Home Screen Labels Not Useful

[shannong]

The labels of items on the home screen only allow of ~11 characters utilizing half the space of a frame as a result of the icon that links to the actual item. That isn't enough space for those with more than a handful of devices. I need device label conventions within ISY that start with room name, device, specific item, function, etc to reasonably accommodate my 100+ devices, hundreds of scenes, and hundreds of programs.

 

A redesign that allowed a label to use the entire width of the cell would help.

 

<I posted this to bitbucket also but am putting in for general discussion and feedback.>

[James Peterson]

I'll see what I can do.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[shannong]

Thanks!

[shannong]

BTW...  My instinct is to touch the larger icon area (avoiding the switch mechanism) to go to the device screen rather than the little logo in the corner. I've done it a few times now. Perhaps there's no reason to have the link icon and instead just let a touch to the frame take you to the device.

[James Peterson]

I have thought about that. I believe that we would have more issues with accidental touches instead of scrolling with that option. I want to keep selecting a device down to to smallest area without making it hard to do.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[G W]

BTW... My instinct is to touch the larger icon area (avoiding the switch mechanism) to go to the device screen rather than the little logo in the corner. I've done it a few times now. Perhaps there's no reason to have the link icon and instead just let a touch to the frame take you to the device.

Nooooooooooo...

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

I have thought about that. I believe that we would have more issues with accidental touches instead of scrolling with that option. I want to keep selecting a device down to to smallest area without making it hard to do.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Thank you.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[shannong]

Nooooooooooo...

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

Thank you.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

 

How about a more helpful response explaining why?

[G W]

How about a more helpful response explaining why?

I use that area to scroll the screen.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[shannong]

I use that area to scroll the screen.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

 

Ah... Well, sure. But every app I've used on Android doesn't select something if you touch and slide. For example, when you scroll through your contacts. You can touch, slide, scroll, and even touch again to stop the scroll. Nothing selects.

[sfhutchi]

Ah... Well, sure. But every app I've used on Android doesn't select something if you touch and slide. For example, when you scroll through your contacts. You can touch, slide, scroll, and even touch again to stop the scroll. Nothing selects.

 

I agree with 'shannong'. An intuitive button design should allow a touch and subsequent slide before initiating something.  It is not intuitive to require the user to find a small slider on the side of the button.  This is something that I think should be further investigated.  When I want to initiative a scene, or turn a light on, I simply want a button on the home page (and eventually a widget), that allows me to simple press and release the icon to initiate.   Similar to a multi-button switchlinc, I would like the option to set the button as an 'always on', 'always off', or a 'toggle'.

 

Steve

[Jimbo.Automates]

The thermostat page actually works the opposite of the home page. Touching the icon does nothing, you have to touch the empty space,and it still allows you to scroll just fine.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[G W]

I agree with 'shannong'. An intuitive button design should allow a touch and subsequent slide before initiating something. It is not intuitive to require the user to find a small slider on the side of the button. This is something that I think should be further investigated. When I want to initiative a scene, or turn a light on, I simply want a button on the home page (and eventually a widget), that allows me to simple press and release the icon to initiate. Similar to a multi-button switchlinc, I would like the option to set the button as an 'always on', 'always off', or a 'toggle'.

 

Steve

I disagree. I found it very intuitive to click on the icon.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[shannong]

I disagree. I found it very intuitive to click on the icon.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

 

Figuring it out was easy. However, my first try was to touch the larger frame next to the switch. When that didn't work I tried the small icon.

 

What about no special icon for the device link...... A long press takes you to the device. Easy scrolling with no accidental navigation to the device. That would maximize the use of the space in the frame for a label.

 

 

 

What about no specifc 

[James Peterson]

Figuring it out was easy. However, my first try was to touch the larger frame next to the switch. When that didn't work I tried the small icon.

 

What about no special icon for the device link...... A long press takes you to the device. Easy scrolling with no accidental navigation to the device. That would maximize the use of the space in the frame for a label.

 

 

 

What about no specifc

Long press is reserved for drag and drop for sorting.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[shannong]

Long press is reserved for drag and drop for sorting.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

Ah... .Didn't try that, yet.

[Jimbo.Automates]

Many apps use scrolling, and tap to select, just like this Tapatalk app I am using now. I guess I don't understand the difference?

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[G W]

There really isn't an issue at this time. The UI just needs time to settle.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[sfhutchi]

I guess it depends what you think a button on a favorite's page or a widget should do.

It is not hard to figure out how to use the current setup, but it is unique to this app.

 

Possibly to avoid a debate about modifying James's vision for how these buttons work, I would strongly suggest considering the possibility to add custom buttons that simply can be sweet to initiate a scene or device with an on command, an off command, or a toggle. This is the functionality that many of us have become accustomed to with the multi-button switchlincs.

