Live data from Hacker News

Soli

atap.google.com

81–90 of 325 posts

Re: Soli

#81
post #73

Those growing up with Remote Controls of the kind: https://i.imgur.com/AIqz63k.jpg After a few days, the user develops a muscle memory of sorts. User doesn't even have to look at the controller and all actions (and feedback) are executed through the tactile interface. From cockpits to nuclear power plants to home tv remote control, there is absolutely nothing that replaces physical buttons, encoders, sliders and togg…

While agree with most of what you said, I have seen a lot of happy Face ID (over Touch ID). I think your 3 important points set a good framework for anything buttonless.

I added one more - Expose state of the system to user. Examples include:

- Vintage radios with sliding marker that shows what the current station freq is - 3 state sliders that show whether something is state A/B/C by simply looking at it. When performing action on such a slider, user immediately knows by the means of performing the action, what the state of the system is! - Volume knobs, shows the current state. - Big bright ON light when a Keithley power supply is supplying power - Lots of Braun products, too many to list.

May be these are obvious but it just reminds me that things we take granted are really important in UX/UI.

Re: Soli

#82
I might start sweating if it takes that much energy just to move to the next track.

Edit: Not sure why this got voted down? Hold your arm in an upright position, swat to the side a few hundred times, you would feel at the very least, muscle fatigue.

For repetitive tasks, you want efficiency of movement, not dramatic movement.

Re: Soli

#83
post #22

Google finally ships a research project in a real product and people don’t seem to understand the usefulness. Human nature for some reason often devolves to “what’s the point?” Here’s the 2015 announcement. There’s a lot of potential. Maybe we’d all benefit from “imagine what’s now possible “ https://youtu.be/0QNiZfSsPc0

It's really cool and innovative technology, but I also struggle to see the point for the common user. If this were a computer monitor or projector screen, sure. But my phone is pretty much always in my hand if it's being used in any way. If it's already in my hand, what do I gain from this?

I can see how it'd be very useful for people who mount their phones on some sort of distant stand. But I feel like that's pretty uncommon; though maybe I'm just ignorant of how common it actually is. It's probably much more common for tablets, like for watching videos/movies at a distance. I do that, and I could definitely see myself using this with a tablet. But for something small that's pretty much always either in my pocket or in my hand?

Re: Soli

#84

Those growing up with Remote Controls of the kind: https://i.imgur.com/AIqz63k.jpg After a few days, the user develops a muscle memory of sorts. User doesn't even have to look at the controller and all actions (and feedback) are executed through the tactile interface. From cockpits to nuclear power plants to home tv remote control, there is absolutely nothing that replaces physical buttons, encoders, sliders and togg…

While I personally agree with your preference, I think it's dangerous to assume that a new generation of users will have the same preferences we do despite being raised with so many new user interface paradigms.

Users tend to gravitate towards what feels "native" to them.

Re: Soli

#85
post #79
post #58

Not sure what to think about it. Seems awesome at first glance but then the examples are skipping songs and hand waving pokemons. Feels a lot like a solution looking for a problem.

Beyond a certain level, most of modern computing is...

Yeah, I'm noticing that more and more. I'd even say we're going backward in many ways : jack 3.5 removal, everything glued/soldered, form over function, complete lack of reparability (while advocating for mobilisation against climate change and recycling at the same time)

Re: Soli

#86

Those growing up with Remote Controls of the kind: https://i.imgur.com/AIqz63k.jpg After a few days, the user develops a muscle memory of sorts. User doesn't even have to look at the controller and all actions (and feedback) are executed through the tactile interface. From cockpits to nuclear power plants to home tv remote control, there is absolutely nothing that replaces physical buttons, encoders, sliders and togg…

Found the vim user ;) That remote control is how I explain modal interfaces to people when they can't understand how my editor works.

What was modal about the remote? Switching between TV/display/audio while the main set stays the same?

Re: Soli

#87
post #73

Those growing up with Remote Controls of the kind: https://i.imgur.com/AIqz63k.jpg After a few days, the user develops a muscle memory of sorts. User doesn't even have to look at the controller and all actions (and feedback) are executed through the tactile interface. From cockpits to nuclear power plants to home tv remote control, there is absolutely nothing that replaces physical buttons, encoders, sliders and togg…

While agree with most of what you said, I have seen a lot of happy Face ID (over Touch ID). I think your 3 important points set a good framework for anything buttonless.

The difference between primary interfaces and secondary interactions...

Re: Soli

#88
post #78

Those growing up with Remote Controls of the kind: https://i.imgur.com/AIqz63k.jpg After a few days, the user develops a muscle memory of sorts. User doesn't even have to look at the controller and all actions (and feedback) are executed through the tactile interface. From cockpits to nuclear power plants to home tv remote control, there is absolutely nothing that replaces physical buttons, encoders, sliders and togg…

How is Soli any different? I know that if I put my hand in this spot and make the motion of turning a dial then it will turn down the volume, and I can hear the volume go down as I do it, whats the difference? Or if I tap the air in a specific way, get an audible tap noise, and know I've completed a preset action (index finger tap = set timer for 5 minutes) its the exact same thing. How is sound feedback not as good?…

Hypothetical scenario:

User pays the initial cost of engagement - Atleast 2 seconds to unlock the phone. After that, all actions user performs are in the "Engaged State".

Imagine if you have to press a button every 3 mins but you have to pay the 2 second cost of unlocking the phone, searching for the button(which can be memorized) and then getting visual/sound feedback.

Compare this with a Remote Control that is sitting on the table. Pressing a button on it every 3 mins has lower impedance.

The examples you're citing have a fixed 2 second "initialization" cost and then phones are fine as long as you're engaged in a session. All feedback is visual (and sometimes audible). Soli is far inferior to a phone in UX because it literally has no feedback besides "hoping" your gesture would get recognized. Moving hands in air has substantially higher ambiguity than touching your phone in "engaged session" mode.

Re: Soli

#89

Those growing up with Remote Controls of the kind: https://i.imgur.com/AIqz63k.jpg After a few days, the user develops a muscle memory of sorts. User doesn't even have to look at the controller and all actions (and feedback) are executed through the tactile interface. From cockpits to nuclear power plants to home tv remote control, there is absolutely nothing that replaces physical buttons, encoders, sliders and togg…

>there is absolutely nothing that replaces physical buttons, encoders, sliders and toggles

Even space, versatility, & cost aside, there are definitely tasks that a touch screen does better. Using a map with a touch screen is incredibly intuitive compared to a mouse. (I cannot imagine using sliders or other "physical" interfaces)

>A physical button guarantees that the action was performed by the means of feedback

So you've never experienced pressing on a TV remote and nothing happening? On touch screens I can see if the app responded to my interaction. On many button interfaces I cannot.

>taptic stuff still isn't as good as the click of a button

Not sure why you're so confident with this when most people I tell are surprised that their new Macbook touchpad is entirely haptic and not actually moving.

>Don't trust a company that sells ads at the same time as building hardware

So by this definition Apple is worse than Google for privacy?

Re: Soli

#90
post #43

> Motion Sense will evolve as well. Motion Sense will be available in select countries². What this has to do with the country?!

According to other comments, various countries have banned the technology. So that's why it's not available everywhere.
Post reply on HN