RIcoChowUX
iPhone pull down to refresh
Most social iPhone apps have some system for refreshing their stream of data. Some you shake, others you tap a button, but the method that really seems to make the most sense to me is “pull down to refresh.”
Apps like Gowalla, Foursquare and Tweetie have adopted this as the primary way to refresh. The reason this works so well is because of the directness of the interaction. You’re looking at and flicking through a list with your finger and when you want it to update, you shouldn’t have to leave that area.
Placing a button at any other location on the screen creates a disconnect and a break in the flow of user action. They must leave the list, interact with a separate UI piece and return to what they were doing. This way it’s all one action, localized in a single primary location.
The lesson here is to examine your own user interfaces for elements that unnecessarily break the flow of the user’s attention. Consider whether or not the interface could be improved by integrating any distant elements into the area that they are affecting.
iPhone pull down to refresh
Most social iPhone apps have some system for refreshing their stream of data. Some you shake, others you tap a button, but the method that really seems to make the most sense to me is “pull down to refresh.”
Apps like Gowalla, Foursquare and Tweetie have adopted this as the primary way to refresh. The reason this works so well is because of the directness of the interaction. You’re looking at and flicking through a list with your finger and when you want it to update, you shouldn’t have to leave that area.
Placing a button at any other location on the screen creates a disconnect and a break in the flow of user action. They must leave the list, interact with a separate UI piece and return to what they were doing. This way it’s all one action, localized in a single primary location.
The lesson here is to examine your own user interfaces for elements that unnecessarily break the flow of the user’s attention. Consider whether or not the interface could be improved by integrating any distant elements into the area that they are affecting.