 

To state it another way... if the favorites page is intended to be a shortcut to trigger some activity, I want the great majority of the button to trigger an event. This would be like having a wall switch that had only a small portion of the switch that was functional, but most being a display with some information about the device.

 

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

[G W]

I guess it depends what you think a button on a favorite's page or a widget should do.

It is not hard to figure out how to use the current setup, but it is unique to this app.

 

Possibly to avoid a debate about modifying James's vision for how these buttons work, I would strongly suggest considering the possibility to add custom buttons that simply can be sweet to initiate a scene or device with an on command, an off command, or a toggle. This is the functionality that many of us have become accustomed to with the multi-button switchlincs.

 

To state it another way... if the favorites page is intended to be a shortcut to trigger some activity, I want the great majority of the button to trigger an event. This would be like having a wall switch that had only a small portion of the switch that was functional, but most being a display with some information about the device.

 

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

I can agree with that. My point is, let's leave the UI alone for a while and work in functioning. I'm not in love with the UI but it's better than anything I came up with.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[Jimbo.Automates]

I guess I am missing the point. A suggestion was made to allow pressing the empty area of the home widget to open it, and it was said that this couldn't and shouldn't be done. I was just pointing out that it seems like it could be done, and would match the behavior of most apps. I am in no way suggesting this app is bad in any way, it is by far the best Android app for the ISY, and I was very grateful to be an early tester of it, and happily paid the $99 to get the full version even tho James offered to give us early testers a price break.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[G W]

There's a point? I must have missed it.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[Jimbo.Automates]

There's a point? I must have missed it.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

Exactly my point. Anyway, just trying to understand why it couldn't our shouldn't be done, as you stated.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[G W]

It can. I'd just prefer there weren't a lot of changes made to the UI at this time. I know it's going to change, I'm not fond of the square sections though I do like the small icons for rarely touched areas.

 

I like that touching the white space does not take you to the next screen. It lessens the jump due to accidental touches.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[arw01]

I would second some more space for item names, e.g. I had to go into 3 different irrigation nodes to figure out which one was which and then back into 2 more because I didn't recall which one was the top vs the middle while trying to turn off the sprinklers so I could walk through the yard one morning.

 

I have also had trouble figuring out which button will just re-act and toggle a scene (still don't think i have that figured out) vs having to go into the device in the scene to turn it off.

So far Agave does not leave me wanting to throw my phone across the house because of the extremely annoying mobiblinc issues where it's local, thinks it's secure, won't connect, won't give up being stupid or whatever it is doing in the back ground.

 

Have not decided if I will plop the $100 down yet or just buy the modules as I go along.  When we can get a version for the family vs individual, that will be huge for me as they "tolerate" the smart switches, but the mobilinc was so flakey I just have not installed it on the last 2 phones for my wife.

[James Peterson]

I would second some more space for item names, e.g. I had to go into 3 different irrigation nodes to figure out which one was which and then back into 2 more because I didn't recall which one was the top vs the middle while trying to turn off the sprinklers so I could walk through the yard one morning.

 

I have also had trouble figuring out which button will just re-act and toggle a scene (still don't think i have that figured out) vs having to go into the device in the scene to turn it off.

 

So far Agave does not leave me wanting to throw my phone across the house because of the extremely annoying mobiblinc issues where it's local, thinks it's secure, won't connect, won't give up being stupid or whatever it is doing in the back ground.

 

Have not decided if I will plop the $100 down yet or just buy the modules as I go along.  When we can get a version for the family vs individual, that will be huge for me as they "tolerate" the smart switches, but the mobilinc was so flakey I just have not installed it on the last 2 phones for my wife.

 

I'm not really sure what you are referring to with this comment.  Each irrigation zone name can be changed in the app to reflect the location of designation you want to give it. I am not sure what you are referring to for the scenes.  Could you describe the issue in a bit more detail.

 

 

et all- 

 

As for the rest of the discussion regarding the icon access to the main node/object screen.  If the Favorite tile did not contain an action I would have given the action to the entire tile.  But since objects like the thermostat, switches, scenes and almost any node that you can put on the favorites screen, (almost all, I did not say all) have actions this makes it a bit more difficult as tapping the tile to activate the main screen would have to be done without touching any of the action buttons.  Which can be done, but suddenly there would not be a common location to tap in order to accomplish this task.  Now if the tiles did not contains actions and where "only" status plates, then this would be a different story.  

 

I am well aware that the UI is not perfect, but it is all I could come up with.  I will listen to all and lend my support whenever asked, but as it stands, this is the most logical why to handle the interface as it currently exists.  I am not a UI developer, I am a backend C/C++ hardcore get the job done at all costs programmer.  I have never done pretty.