[launcher] Ubuntu floating home button

[XiaoGuo, Liu]

Since we do not have the hardware keys, I am thinking whether we can have a floating circle (top most) kind of thing like what iPhone has. The feature is called "apple floating home button". Tap it, and it pops up a menu to navigate, and a user can drag it to anywhere of the screen if it blocks you.

I personally think it is a useful feature to the end users, and it is a convenience. We can use it to navigate to the scope, application, or other pages.

[Michał Sawicz (saviq)]

Marking as a design task.

[Yolanda Martin (y-martinolivas)]

Can I see any images/sample of what you are describing?

Y

*Yolanda Martin*
Head of Platform Design
Product Strategy
ubuntu.com | canonical.com
London, UK

On Fri, Jun 6, 2014 at 11:11 AM, Michał Sawicz <email address hidden>
wrote:

> Marking as a design task.
>
> ** Also affects: ubuntu-ux
> Importance: Undecided
> Status: New
>
> ** Changed in: unity8 (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to Ubuntu
> UX.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1327091
>
> Title:
> Ubuntu floating home button
>
> Status in Ubuntu UX bugs:
> New
> Status in “unity8” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Since we do not have the hardware keys, I am thinking whether we can
> have a floating circle (top most) kind of thing like what iPhone has.
> The feature is called "apple floating home button". Tap it, and it
> pops up a menu to navigate, and a user can drag it to anywhere of the
> screen if it blocks you.
>
> I personally think it is a useful feature to the end users, and it is
> a convenience. We can use it to navigate to the scope, application, or
> other pages.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-ux/+bug/1327091/+subscriptions
>

[XiaoGuo, Liu (liu-xiao-guo)]

You may find some pictures at the following link:

https://www.google.com/search?q=apple+floating+home+button&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&imgil=G_o3ghTU5End5M%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQd2_5_HCxGIuwiNjtz4G0niT_fKwgNPb2BQ7KmR3NK_uqyVINJ%253B343%253B347%253BgkCWUiy3k5GqNM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fdiscussions.apple.com%25252Fdocs%25252FDOC-3401&source=iu&usg=__jeXOVs5IfXm9oWjzncYjt6SudZE%3D&sa=X&ei=Be2RU7vXJNHi8AWXrIGoBw&sqi=2&ved=0CF4Q9QEwBg&biw=1228&bih=592#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=G_o3ghTU5End5M%253A%3BgkCWUiy3k5GqNM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fdiscussions.apple.com%252Fservlet%252FJiveServlet%252FshowImage%252F102-3401-12-204268%252FScreen%252BShot%252B2012-01-25%252Bat%252B7.32.33%252BPM.png%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fdiscussions.apple.com%252Fdocs%252FDOC-3401%3B343%3B347

https://www.google.com/search?q=apple+floating+home+button&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&imgil=G_o3ghTU5End5M%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQd2_5_HCxGIuwiNjtz4G0niT_fKwgNPb2BQ7KmR3NK_uqyVINJ%253B343%253B347%253BgkCWUiy3k5GqNM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fdiscussions.apple.com%25252Fdocs%25252FDOC-3401&source=iu&usg=__jeXOVs5IfXm9oWjzncYjt6SudZE%3D&sa=X&ei=Be2RU7vXJNHi8AWXrIGoBw&sqi=2&ved=0CF4Q9QEwBg&biw=1228&bih=592#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=DEeDFEJDErzerM%253A%3BatRecSqK1Y7KoM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-cxiUbTKkxAk%252FT6EdQR5bBsI%252FAAAAAAAAAWs%252FVMFEzhXGuCc%252Fs1600%252Fiphone-assistive-touch.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.homebuttonfix.com%252F2012%252F03%252Fapple-home-button-fix.html%3B474%3B417

On Fri, Jun 6, 2014 at 11:55 PM, Yolanda Martin <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Can I see any images/sample of what you are describing?
>
> Y
>
>
> *Yolanda Martin*
> Head of Platform Design
> Product Strategy
> ubuntu.com | canonical.com
> London, UK
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 6, 2014 at 11:11 AM, Michał Sawicz <
> <email address hidden>>
> wrote:
>
> > Marking as a design task.
> >
> > ** Also affects: ubuntu-ux
> > Importance: Undecided
> > Status: New
> >
> > ** Changed in: unity8 (Ubuntu)
> > Status: New => Incomplete
> >
> > --
> > You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to Ubuntu
> > UX.
> > https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1327091
> >
> > Title:
> > Ubuntu floating home button
> >
> > Status in Ubuntu UX bugs:
> > New
> > Status in “unity8” package in Ubuntu:
> > Incomplete
> >
> > Bug description:
> > Since we do not have the hardware keys, I am thinking whether we can
> > have a floating circle (top most) kind of thing like what iPhone has.
> > The feature is called "apple floating home button". Tap it, and it
> > pops up a menu to navigate, and a user can drag it to anywhere of the
> > screen if it blocks you.
> >
> > I personally think it is a useful feature to the end users, and it is
> > a convenience. We can use it to navigate to the scope, application, or
> > other pages.
> >
> > To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> > https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-ux/+bug/1327091/+subscriptions
> >
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to t...

