

mouse 4/5?

Re: Ask HN: Why is the iOS UI difficult to maneuver?

#19
post #3

"after being an Android user the last 12yrs" This is probably the reason why. It's just a matter of familiarity.

"I've been playing guitar all my life, and just bought a piano to play for the first time. Absolute rubbish, who designed this shit!"
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