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iPhones are hard to use

blog.fawny.org

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Re: iPhones are hard to use

#381

Post by TulliusCicero »

varenc wrote: post #110

Most of this article just lists semi-advanced features that people don't know about. I think that’s Apple’s intention... Having every feature and option up in your face can reduce usability and make simple tasks harder for the average user. Apple wants a product that's easy for anyone to use and that often means keeping non-essential features out of the way. I’d be more interesting in seeing feedback for Apple on how…

This article makes it clear why the major tech companies are so focused on making intelligent assistants and on using machine learning to make using software more contextual.

Our tech keeps getting more powerful, to the extent that the interfaces and sheer number of options outstrip the average person's capabilities to manage.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#382

Post by xg15 »

> You really need to tell the phone, and/or Siri, who you are and who your family members are. This involves creating a contact card (what’s that?) for yourself and linking to it. Then all your family members need their own cards, and you have to laboriously specify their relationships to you.

I insist this is not an optional or nice-to-have feature.

For a usability expert, I'm surprised he cares so little about the actual intentions of people to use the phone. I can imagine a lot of non-technical users who would get pretty mad if their new phone blocked them from proceeding until they've personally asked aunt Betty to fill in her personal data.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#383

Post by Cthulhu_ »

varenc wrote: post #110

Most of this article just lists semi-advanced features that people don't know about. I think that’s Apple’s intention... Having every feature and option up in your face can reduce usability and make simple tasks harder for the average user. Apple wants a product that's easy for anyone to use and that often means keeping non-essential features out of the way. I’d be more interesting in seeing feedback for Apple on how…

I don't know about intention, I mean e.g. the Health app is pretty clearly on the primary means of launching apps. I think it's more of a matter of people not actually sitting down to learn and explore their device.

Mind you I do believe Apple should release a proper manual. Barring that, there's a series of iphone books, websites and magazines that will go over these features over and over again.

If people don't invest the time themselves, why should Apple bother?

Also why is Apple and the iphone singled out? It's the same rhetoric for Windows, where the start button is a mystery to the computer illiterate.

TL;DR educate yourself or don't get an iphone.

I do believe text size should be an option for the first configuration though (and if you give your old phones to other people, do a factory reset and let them run through that initial setup themselves).

It gets complicated with apps though, designers often don't keep the variable size text in mind. That feature - at least when I looked into it a few years ago - gives you fixed text sizes to work, which is fine for default looking apps but a bit problematic when you're implementing a certain style.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#385

Post by Cthulhu_ »

fit2rule wrote: post #358
aidos wrote: post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? The initial setup is for the things you set once and never need to change. I tell my phone I want it in English during on boarding - and then I never need that setting again.

Eyesight changes over time. People learn new languages, and want to switch. Making these decisions for the user and then forcing them forever is decidedly un-user-friendly.

Forcing them forever is not the case, IDK where you're getting that from. Language settings and text size / other accessibility settings are in the settings and nowadays ios even has a search function in there.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#386

Post by Cthulhu_ »

fit2rule wrote: post #369
coldtea wrote: post #362

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, you know, the person can search for 1-2 minutes how to change the font, when they need to, if and when their "eyesight changes" enough during their years of using iPhones to warranty it. Better than cramming every such feature as a first priority, and making a UI that's confusing for everyday use.

You didn't read the article? Even though its buried there, in the system prefs, people who need to change such settings still cannot find them. That's the point: the UI is already confusing for everyday use, and we honestly expect better of Apple.

What operating systems have settings like these in a more intuitive location?

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#387

Post by MatekCopatek »

xg15 wrote: post #382

> You really need to tell the phone, and/or Siri, who you are and who your family members are. This involves creating a contact card (what’s that?) for yourself and linking to it. Then all your family members need their own cards, and you have to laboriously specify their relationships to you. I insist this is not an optional or nice-to-have feature. For a usability expert, I'm surprised he cares so little about the…

I think he means the user should create/amend contact details for their family members.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#388

Post by simonbarker87 »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #316
new_here wrote: post #275

This is another case of Apple being held to a higher standard than competitors in the market. Apple literally revolutionised the smartphone market with the simple usability of the iPhone. Of course, there are things that can be improved (with many decent suggestions from the author that most power users would agree with) but based on the author’s mild annoyances and casual observations that elderly, visibly challenge…

> Compared to the accepted norm that malware apps are almost routinely found in the public Google Play store. To add to the author's list of things that iPhone users don't know that Apple keeps hidden, several orders of magnitude more iPhone users have been infected with malware than Google Play Store users despite the Play Store having several orders of magnitude more users. https://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/20/xcod…

Given that it is reported on a very well known Apple blog and Apple released a statement on the issue I don’t think you can say they are hiding it.

So a quick google for xcodegohst brings up a Wikipedia page and widespread main steam news coverage (including BBC), with quotes from Apple - literally not hidden at all.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#389

Post by Cthulhu_ »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #381
varenc wrote: post #110

Most of this article just lists semi-advanced features that people don't know about. I think that’s Apple’s intention... Having every feature and option up in your face can reduce usability and make simple tasks harder for the average user. Apple wants a product that's easy for anyone to use and that often means keeping non-essential features out of the way. I’d be more interesting in seeing feedback for Apple on how…

This article makes it clear why the major tech companies are so focused on making intelligent assistants and on using machine learning to make using software more contextual. Our tech keeps getting more powerful, to the extent that the interfaces and sheer number of options outstrip the average person's capabilities to manage.

The problem with assistants and the like is that they hide features even more. On iOS you can browse through the apps and settings, on Siri you can't. Sure you can try some but there's a lot of "Why didn't I think of that?" options available there.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#390

Post by jplayer01 »

MJR wrote: post #210
aerovistae wrote: post #175

In the modern day I would really avoid using "autism" as a negative descriptor or analogy in published works like this, as much as I may say it in private contexts to friends.

100% agree. I stopped reading when I saw that. What exactly is "Windows autism" exactly? My autistic son would like to know... And I would encourage you not to say it in private contexts with friends either.

> And I would encourage you not to say it in private contexts with friends either.

Not sure it's any of your business what he says to his friends in private, even if you have an autistic son.

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