
IPhone’s Misplaced Decline Button? - KevinBongart
http://shawnblanc.net/2009/03/iphone-misplaced-decline-button/
======
ivank
Another serious problem with the iPhone interface is the placement of the
'Cancel' button in the "New Contact" screen. There's no reason to let the user
throw away their just-entered contact in one step, especially when the
'Cancel' button is placed where the 'Back' button is on other screens.

~~~
madh
Yep this is a problem. I also don't like how I have to press 'Save' to store
the contact. Too often have I entered in all the information only to hit the
Home button and lose the entire contact.

Also in Mail, the 'Trash' button is at the bottom directly over the Home
button. Sometimes I try to push the Home button and slightly miss, deleting
the message I was reading. In the worst cases, I'll hit 'Trash' and then the
Home button, not even realizing that I have deleted a message. I wish I could
just disable the 'Trash' button as I use Gmail and don't need it.

~~~
raamdev
But in Mail, the Trash button makes you confirm the deletion. You'd have to
accidentally press the 'Trash' button, and then accidentally press the 'Delete
Message' button too (which is bright red and a whole inch away from the Home
button).

~~~
serhei
Not necessarily. There's a setting which makes the Trash button delete without
asking confirmation. Not sure if it's on by default.

~~~
madh
Thank you. I have "Ask Before Deleting" turned off. I am also unsure what the
default setting is. Nonetheless, Apple should not put delete buttons near the
most-used button. Especially on a touchscreen with zero mechanical feedback.

------
wallflower
While the iPhone is ringing, if you tap the power button twice quickly, it
will send the caller to voicemail. A single tap will silence the ring. I
thought most iPhone users googled lists of iPhone tips and tricks.

~~~
bradgessler
I prefer this over fumbling around trying to push the "Decline" or "Answer"
button. In fact, I would argue that Apple has a better design. Here's why:

If your phone starts ringing in, say a classroom, and its stuck deep in your
bag annoying everybody; you don't have to pull it, look at the screen, and
annoy everybody even more. Instead you can reach in your bag, find the power
button, push it, and be done with it.

------
tlrobinson
I've never noticed this problem. But then again I'm not popular enough to have
to decline very many calls.

------
DTrejo
Can someone recommend other useful articles on context vs consistency?

~~~
domdelimar
Jakob Nielsen's useit.com is a great source where you may find many
interesting studies covering these subjects.

~~~
allenbrunson
sorry you got downvoted for that perfectly innocuous comment you made, which
also happens to be your very first. don't take it personally.

me and at least one other person voted you back up to 1, which usually happens
after unfair downvotes.

~~~
g2petter
I'm not sure if this is true for HN, but I've noticed elsewhere that some
people seem to dislike Nielsen and his work, often because their first
experience with him is his website, which looks old and ugly.

What these people often fail to realize is that while the website isn't flashy
and "nice", it accomplishes its goal, which is to convey information. Nielsen
is one of the leading UI experts, and the way I see it you can disagree with
him, but you can't just ignore him or write him off, because he can back most,
if not every, of his claims with empirical data from the studies he's
conducted.

~~~
devin
Nielsen's site certainly accomplishes its goal, but what the goal is, in my
opinion, is more subtle and complex than simply the conveyance of information.

I would suggest that Nielsen's site, by virtue of the fact it is a site about
usability, makes the reader question the decisions of Nielsen's site
carefully. In turn, this promotes dialog on what effective design _is_.

Perhaps this is a bit of a stretch as I am no expert on usability, but I
couldn't help noticing my mind wander and wonder at the title of his site, why
is the 'use' in red? Why did he choose the "stickies" colors? Why in that
order? And so on.

~~~
arockwell
Nielsen readily admits that the usability of his site is bad, but it is
distinctive looking.

~~~
devin
Again, I would say the same thing-- A "bad" usability website underlines the
importance of "good" design, and promotes dialog in the process.

------
chime
My biggest peeve is that 'End Call' is a full-width button that I end up
hitting very often mid-call. Why couldn't it be a slider too?

~~~
raamdev
I suppose the proximity sensor that turns off the screen when the phone is
pressed against your ear during a call is supposed to prevent this from
happening (though the proximity sensor itself is definitely not problem-free).

------
nuclear_eclipse
This is yet another moment where I'm glad the G1 has retained physical
Send/End buttons on the phone, so that I can always just know exactly where to
press at any point to start and end calls. Fewer buttons does not _always_
create a better interface...

------
tocomment
On a similar vein I've always wished for a "call back and delete" button on
the voice mail.

