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Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

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Re: Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

#61

Post by PhasmaFelis »

knolan wrote: post #16

In research environments we often have to use software with UIs designed by, and subsequently abandoned by engineers. Typically some expensive piece of highly complex equipment that only runs on some older version of Windows that every PhD student is expected to use. They're often buggy, resulting in Skinner pigeon troubleshooting workflows to get anything done. First guilty party to mind is FLIR. Their software is t…

Industry-specific software is also really bad for this. So is university software. Basically anything where the purchasers never use the software, so there's no real incentive to improve.

Re: Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

#62

Post by seniorsassycat »

derefr wrote: post #54
mark242 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Volume is a percentage, and a very analog control. The idea that you would have to have a round knob to twist on a computer screen is ridiculous, almost like some imaginary need for a specific shutter button to press to take a photo on a phone (just touch the screen!). It's a one-dimensional value, make it a one-dimensional control. Slider. Done.

> almost like some imaginary need for a specific shutter button to press to take a photo on a phone (just touch the screen!). I've always wanted a shutter button on my phone, because of what it would imply: the ability to take a picture instantaneously , as the first action that wakes the phone from sleep. I often miss shots because of the six seconds required to get from my phone being in my pocket to having the Cam…

My xperia has a dedicated camera button.

Re: Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

#63

Post by thaumasiotes »

svantana wrote: post #42
colanderman wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget, is it linear or logarithmic? It baffles me that it's 2017 and people who implement volume sliders never even consider that the obvious choice might not be the best...

Well logarithmic doesn't make sense, because it never gets to zero. However something like p^0.42 (sound pressure with an exponent<1) works well because it is similar to the perceived sound level. An interesting connection is that the power function "becomes" a logarithm as the exponent goes to zero.

> An interesting connection is that the power function "becomes" a logarithm as the exponent goes to zero.

Logarithms are infinitesimal exponentials -- x log x grows faster than x but slower than x^{1+ε} for any real positive ε.

They make an interesting counterpoint to the philosophy that infinitesimal quantities can't exist in "real" mathematics.

Re: Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

#65

Post by ferongr »

abruzzi wrote: post #41
throwaway899 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be honest, I prefer the physical shutter button over tapping my screen on my phone when taking pictures.

Especially since screen tapping could be registering a "refocus to this point" action. Also since camera phones have no viewfinder, I use the screen to compose my shot. So to avoid obscuring what I am going to take a picture of, I keep my hand clear of the screen most of the time. That makes the act of triggering the shutter a more visible and deliberate act than just pushing a button that my finger is already touchi…

With most sensors having a 4:3 aspect ratio and smartphone displays having a 16:9 (or wider) AR, there is no need to block the image being composed with any fingers. The blank areas are filled with all relevant controls and a virtual shutter release button.

Re: Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

#66

Post by MBCook »

knolan wrote: post #16

In research environments we often have to use software with UIs designed by, and subsequently abandoned by engineers. Typically some expensive piece of highly complex equipment that only runs on some older version of Windows that every PhD student is expected to use. They're often buggy, resulting in Skinner pigeon troubleshooting workflows to get anything done. First guilty party to mind is FLIR. Their software is t…

> resulting in Skinner pigeon troubleshooting

Oh, that's genius. I'm going to have to use that.

Re: Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

#68

Post by Macha »

svantana wrote: post #42
colanderman wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget, is it linear or logarithmic? It baffles me that it's 2017 and people who implement volume sliders never even consider that the obvious choice might not be the best...

Well logarithmic doesn't make sense, because it never gets to zero. However something like p^0.42 (sound pressure with an exponent<1) works well because it is similar to the perceived sound level. An interesting connection is that the power function "becomes" a logarithm as the exponent goes to zero.

I don't know if it's a bug with Windows or my headset, but my headset actually does make sound at 0 on windows. I get an extra button press on my headset volume controls or my keyboard volume controls to actually mute it.

Re: Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

#69

Post by qbrass »

amptorn wrote: post #11

After a while these start boiling down to "a difficult minigame where your score is also the volume setting".

I was kind of expecting a flappy bird volume control to be there.

If you want to buck the mini-game trend. Just have a simple up/down button that bumps the volume up or down a percent, but requires a reboot first.

Re: Redditors design worst volume sliders possible

#70

Post by 8note »

mark242 wrote: post #18
cyberferret wrote: post #3

These are hilarious. I use audio software a lot, and it is amazing how something which seems quite simple in concept, such as a circular volume button, can be so differently implemented via UX. Every time I see a knob style button on any of my audio plugins UI, I have to think: * Will the point at which I touch/click on the knob set the knob value to that position, or will it simply be the starting anchor at which I…

Volume is a percentage, and a very analog control. The idea that you would have to have a round knob to twist on a computer screen is ridiculous, almost like some imaginary need for a specific shutter button to press to take a photo on a phone (just touch the screen!). It's a one-dimensional value, make it a one-dimensional control. Slider. Done.

what's the second dimension on rotation? you can completely describe it using the angle.
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