Whitney Hess, UX Coach - Latest Comments in Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Roderick Santellana — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 07:14:09 -0000

Greetings I recently finished going through through your blog along with I’m very impressed. I do have a couple queries for you personally however. Do you consider you’re thinking about doing a follow-up submitting about this? Will you be likely to keep bringing up-to-date too?

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Whitney Hess — Sat, 09 May 2009 23:15:24 -0000

Sandhya, wow it's been so long! How the heck did you make your way here?

Really glad you enjoyed the post, and I hope you find value out of the other
posts as well. Let's catch up soon!

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Sandhya Pillalamarri — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:37:50 -0000

Whitney, remember me? I was bored and looking through some blogs, and came upon yours. Happened to read this and one word comes to mind: Hallelujah! People have been asking me why I don't have an iPhone, especially being in the creative field, and I always mentioned the interaction design elements...however, never as well as you did in the blog. Thanks! Good read.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

corsa — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:02:09 -0000

Me too, and with the algorithms Apple has in place, I can type quite fast.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Whitney Hess — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:53:36 -0000

I definitely agree that fun to use is just as important as easy to use. But for my purposes, I need a useful phone for business, not a toy ;)

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

mathewsanders — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:03:34 -0000

Agree that the lack of haptic feedback is important (personally I was saddened when the iPod lost a physical click wheel - but not for long!) but usability isn't everything. Don't forget that the touchscreen interface is simply fun to use. Fun trumps usability anyday :)

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

johnkoetsier — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:18:57 -0000

Hey, love your blog and liked this post. (Even though I disagree with it.)

You said:

I always type with two hands on my iPhone, just like you picture of the BlackBerry.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Brian Papa — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:56:45 -0000

I type with both of my thumbs on the keypad, typing with one index finger is for n00bs.

Also I don't need tactile feedback. The reason is because as I'm mashing away on the touchscreen keypad I'm too busy already feeling something - how awesome I am for owning an iPhone.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Lucius Kwok — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:51:31 -0000

No reason you can't have both a Blackberry and an iPhone. Especially if you're thinking about designing for the iPhone, you need to at least use it some of the time. It's like Windows vs Mac OS, you can have both; there's no need to slag either one.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Heather — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:01:32 -0000

A little late to the convo, but I agree totally. I'm with Alltel (soon to be merged w/ Verizon anyway), and have been for 7 years. My 3yr old phone died recently & I debated the switch for an iphone because I grew up on Apple. But the touch screen, the pricing plans, and AT&T all deterred me, I went w/ a microsoft (gag) phone because I had a plan I liked for a price I was willing to pay to talk & text.

When iphone is open to other networks, or has a better variety of phone options that do not require touch screen, then I'll look at it.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

sandieman — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:13:50 -0000

I only have one thing to say to you and it's really important....

Join the party. Get an iPhone.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Victor — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:23:38 -0000

After many years of mousing and thumbing, my right thumb gets sore easily and I moved my mouse to the left side. So this aspect of the iPhone is actually attractive to me. :)

"Only...audio cues"? There's a ton of research there too! (I'm prejudiced, it's what I did in grad school)... http://www.icad.org/

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Doug Meacham — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:46:20 -0000

Hi Whitney and happy belated birthday. I enjoyed reading this post and share some of your sentiments. I am a frustrated AT&T user. I think their marketing as blatantly misleading and am seriously considering giving up the iPhone next year when my contract ends because I'm tired of not being able to get a connection at my house or many of the places I travel to. The coverage map may show coverage (three bars at my house), but they have dead zones everywhere; which coincidentally is why they had to drop the "fewer dropped calls" marketing campaign last year. Regarding the iPhone's keyboard, I want to point out that you can hold the iPhone in portrait mode (all applications) and landscape mode when using Safari and type with your thumbs, just like on a Blackberry. You are not required to type one-handed with you index finger. I can appreciate the benefits of a true tactile keyboard and agree that, while the auto correct is pretty good, it's not perfect. Nevertheless, I believe the other features of the touch panel outweigh the shortcomings of the keyboard. For instance, if I need to get back to a place in text I have already typed, I simply touch where I want to place the cursor. Try that on a Blackberry.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Alan Wolk — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:27:44 -0000

This post definitely hit home Whitney, for I too have been hesitant to buy an iPhone for the exact same reasons.
@DavidMalouf: If only your assertion were true: but in NYC, AT&T doesn't work in many places that Verizon does. Much of Penn Station and the tunnels between NY and NJ, for instance. And since that's the place I most often need to make a call ("Hi, it's me. Trains are delayed again") AT&T is simply not an option.

