A Tiny Detail I Like About iOS8

iOS8 is a huge move forward in user experience, especially the continuity experience between iOS8 and Mac OS X Yosemite is a great win. For the ones who don’t know what I am talking about by saying “continuity experience”: it is the ability to continue working on your document no matter which machine you started with, either a mobile device or a Mac. And also answering phone call on your Mac and iPad is a big experience win (more details on Apple's site). 

The thing that I would like to point out in this post is rather different, it is iOS' spotlight, again! You may remember I criticized iOS7 for a single bad behavior which had frustrated me lots of time: Keeping the earlier search query when I open spotlight for second time. iOS8 came with a simple solution for that: Second time you open spotlight it sets the search expression selected so if you time something the earlier search goes away; and in case you want to continue from your earlier type you still can do.

I can hear you are saying I am focusing on a secondary thing but I assure you these tiny details can make your users like or dislike your product.

Step 1. Search something, then select something or cancel the search

Step 2. Drag the home screen for a second search, the text comes selected. You can type something else without need to clean the field, or you can use your earlier expression

Pttrns: More than 2100 Mobile User Interface Patterns for Design Inspirations

We, UX designers, need inspirations for the sections of the apps that we work on. And we know that majority of a new application's parts consists of similar patterns as in other applications, like signup, login, activity feed, search, share. Almost all UX designers check different applications before (re)designing an application part. This means downloading a lot of applications just to check some parts of the applications.

Pttrns.com is the solution for this repetitive checking task. There are more than 2100 mobile UI patterns grouped into 3 main categories (iPhone, iPad, iOS7) and bunch of subcategories (Activity Feeds, Maps, Logins etc.).

Pttrns.com for mobile app UI patterns

Pttrns.com for mobile app UI patterns

Top part of the left panel is dedicated to the broad category selection: iPhone, iPad and iOS7.

Top part of the left panel: main category selection

Top part of the left panel: main category selection

Bottom part of the left panel: subcategories under the main category

Bottom part of the left panel: subcategories under the main category

Bottom part of the left panel is dedicated to different subcategories under the main category you have selected. Let's say you are on designing settings section of a iPhone application and would like to check what other apps' settings sections look like. You click iPhone section then click the settings subsection on the panel. Then lots of applications' settings sections are listed in the same page.

Settings examples from different applications

Settings examples from different applications

One cool feature of pttrns is the magnifier when you hover your mouse on the images.

Screen Shot 2014-02-02 at 11.29.41 AM.png

Hope pttrns.com accompany you in your current and next journeys of mobile application design.

iOS 7 Spotlight Search: Apple you are doing it wrong

Spotlight is a useful shortcut to search for content (applications, mail, contacts) on your iPhone or iPad. However it has a problem:  Your search interfered by the previous search text. 

When you search, find and click something in spotlight on iPhone and iPad, does it necessary to see the phrase I typed (most of the cases, long time ago) again in the search bar? Is it necessary for the text I typed to get sticked? Who cares what they typed long before? ... And even when clicking the "clean" button is so hard/tiny to reach and click!

This is what the screen looks like when I open the spotlight

This is what the screen looks like when I open the spotlight

To access Spotlight, swipe down on your home screen to reveal the search field. This is what usually happens when I forget how the spotlight works: I forget to delete the previous search. It is especially the case if I am in hurry. Apple please provide a way to make the search in spotlight non-sticky for your users' sake!

Apple please provide a way to make the search in spotlight non-sticky for your users' sake!

Apple please provide a way to make the search in spotlight non-sticky for your users' sake!