February 1st, 2011
Lazy UI
One of the dangers of moving from the small canvas of a mobile device to a larger tablet is the explosion of UI elements and controls one can expose in their application. We’re starting to see some backlash as some apps push the boundaries of usability, and will probably see much more as developers begin to add advertising and other common web site elements to their apps, confusing and cluttering the interface.
Taking a strong cue from spare, effective mobile apps would seem critical now that it’s easy to add this or that widget to please whomever is politicking for presence. Tablets are a new platform, and need to be treated carefully, lest users lose their way.
To help calm the seas, I’ve been thinking about the concept of “lazy UI”, in which UI elements are grouped by function and modes, creating the least user friction. For example, while reading, a user could page up/down and browse articles (right/left) using controls grouped together in one corner of the interface. The idea is not to spread reading controls across the screen (a common approach), but to keep them close to the active finger or thumb as possible, allowing the user to stay in a relaxed “reading” mode, and not have to struggle been the more passive experience of reading and the active experience of navigation.
There are a lot of good examples of this approach out in the wild, and I’ll try and collect a few to display here.