[maemo-developers] Launch image to increase feeling of responsiveness (a la iPhone)

[From: Ryan Pavlik]

For notification of launch, there is already the tag/notification bubble 
that pops up in the corner.  If you wanted to implement this, you'd 
probably either have to modify the launcher (dbus?) or each application.

Ryan

Andrew Flegg wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Reading the recently released iPhone SDK's Human Interface Guidelines
> document[1], I came across an interesting idea: every application has
> a launch image configured which is immediately displayed on launch to
> improve the user experience.
>
> The theory goes that because the user sees something which looks like
> the shell of the application whilst it loads, they feel the
> application is loading faster:
>
>    "To enhance the user's experience at application launch, you
>    should provide a launch image. A launch image looks very similar
>    to the first window your application displays. iPhone OS displays
>    this image instantly when the user taps your application icon on the
>    Home screen. As soon as it's ready for use, your application
>    displays its first screen, replacing the launch image."
>
> I think this is a concept which would work well in Hildon: a PNG image
> the size of an unmaximised window could be specified in the .desktop
> file, on selection of an application the Task Navigator would load and
> show that image immediately in a window titled the name of the
> application, and the "<application> loading" infoprint would also be
> shown. As soon as the app loads and opens its first window, the other
> window is closed.
>
> For example, a mockup showing a suggested launch image for the File
> Manager can be seen at:
>
>    http://www.bleb.org/software/maemo/file-manager-launch.png
>
> As the Apple guidelines point out, the real window which is shown may
> have localised labels etc., so there's no text shown. I've also greyed
> out the button bar to show the user that it's inactive.
>
> At the moment, starting apps like File Manager, Calculator, Connection
> Manager etc. take on the order of 4-5 seconds, if the user was shown
> something within 1 second, there are then two separate waits:
>
>  1) 1s to display the launch image
>  2) 3-4s for the real window to open and the app to become usable
>
> Usability studies have shown that two short waits are preferable to
> one long one, as long as there is a seeming progression from one state
> to the other. That's why we've got the ".... launching" infoprints
> already - but this simple idea might improve the feel of
> responsiveness that bit more.
>
> Thoughts welcome.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Andrew
>
> [1] Linked from:
>
>    http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/07/iphone-sdk-some-of-the-details-arent-great/
>
> More directly, it's on page 94 at:
>
>    http://www.docstoc.com/docs/418559/iPhones-Human-Interface-Guidelines
>
>   


-- 
Ryan Pavlik
www.cleardefinition.com

#282  +  (442) -  [X]
A programmer started to cuss
Because getting to sleep was a fuss
As he lay there in bed
Looping 'round in his head
was: while(!asleep()) sheep++;