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The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

uxdesign.cc

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Re: The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

#121

Post by nyanpasu64 »

javajosh wrote: post #120
nyanpasu64 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 99.9% of volume controls scale the output linearly. Wrong. Windows's volume output is the percentage squared, and Linux PulseAudio's volume output is the percentage cubed. Nonetheless I would prefer that the volume output was exponential (2^(slider position / constant)). This way, pressing the "volume up" key 3 times always increases the volume by a constant factor, regardless if you're on loud or quiet speaker/hea…

You've given me an idea for a volume control - enter a function like x^2 or x^3, which is graphed (on a linear scale). Then pick an x. The y value will be your volume. (The component should reverse any platform specific non-linearity first.)

How would you compute the current volume level? You would have to either store the current x value (which could desync if you change the volume level using the OS volume control), or derive the nearest x from the current y value (which may be possible on PulseAudio, but I haven't checked if you're stuck to the nearest 1% or if you can get a more precise or dB level).

Re: The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

#122

Post by gumby »

abram wrote: post #102

I find Apple's suggestion to use Siri to control the volume on the AirPods Pro [0] to be worse than some of the ideas on that page. The idea of having a spoken conversation in public in which I must request a volume change via a branded AI (and then repeat that request multiple times if necessary to reach my desired volume) just feels humiliating. [0] "To change the volume, say 'Hey, Siri,' then say something like 'T…

One of the teens in the house has discovered you can say “Hey Alexa shut the fuck up”.

I’m afraid the joyless Siri just ignores you when you say that.

Re: The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

#124

Post by gumby »

chrisseaton wrote: post #104
abram wrote: post #102

I find Apple's suggestion to use Siri to control the volume on the AirPods Pro [0] to be worse than some of the ideas on that page. The idea of having a spoken conversation in public in which I must request a volume change via a branded AI (and then repeat that request multiple times if necessary to reach my desired volume) just feels humiliating. [0] "To change the volume, say 'Hey, Siri,' then say something like 'T…

Does seem odd they couldn't have squeezed another switch in there, or let you lower volume with the switch in one ear and raise it with the switch in the other ear.

Crying out for a slider interface like the unlamented Touch Bar. The stems are long enough for the gesture (not absolute positioning).

Re: The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

#125

Post by _carbyau_ »

reificator wrote: post #106
varenc wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand the motivation. A user might set an app's volume low and raise the system volume very high to compensate. But then audio from another program, likely Teams, might blow your ears out when it starts. In a vacuum, I like the idea, but given that the standard on Desktop is in-app volume control Teams' behavior sounds worse. In iOS I've never seen an in-app volume control (I assume its forbidden) and all volu…

> In iOS I never seen an in-app volume control (I assume its forbidden) and all volume adjustments affect the system volume. Typically games will have them so you can balance out music and interface sounds relative to in-game sounds. In my opinion a volume mixer is a requirement for a decent user experience. To reuse the game example: if I want to listen to a podcast while playing, I'd better be able to hear the podc…

Gaming with friends online.

1. Upon first open of the game, turn the music volume to off or 10%.

2. Make any other game noise 30% max.

3. Enjoy being able to play and hear game, while also being able to hear friends on Mumble at reasonable volume.

Re: The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

#126

Post by kadoban »

13of40 wrote: post #65

I just ran into one of these. I just got a Garmin Fenix Pro 6 watch, and it has a Spotify client on it. Just create a playlist on your phone or computer, then download and play it from your watch with Bluetooth. Sweet! Unfortunately it autoplays, seems to set the volume way too high by default, and while the volume control is a regular slider, it takes a minimum of four button presses across three different buttons a…

Do your headphones have volume control? If you're not sure, you should check. It's likely much less painful than that sounds.

Re: The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

#128

Post by runawaybottle »

arriu wrote: post #15

The one asking the user to make noise as loud as you want the volume to be made me laugh but it does have a hidden feature... It will never be lower than ambiant noise. Perhaps a desireable feature?

It made me laugh too, but imagine if you were blind. Would be about as simple as it would get to set the volume in that case.

Re: The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

#129

Post by HelixEndeavor »

mortenjorck wrote: post #107
iambateman wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just in case an MS engineer is reading these Teams gripes… On Mac, Teams does not honor system-level Do not Disturb. So when I turn off notifications during a presentation at work and my friend sends me snarky comments about our boss…

Teams’ notifications on Mac are an ongoing debacle. Because they are Microsoft’s own implementation, rather than using the system API, not only do they not respect DND, they also helpfully get lost behind other notifications that come in from properly designed applications. According to the Microsoft admin updates I’m subscribed to, native notifications on Mac have been in a beta channel for months, with a full rollo…

Developers stubbornly refusing to utilize the tools provided by the operating system because they think they can do it better (90% of the time they can't) is one of my greatest pet peeves.

You should ONLY ever use your own engine for things like notifications if the particular OS doesn't support them (pre-10 Windows)

Re: The worst volume control UI in the world (2017)

#130

Post by ajklsdhfniuwehf »

Those are still all better than mobile phones that have a dozen "volumes" and when you press the volume up when a video is just starting you might get lucky and lower the media volume, or you might have missed it for one microsecond and now you are stuck on ring or alarm or whatever volume while the video plays.
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