What may be an option though, is something I posted about recently ( http://is.gd/T4a ) - people using two phones: a simple flip phone for calling and an iPhone or Blackberry for email/web. In addition to coverage issues, there are two other issues: flip phones feel more like phones, and separating the two lets you leave work at home while still being covered in emergencies.

As for web browsing numbers on iPhone, I wonder how much of that is due to the type of person who uses an iPhone vs the actual superiority of doing so.

Finally- as a long-winded Blackberry user, I'm also concerned about my speed and accuracy on an iPhone - I've played with them in the iTunes store, but that's a concern. The Scottish experiment sounds fascinating, btw.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

tbrunelle — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:17:09 -0000

Whitney,

At first I as worried about ATT's 3G coverage in Minneapolis but their coverage map (http://www.wireless.att.com... suggests I shouldn't be worried. We'll see.

I'll buy a new iPhone on 7/11. No doubt. Having owned BBs and Treos, I find the iPhone experience to be more intuitive and more functional. I agree with all the previous posts about your hand-position photos. I hold my iPhone like the photo of the BB. I type with both thumbs. It's not perfect, but then, neither was the BB or Treo. I think it boils down to personal style, not user interface design. Touchscreen on iPhone or exposed buttons on BB--both are top notch designs at this point.

Thanks for the insightful analysis, and inspiring such great comments.

Tim

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

infinityplusone — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:45:51 -0000

I'm late to the conversation, but I believe your hand-position analysis of the iPhone to be flawed. The iPhone keypad actually functions better (and the suggestions are easier to work with) if you use the two-handed approach. Also, the one-handed approach means that correcting a mistake takes the user completely out of their typing flow. The two-handed approach, on the other hand, allows the user to simply (and naturally) tap the backspace key to make a correction.

This being said, I agree completely that the BlackBerry keypad is far better, and if typing a lot if important, the BlackBerry is still the way to go (and the way I go).

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

andyF — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:04:18 -0000

Great writeup, Whitney! I'd be interested to hear if the time investment you have spent on the Blackberry keyboard have anything to do with your preference for the tactile keyboard. I wonder if you spent the same amount of time on the iPhone touchscreen if you would be just as accurate and speedy.

I also praise you for your brand loyalty to Verizon. It's a rare thing to hear about today.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

CTR — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:33:31 -0000

Whitney, nice post, but I think you're very wrong about the ergonomics of typing on the iPhone.

You write:

"Notice the difference in hand positions. On the iPhone, the user must
cradle the device in one hand and hit the keys with their index
finger. On the BlackBerry, the holds the device in both hands and can
type with their thumbs. Both hands are used equally on the BlackBerry,
while on the iPhone one hand is always used for typing while the other
is for holding — unless of course you switch back and forth, but that
would surely slow you down and get rather annoying."

But I don't know anyone with an iPhone who types like that! I always
hold my phone in one hand and type with the same hand--with my thumb,
no less. It's very convenient, and because of the width, easier than
doing the same on a Blackberry.

For someone in a creative profession you are not thinking about your
iPhone experience very creatively!

But thanks for the post. Keep up the great writing.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

naterkane — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:17:33 -0000

@CamBeck tactile touch screen displays have dynamic / virtual buttons that appear only over areas that are clickable. there is usually an API that lets a developer tell the screen exactly where the button areas are, and as the interface changes, the raised areas of the screen move and change with the UI.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Cam Beck — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:02:33 -0000

Though I agree with you in principle, I'm less concerned about the tactile response because it isn't a feature I would use that much. To allocate 50% of the device area to keys like the blackberry does (or increase the width by 50% if you fold the keyboard behind) for something I would use less than 10% of the time is just a waste.