[Ruby Hatem (rh-r)]

To better understand your concern, is the issue that users might not know that the home button is included in the launcher, or is it the design of the launcher that you find problematic (having to swipe the launcher in to get to the home button) ? If the latter, I am not sure that the apple floating circle is providing an easier interaction. Can you please elaborate on what you see as the issue in the current launcher design?

[XiaoGuo, Liu (liu-xiao-guo)]

I was in the MAE (Mobile Asia Exhibition) for 2 days. One observation is
that people like to

1) find the "back" key to go back
2) find the home key to go to the home
3) the home button is hidden somewhere when they firstly use the device

Even though the N4 and N10 devices do not have the keys there, they tend to
press the areas. Swiping (short and long) are not intuitive to a lot of end
users. Normally people do not read a guide when they start to use a phone.
Quite a number of people get lost after they have launched one application.
The do not know what to do next.

A floating circle does provide convenience in the first place. My colleague
said to me that he rarely used the home hard key on apple phone.

The home key in our launch seems not so obvious as well. People recognize a
"home" icon instead of our Ubuntu icon, which looks like an application
icon. Microsoft has a flowing flag icon. Of course, it take time for people
to get to know. Also, people start to know the MS flowing flag when our PC
is powered on and during the installation process.

Anyway, this is my suggestion and observation. You may have more studies on
this collecting more data after conducting a survey.

best regards,
xiaoguo

On Tue, Jun 24, 2014 at 7:44 PM, Ruby Hatem <email address hidden>
wrote:

> To better understand your concern, is the issue that users might not
> know that the home button is included in the launcher, or is it the
> design of the launcher that you find problematic (having to swipe the
> launcher in to get to the home button) ? If the latter, I am not sure
> that the apple floating circle is providing an easier interaction. Can
> you please elaborate on what you see as the issue in the current
> launcher design?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1327091
>
> Title:
> Ubuntu floating home button
>
> Status in Ubuntu UX bugs:
> New
> Status in “unity8” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Since we do not have the hardware keys, I am thinking whether we can
> have a floating circle (top most) kind of thing like what iPhone has.
> The feature is called "apple floating home button". Tap it, and it
> pops up a menu to navigate, and a user can drag it to anywhere of the
> screen if it blocks you.
>
> I personally think it is a useful feature to the end users, and it is
> a convenience. We can use it to navigate to the scope, application, or
> other pages.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-ux/+bug/1327091/+subscriptions
>

--
XiaoGuo, Liu (刘晓国）
Mobile: [phone]

[Ruby Hatem (rh-r)]

Thank you very much for this. It is really helpful.

You have touched on a number of issues and themes in your reply which are all valid point to explore. To be able to suggest the right design solution, it is always helpful to single out the problem we are trying to solve, which according to the points you raised, appears to be the users recognition of the home button. There are three elements here:
1. Locating the path to the home button (in this case knowing that it lives in the launcher)
2. Visual recognition (icon design to indicate the expected behaviour)
3. Once 1 and 2 are comprehended, the ability to quickly perform the action.

I think that the first 2 points need attention which will automatically achieve point 3. To enhance the recognition of the home button I suggest the following:
1. Have the launcher always visible by default, and allow users to hide/show it in settings. This will allow first time users to better understand and get acquainted with the structure of their new phones.
2. Revise the icon design, while aligning with other form factors to maintain consistency.

What are your thoughts on this?

[XiaoGuo, Liu (liu-xiao-guo)]

From my personal point of view, leaving the launcher always on may not be a
good idea since it occupies the usable areas, and a user may not know how
to make it automatic. Making the icon a special one is a good idea from
them or whatever means. During the power-up, do we need to show the icon to
get more acquaintance?

Again, what is the definition of being "home" on ubuntu phone or tablet? I
think it is quite confusing as well. Is the home the "Apps" page, "Scope"
page, "Videos" page or the "Music" page? In fact, I am a little lot as well
since we seem to have many home by swiping from the left to the right, and
sometimes, swiping from the left to right does not seem to move at all. To
a lot of people, the "Apps" page is the home.

