Android Consistency
Via Daring Fireball, I saw a review on Phillip Greenspun’s site on the Motorola Xoom. While I am not going to comment on his entire review, there is one sentence that really stands out to me, and try as I might, I cannot come to terms with it:
One example: One of the great things about the Android 2.x operating system for mobile phones is the consistent interface, more consistent than on iPhones and iPads. With Android 2.x, you can count on four buttons being available at all times and always in the same place: menu, home, back, and search. That was such a great idea…
Having used Android since it was known as “Android RC29”, I can tell you that Android, up until 2.3.3 at least, has never really been consistent. The actual UI can change drastically from app to app, as there’s no UI guidelines for Android. The user is left trying to figure out what does what in each Android app. Some of the notable apps that don’t adhere to any kind of consistent standard are Twitter, Facebook, Doubletwist, Gmail, or even the built in Contacts app.
The onscreen controls in each app can also vary greatly. In iPhone apps, you usually get a back button that will always take you back to the previous screen. Whereas, many Android apps depend on the Back button that is used across the OS, so you get mixed results. (Like, in the Music app, pressing Back at the Now Playing screen will sometimes take you back to your library, or back to your homescreen. It’s mixed. In the iPhone’s iPod app, the back button keeps you within the app at all times.)
Then, let’s not forget manufacturers who shake up the experience. We have major overhauls to the Android experience such as Sense, Motoblur, or TouchWiz, and the one reason Greenspun puts forth to call Android “consistent” also isn’t consistent because of manufacturers. (I know on my Evo Shift, the order goes Home, Menu, Back, Search, but manufacturers are free to reorder/omit buttons as they wish. Samsung has done this with the Euro Galaxy S.) Simply put, something you learn on an HTC phone may not work so well on a Samsung phone, or vice versa, despite the fact they’re both running Android.
But, enough about Android. Let’s look at the iPhone.
Apps submitted to the App store on the iPhone are generally forced to follow guidelines put forth to keep the user interface consistent to minimize confusion. Yes, there are doubts about this, as Apple tends to wield it’s banhammer a bit often, but you cannot say that Apple keeps consistency among App Store apps. All apps have a back button that always takes you back a screen in that app, and most of the signage used in each app (take the magnifying glass, for search) is used across many different apps, so there’s no question as to what a certain control will do.
You also have one main button. The Home button, and this will do a multitude of things. While it might seem convoluted, there is no question about what this button will do. One tap for Home, Double-tap for music controls, etc. Whereas with Android’s back button, you might have to ask yourself where it’s going to take you.
The iPhone also has no custom manufacturer skins or any custom mods like that, so it means nothing if you have been using an old iPhone 2G from 2007 and are just upgrading to an iPhone 4: The interface has been so consistent that you already know how to use your shiny iPhone 4. The additional features are not far off.
Now, this entire thing isn’t to say that Android is a bad operating system. I personally like it, and I believe since Google hired Matias Duarte to take care of the UI, that Android can only get better in the UI department. Android is still not 100% consistent in the UI department, but they are getting better. And I hope they continue to do so.
This also isn’t to say that I in any way dislike Mr. Greenspun. I am just respectfully disagreeing with something he said, and explaining why.
Edit: Greenspun, not Greenspan. My bad.
