Updating the UI: Main Screen Edition

[DDR]

Hey guys! I've finally got the wireframe-ish mockups I've been making into a presentable shape. I've made a few versions of a future main screen I'd love to get some feedback on. 8)

Here's an early iteration, Version A.

Version A in record mode. (The blue ring is how much memory you have left to record in to.)

After some discussion internally, this resulted in Version B, where the text moved out onto the image and the record button moved into the sidebar beside the play and save screen button.

Then patrickrebstock, somewhat unintentionally, inspired me to try switching around some of the buttons to put the most-used ones on the left side. (Or the right side, if you check that checkbox in Prefs. & Utilities.) I'm loosely preferential to the easy thumb reach in this version, though I think it was better organized in Version B. All the menus-buttons were on the right there, all the action-buttons were on the top.

Version C:

Anyway, if y'all have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them! I really need some feedback on my work - Krontech is nice, but there's only so many people I can bother here.

 

[jefish]

C

 

[BiduleOhm]

Definitely version C

What would be awesome is to be able to chose which buttons are assigned to which functions (like top button 1 = ... top button 2 = ..., etc...).

 

[patrickrebstock]

version c but maybe with a few tweaks,
switch record settings with the white balance,
switch the prefs & utilities with black balance

that way all camera settings are across the top where not used as much and then the right hand side is all the buttons used while shooting

different question how are we going to set white balance with the kelvin temp rather than custom in the future, is it from that button? 

 

[jefish]

version c but maybe with a few tweaks,
switch record settings with the white balance,
switch the prefs & utilities with black balance

that way all camera settings are across the top where not used as much and then the right hand side is all the buttons used while shooting

Seconded

 

[DDR]

version c but maybe with a few tweaks,
switch record settings with the white balance,
switch the prefs & utilities with black balance

that way all camera settings are across the top where not used as much and then the right hand side is all the buttons used while shooting

Seconded

So it shall be!

(I'm kinda snowed in right now, so I must make my modified mockup Monday.)

 

[Electra]

C also works for me, based on a quick glance and think.
I'm hoping that the new playback screen will move the position slider to the bottom of the screen to give both more space and keep fingers out of the way.
So I'm wondering if doing the same for the Shutter would also be a good idea as the imagines tend to be long and narrow rather than tall and thin.

 

[DDR]

So it shall be!

And so it is.

Version D

C also works for me, based on a quick glance and think.
I'm hoping that the new playback screen will move the position slider to the bottom of the screen to give both more space and keep fingers out of the way.
So I'm wondering if doing the same for the Shutter would also be a good idea as the imagines tend to be long and narrow rather than tall and thin.

Thanks!

Yeah, I'd really like to have a bottom slider on the playback screen too. I've drawn up some designs with that in mind... what you think, Electra?

I'm hoping that pinch-to-zoom on the video will make the side shutter slider acceptable. It's a lot more accessible by thumb there, and we don't usually need the fine-grained control over the shutter that we do when we're reviewing footage. Plus, we'll be able to do fine-grained shutter adjustments with the jog wheel soon!

 

[Electra]

Please no 'pinch to zoom' for any settings changes. Using a single finger to scroll around the image and manipulate controls is easy enough to work out but multi-touch becomes hard to discover and I don't believe are needed on a screen like this.
As far as I know, the shutter speed is quite important to most users of the camera, so having it along the bottom would make it visually match the playback screen, give you more control and would only be further aided by the scroll knob to do fine tweaks.
It's been one of the most fiddly controls after the playback scroll, at least to me(I use it on a tripod 95% of the time, so everything is done with an index finger).  But at the end, I'll listen to those who use it every day.

 

[DDR]

Something like this?

Version E

(The Auto button, here, would set the slider as high as it could go without clipping. It wouldn't be exclusive to this particular design, probably. It's just that I only now remembered it.)

The reason I'd wanted pinch-to-zoom was to let you focus the camera. Right now, if you're shooting at 1280x1024px, you're looking at a viewport 600x480px wide while you try to focus the image. By letting you zoom in, you could see how sharp your focus really was. It wouldn't change what the camera recorded. However, I think this might have quite some confusion potential as the camera suddenly isn't recording what it's showing. I don't have any great ideas how to fix this, actually - can you think of anything? :-\

I do agree that multi-touch is hard to discover. I think we should support pinch-to-zoom though because it's pretty standard - everything with a touch screen that supports zooming supports pinch-to-zoom. However, that's the only multi-touch gesture I'd want to implement. You could also zoom with one finger if you tap-tapdrag, if you wanted. Or just ignore the zooming altogether, which is what we have now.

 

[jefish]

Why not just tap the live view to zoom ... maybe 4x, tap again to restore to 1x?

 

[DDR]

That's... not a bad idea, we do only need it for zoom...

I would like to keep consistency with the playback screen, and I suspect there's too many tappable things already on the playback screen to do that there. Still... dang, yeah, that would be nice. It doesn't really conflict with pinch-to-zoom either.

 

[jefish]

Tap to zoom would be perfectly fine for quick double-check-focus actions. But then again, that's assuming that one's focus point is in the center of the frame. If not, one would need to tap to zoom, then drag to recenter on the focus point. So maybe pinch-zoom-pan is the only universally usable option.

I like simplicity of code, but now I'm torn.