Another observation is that some users like to close the app if it is not
going to be used. For me, it is the case too. I like to free the resources,
or close the apps to disconnect network access to make sure no data is
wasted. I find people the difficulty to close the apps after they have been
launched. I once reported a new feature to close all.

Best regards,
xiaoguo

On Tue, Jun 24, 2014 at 9:34 PM, Ruby Hatem <email address hidden>
wrote:

> Thank you very much for this. It is really helpful.
>
> You have touched on a number of issues and themes in your reply which are
> all valid point to explore. To be able to suggest the right design
> solution, it is always helpful to single out the problem we are trying to
> solve, which according to the points you raised, appears to be the users
> recognition of the home button. There are three elements here:
> 1. Locating the path to the home button (in this case knowing that it
> lives in the launcher)
> 2. Visual recognition (icon design to indicate the expected behaviour)
> 3. Once 1 and 2 are comprehended, the ability to quickly perform the
> action.
>
> I think that the first 2 points need attention which will automatically
> achieve point 3. To enhance the recognition of the home button I suggest
> the following:
> 1. Have the launcher always visible by default, and allow users to
> hide/show it in settings. This will allow first time users to better
> understand and get acquainted with the structure of their new phones.
> 2. Revise the icon design, while aligning with other form factors to
> maintain consistency.
>
> What are your thoughts on this?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1327091
>
> Title:
> Ubuntu floating home button
>
> Status in Ubuntu UX bugs:
> New
> Status in “unity8” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Since we do not have the hardware keys, I am thinking whether we can
> have a floating circle (top most) kind of thing like what iPhone has.
> The feature is called "apple floating home button". Tap it, and it
> pops up a menu to navigate, and a user can drag it to anywhere of the
> screen if it blocks you.
>
> I personally think it is a useful feature to the end users, and it is
> a convenience. We can use it to navigate to the scope, application, or
> other pages.
>
> To manage notifications about this b...

[Ruby Hatem (rh-r)]

These are all valid points, however they are part of a much bigger conversation than what we can achieve for RTM. The concept of a home screen, how much we can allow users to customise and what is the best way to access the launcher are all things that we are still looking at. I was initially trying to think of a quick fix while we tackle the bigger issues but thinking about it further, I am not sure there is a "quick fix" at this point.

[XiaoGuo, Liu (liu-xiao-guo)]

Today, on the metro, I have seen an iPad user swiping from the middle to up
to get the application closed. I am not so sure whether we can do the same
thing in the multitasking display (by swiping from right to left). We can
throw the app to up, then close the app. An user had the same thought as
me, proposing a closing all button or function somewhere to close all of
the running apps. We do need the feature since we may have more than 10
running apps, then the multitasking display is more crowded, and closing
each of them one by one is troublesome as well.

For the home screen, I think it would be easy to go/find. That is normally
referred to as a base for navigation. People like to find a home, then
navigate to other places. For us, the home is a lot of screen, and this may
be a little bit confusing.

Best regards,
XiaoGuo

On Tue, Jun 24, 2014 at 11:24 PM, Ruby Hatem <email address hidden>
wrote:

> These are all valid points, however they are part of a much bigger
> conversation than what we can achieve for RTM. The concept of a home
> screen, how much we can allow users to customise and what is the best
> way to access the launcher are all things that we are still looking at.
> I was initially trying to think of a quick fix while we tackle the
> bigger issues but thinking about it further, I am not sure there is a
> "quick fix" at this point.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1327091
>
> Title:
> Ubuntu floating home button
>
> Status in Ubuntu UX bugs:
> New
> Status in “unity8” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Since we do not have the hardware keys, I am thinking whether we can
> have a floating circle (top most) kind of thing like what iPhone has.
> The feature is called "apple floating home button". Tap it, and it
> pops up a menu to navigate, and a user can drag it to anywhere of the
> screen if it blocks you.
>
> I personally think it is a useful feature to the end users, and it is
> a convenience. We can use it to navigate to the scope, application, or
> other pages.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-ux/+bug/1327091/+subscriptions
>

--
XiaoGuo, Liu (刘晓国）
Mobile: [phone]

[Michael Zanetti (mzanetti)]

Marking as "Opinion" as the according design task has been marked as such.

[Vesa Rautiainen (vesar)]

I think there has been enough discussion around this feature and I don't really see our design going towards having floating home button on the screen. Especially as we're working on desktop version of Unity8 currently and this element would bring divergency to the system as in desktop environment floating button doesn't work that well.