It's a question of usage. I would rather have a larger screen that I can rotate as I wish than physical keys that must be held a certain way to use.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

naterkane — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:33:53 -0000

Whitney,

walking while texting/IMing/emailing on an iphone is dangerous, i won't even get into the extra danger of biking or driving while operating an iphone (duh). when we get to hang out, you'll see me dodge a trashcan or street sign at the last second if i'm trying to multitask.

having a device that you HAVE to look at to operate is frustrating as hell.

i've been concerned about tactile feedback on touchscreen devices since long before this time last year.

In fact, way back in 2007 Nokia released a device with a tactile touchscreen and Immersion has been doing great work tactile feedback touchscreens for awhile.

now the reason why i have an iphone is a long, long (and not expensive at all) story, and my complaints about at&t are worthy a blog post (or at least couple of paragraphs on Get Satisfaction) in itself.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Noah Mittman — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:15:32 -0000

Mostly, I don't like having to look at the thing for everything. When I use my iPod touch for music and controlling tracks, it's far more cumbersome than using my N95 for the same task. That's because I can skip, pause, etc. while the device is still in my pocket. No accidental triggering either -- if I didn't push down on it, I didn't want it.

And from a system design perspective, physical buttons can be looped into lower-level polling for key features like, oh, answering a phone call. I've seen my wife miss a call on her iPhone once because the phone didn't switch to the incoming call screen fast enough because of a system lag. Admittedly, I only saw this once. but it was very memorable because she was looking at the screen saying "let me answer the call damn it".

Anyway. The thing about coverage is it's all personal. What matters is where you are and where you go and your observations of signal strength when you're there. E.g., T-Mobile is crap in most of Park Slope (some spots with no signal at all) but now that I'm on AT&T I haven't had any problems. And that's NYC, a big solid splotch on both maps. Yeah, I wish it were simpler, too.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Sandy Santra — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:49:56 -0000

I love the iPhone. I bought one the day it came out. Even made a video about it. (See my website.)

What I find ironic here is that everything I love about the iPhone is mirrored in Whitney's beautiful, intelligent, and so-well-designed blog post above.

Both are incredibly easy to read and navigate.

Both are very friendly.

Both have garnered a large user community quickly, and (seemingly) effortlessly.

Both have great UI.

Both have clean, colorful, and spacious design.

And both are incredibly successful.

I take off my virtual hat to both the iPhone AND Whitney Hess.

The synchronicity is, for me, the interesting part of this story.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

Todd Zaki Warfel — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:05:31 -0000

Whitney,

Just to clarify, you don't have to hold the iPhone w/one hand and type w/your index finger. I regularly thumb type with my iPhone all the time. Additionally, the text correction means that the few times I mistype a word, or misspell it, the iPhone is quick to make up for my shortcomings. I've rarely sent out an SMS w/a mistyped/misspelled word thanks to that. In fact, I send a couple hundred SMS messages a month and have probably sent out a handful that had something like IN when I meant to type ON.

To be fair, if you're a BB user, then it will probably take you a couple of days of regular use to get used to the touchscreen vs. actual physical raised buttons. My wife uses both — BB for work, iPhone for pleasure. She's not as fast as I am on the iPhone, but she's much better than when she started.

Re: Why I Don’t Have an iPhone (but might someday)

JDW — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:00:55 -0000

AT&T isn't much of an issue for me. I'm peeved that their new pricing makes the purchase proposition more expensive even with the Apple price drop, but that just seemed inevitable.

The keyboard is irritating, though. It's the primary reason I didn't rush out to buy the first gens when they came out. Now that Apple's unveiled the 3Gs, the keyboard is even more irritating because I'd allowed myself to buy into rumors of some sort of haptic solution to providing tactile feedback. Based on those and other rumors, Sunday night my wife and I were concocting plans and contingency plans to ensure we'd have ours come Monday. Instead, we got the feature list plus a month to weigh the iPhone and other options that will no doubt crop up in the interim. I'm likely going to join the masses, but not blissfully. I'll do it with the reluctance of a 5-year old eating Brussels sprouts. And over time, hopefully I'll learn to enjoy the iPhone; I did learn to enjoy Brussels sprouts.

(I'm not a BB fan either, btw. The only time I want a trackball control is when I'm playing Centipede.)