Request: Move Settings Tab to the Settings Application
GoogleCodeExporter opened this issue · comments
What postal code/address, search distance, and search date have you set Now
Playing to?
3089, 5km, Today
What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Run the 'Now Playing' application.
What is the expected output? What do you see instead?
The 'Settings' tab on the bottom of the Now Playing screen takes up valuable
screen real estate,
and is unnecessary once initially configured. The only real adjustable options,
the day one is
searching for, can be changed on any cinema or film page, while the button to
'home in' on one's
location could be moved to the far-right of the upper title bar when on the
'Theatres' and
'Movies' tabs (which would also make it quicker to locate in the first place).
This settings page could be moved to the 'Settings' Application, which would
free the screen up
and create a more unified appearance akin to the other built-in applications.
What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?
Now Playing 2.5. iPod Touch 2nd Generation
Please provide any additional information below.
What is your email address? This information is optional, but recommended. It
is used by the
developer so he can contact you for more details.
trowell.haydn@gmail.com
Original issue reported on code.google.com by trowell....@gmail.com
on 26 Dec 2008 at 8:30
I'm not sure i agree here. First off, discovery is a *big* issue. Moving the
settings to the iPhone settings page
would decrease discoverability in a big way. Also, the upper right corner of
the main pages is used for the
'activity indicator' and so cannot be used for the 'find me' button.
I'm also not sure what this buys the user. What does it matter if one space is
used for 'settings'?
Original comment by cyrus.na...@gmail.com
on 27 Dec 2008 at 1:13
You are right, this is not a major request, I simply believe it would make the
application more standardised in
comparison to most other applications and would relocate an item that would not
need to be used much.
Discovery is a big issue, and I do not propose that the feature be removed.
While the activity indicator is located
in this upper right corner, I believe there are numerous alterations which
could absolve this. Firstly, from my own
observations, there are two activity indicators on the screen at the same time;
one in the upper status bar
reserved by the system, and one in the Now Playing status bar. Secondly, pages
such as specific film pages,
which have a star in this upper-right corner to designate favourites, do not
have the activity indicator in this
location, instead they appear to use a hovering indicator instead. It may be
possible then that the indicator could
be removed, as there is already another, or could be altered into a hovering
indicator akin to that which is used
on film pages. The discovery (locate me) button would then fit in this
now-vacant area, and would also be there
to be tapped immediately, instead of having to dig down into the settings menu.
Of course this is only a minor issue, and in no way impedes the usability of
the application. It would, however, be
helpful in removing what would become a tab which would not have to be used
very much, and would improve
the application's adherence to application standards in addition to removing
'screen clutter'. I believe also that
relocating the 'locate me' button so that it is visible on more screens (such
as the 'theatres' and 'films' screens)
would make it quicker and easier to use.
Now, I don't want to be seen as browbeating you here; this is *your*
application after all, not mine. You will
design it as you see fit. This is simply a small piece of advice that I believe
would help to make your product even
better than it is now.
In any event, thanks for creating this most useful application.
Original comment by trowell....@gmail.com
on 27 Dec 2008 at 4:10
Thanks for the in depth feedback Trowell. A couple of comments:
"Firstly, from my own observations, there are two activity indicators on the
screen
at the same time; one in the upper status bar reserved by the system, and one
in the
Now Playing status bar."
One is provided by the iPhone OS and is used to indicate network activity. The
other is provided by my app and used to indicate that a major sync is
occurring. I
could try to merge both into one, but i'll have to consider if it would be
clear
enough for users.
There are also other settings which i believe are valuable and worth making
available directly in the app. For example, in my next version you will be
able to
enable/disable Netflix support from the 'settings' page. If 'settings' were
moved
to the iPhone's settings menu, then i'm pretty sure that 99% of users would
never
discover that it existed.
I also feel that the other settings that are available are things that people
do
occasionally want and should not need to exit the app for.
Finally, you mention "screen clutter". I'm not sure i buy this argument. Once
you
have tabs at the bottom, you're going to need that space for something. If
there's
no other functionality that you would rather have in that space, then i do not
believe there is anything to be gained by leaving it blank and only having 4
tabs
instead of 5.
Regardless, i'll definitely consider ways to make my app simpler and more
streamlined. Ideally there would be no need for a 'settings' menu at all,
however i
haven't figured out how to pull that off yet :)
Original comment by cyrus.na...@gmail.com
on 27 Dec 2008 at 8:05
I didn't realise there was a difference between the two activity indicators.
Netflix support sounds like a great
addition, and I can see why the settings tab would need to be available to
enable/disable it. All in all, its hardly a
big deal at all, just an idea for simplifying the interface, and with all the
new additions I think Now Playing is only
going to get even better regardless of hiding the settings menu.
Thanks for active the support and communication, and the great application.
Original comment by trowell....@gmail.com
on 28 Dec 2008 at 1:24
Settings have been reorganized for 3.1 and 3.2
Original comment by cyrus.na...@gmail.com
on 9 Feb 2009 at 6:29
- Changed state: Fixed