 

[Electra]

I like the slider along the bottom and the 'auto' button.  It's exact height would depend on how the 'playback' screen was done, as the viewport and menu sizes are the same, it would be no disadvantage to leave the exposure slider the same size..

One way around pinch to zoom, assuming there is room to add them, would be a 'zoom in/out' button pair then 'drag' to pan around would work.
Maybe, depending on what others think, you can have 'focus aids' and that would invert/depress the button and replace recording settings/play+save with 'zoom in/out'  'zebra toggle' 'focus aid level'  etc. and show that your in a different viewing mode?  Would adding this extra step get in the way of other's workflow?

(And for the record, while I'd rather not have pinch-to-zoom or other things that are not completely obvious due to a dislike of hard to discover features, I'd accept it if there is no other sane way.  A 'zoom to check focus' feature would be very handy indeed.)

 

[patrickrebstock]

Something like this?

Version E

(The Auto button, here, would set the slider as high as it could go without clipping. It wouldn't be exclusive to this particular design, probably. It's just that I only now remembered it.)

The reason I'd wanted pinch-to-zoom was to let you focus the camera. Right now, if you're shooting at 1280x1024px, you're looking at a viewport 600x480px wide while you try to focus the image. By letting you zoom in, you could see how sharp your focus really was. It wouldn't change what the camera recorded. However, I think this might have quite some confusion potential as the camera suddenly isn't recording what it's showing. I don't have any great ideas how to fix this, actually - can you think of anything? :-\

I do agree that multi-touch is hard to discover. I think we should support pinch-to-zoom though because it's pretty standard - everything with a touch screen that supports zooming supports pinch-to-zoom. However, that's the only multi-touch gesture I'd want to implement. You could also zoom with one finger if you tap-tapdrag, if you wanted. Or just ignore the zooming altogether, which is what we have now.

i still like the exposure slider on the right hand side,  and yes definatly have pinch to zoom that would help focus alot and everyone can figure that out, i mean iphones are in every pocket

 

[patrickrebstock]

but if i can control the exposure with the jog dial that would be my favorite!

 

[BiduleOhm]

I don't see any problem with pinch to zoom and drag to pan; with all the smartphones and tablets now it's pretty much "touch screen + image = pinch and drag" in everyone's brain, and there's also the manual for the few % who might have missed that.

And we can always add a click to toggle the zoom level, it's not mutually exclusive with the pinch to zoom AFAIK.

 

[DDR]

Tap to zoom would be perfectly fine for quick double-check-focus actions. But then again, that's assuming that one's focus point is in the center of the frame. If not, one would need to tap to zoom, then drag to recenter on the focus point. So maybe pinch-zoom-pan is the only universally usable option.

I like simplicity of code, but now I'm torn.

We'd probably want to make it zoom in on wherever you tapped.

One way around pinch to zoom, assuming there is room to add them, would be a 'zoom in/out' button pair then 'drag' to pan around would work.

Agreed.

Maybe, depending on what others think, you can have 'focus aids' and that would invert/depress the button and replace recording settings/play+save with 'zoom in/out'  'zebra toggle' 'focus aid level'  etc. and show that your in a different viewing mode?  Would adding this extra step get in the way of other's workflow?

I think it would be OK. Especially with a predictable opening position, sub-menus are quite quick once you are familiar with them.

Currently, I only have one sub-menu in the design. The Focus Aid button's settings got brought out of the Util screen. It will make it one more tap, or at least a more complex tap, to toggle Focus Aid. But I think it's worth it to be able to see what the settings you're setting are doing.

I'm going to have to play around with it a little more before I know exactly how interaction will be. I'll do whatever feels natural to me, but it'll probably be something like 'tap outside the menu to close it, tap inside to press buttons on it'. Nothing too wild. I am considering, if you drag onto the menu, it auto-closes when you release... but I think that might be 'nice but weird', which I don't really like. Like I said, I'll have to play around with it.

 

[patrickrebstock]

i dont see anyone having problems with pinch to zoom, that would be a wonderful interaction and then drag around zoomed in area.

with the set White balance, how will setting a degree kelvin work? rather than the custom wb that we have now

 

[Electra]

I would have zero issue with it being *in addition to* zoom in/out buttons. It's a great short cut that many people seem comfortable with or want it.
(I don't really like it myself, having dealt with the frustration of old/damaged/dirty(or heavily protected) gear not registering the second finger/dropping touches/etc. Trying to hold a large/heavy device in two hands while doing multi-tap is a pain. If it's set up on a light tripod or balanced atop something to set up the shot.)

One thought: Mentioned in another thread is that someone would like the ability to use the camera with an external HDMI screen and a mouse. I can imagine this being a very useful feature(Much like being able to plug a mouse into an android smartphone and having it bring up a cursor).

You suggested 'tap to zoom'.  That alone might be enough. Set it so if you tap the image, wherever you tap would zoom in to a magnified view on that spot.(With big 'zoomed in' text)  Tap again returns to normal view. So you can quickly tap-zoom/tap-unzoom a few spots. It would simplify the interaction and also do the same thing.

The final designs would need to be tested though for what 'feels right' as you said.  These are all just ideas.

And I keep forgetting to mention it. I like the 'exposure changed' reminder. That is a nice(if unrelated) touch.