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iPhones are hard to use

blog.fawny.org

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Re: iPhones are hard to use

#11

Post by firasd »

starpilot wrote: post #4

Are any of these issues handled better on Android phones?

I'm not too familiar with Android phones but having tried out my parents' Androids (and watched them use the phones) I gotta say everything is hidden there as well.

Maybe Android is a bit more consistent, because there is universal 'undo', plus the idiom of three vertical dots on the top right for 'more actions'. But subjectively I've found that Android has even more 'randomness': you are trying to get something done, something else opens, then something pops up... it's all deterministic of course, but not intuitive, so it feels accidental.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#14

Post by polalavik »

jfaat wrote: post #6
polalavik wrote: post #2

And now dumber than ever. At least on my iPhone 6s with the latest update. Now you have to go through 2 screens to send a photo to someone in imessage, whereas before the most recent photos were easily accessible. And on facetime you have to pull up a menu [that covers the entire screen] to flip the camera around, and if you accidentally hit it a couple times theres no way to know which way your camera is facing with…

If you let the app bar show above the keyboard, you should be able to select photos by tapping on the appropriate icon in that row, which will show your latest photos. I agree that it is a usability regression but this option was better than always having to tap twice to attach a photo.

ah there it is. This feature resonates well with the article - 'iphones hide their functions'

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#15

Post by ProfessorLayton »

There's a lot to unpack here, and a lot to disagree with, as I believe there's plenty of evidence Apple cares a lot about accessibility.

Also harping on specific terminology like password vs passcode is not really productive in terms of improving the underlying UX, as the word gets translated into tons of languages which may or may not have the same level of nuance.

While I don't necessarily agree with the premise, especially when compared with the competition, I will say that iOS has not gotten easier to use over time. Features like 3D touch are implemented inconsistently both at the hardware level, and in the UX — Worst is how undiscoverable they are. Here's the crazy part: Apple is about to release the iPhone XR, their 1 and only phone without 3D touch!.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#16

Post by Skunkleton »

People have the same sorts of problems with most non-trivial devices. In the extreme cases mentioned in the article the solution is the same that the author discovered: some who knows, teaches someone who can benefit. There isn't an obvious solution to this problem in general that wont make the system harder to use for intermediate/expert users.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#17

Post by donatj »

starpilot wrote: post #4

Are any of these issues handled better on Android phones?

I currently own both Android and iOS devices, and have used both for years.

I think the single "Omni-Pull Down" from the top works way cleaner than the now 3 seperate pull from side of screen actions. I actually find pulling up from the bottom difficult and frustrating.

Swipe to dismiss, tap to open makes so much more intuitive sense than swipe to open.

Text editing / selection does what I expect way more often.

Android doesn't bug you about Wifi access points by default.

This one is controversial, but I think a visible always available back button is a huge accessibility win even if it's sometimes inconsistant in behaviour.

Also, the Google Assistant at this point is probably 10 times more accurate and understanding than Siri. I have a pretty standard midwestern accent and Siri understands almost nothing I say to a pathetic degree. I use Google Assistant to do probably about half of the quick things I want to do on my phone like set alarms and such. I don't trust Siri to do anything.

A lot of things of course are worse just because they vary between manufacturers and even individual phones.

The fact that many OS components are replaceable is a double edge sword. My dad for instance somehow installed a dialer that made him dismiss an advertisement before he could answer his phone. He had no idea how to get rid of it and assumed he had broke his phone.

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#19

Post by zone411 »

There are persistent bugs in common functions also. E.g. in messages attach a photo, press the left arrow and then come back to the conversation. The photo will be messed up (XS with the latest update).

Re: iPhones are hard to use

#20

Post by rkho »

A number of years ago, I was employed by an Apple Retail store. I don't know how it is now but when I started (in 2010), they would hold employee-led workshops on the basics of iOS devices and how to customize them.

By the time I left, they had completely revamped those workshops to be mere Q&A sessions. My biggest gripe about these Q&A style workshops is that most of the people attending weren't aware of what questions to ask.

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