Digital Crown Design Philosophy Question

[bobob]

In reading a recent Apple Watch review, I was struck by this quote:

"You turn the Digital Crown to change an alarm time, for example, but setting the alarm requires a tap — if you press the Crown instead, the Watch will eject you back to the home screen. If you turn the Digital Crown to set a customization on the clock face, however, pressing it is indeed what you need to do to commit the setting."

...I began thinking about the operational protocol for the Apple Watch's Digital Crown, and how it would be nice if pressing the crown was consistently the input, rather than having to reach for the screen. The finely engineered Digital Crown is already a pleasure to use, but if you could navigate and click through the whole watch with a single finger tip it would reache a whole new pinnacle of physical input devices.

I wonder if that is how it was initially set-up? ...with the other side button operating strictly as a home button.

I bet Apple's strict short interaction discipline put the kibosh on this dream.

 

[modernaccord]

I think they treated it like an "extra button" available to receive inputs. In some cases it was the home button (most cases), in some cases it accepted input. Pressing the crown multiple times always takes you back to the watch face, so I can see how pressing the DC in the customize Watch face will take you back to the watch face.

Personally, I don't think the DC is that "revolutionary" or "ground-breaking." It's just digital wheel encoder that's good for scrolling and clicking...where have I seen this before?? Oh yeah, on a 3 button PC mouse.

I will concede, however, that while not ground-breaking as the marketing people put it, it is quite nice to use on the Watch.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

All I got from that quote is what a UX nightmare the digital crown is... Sometimes pushing it confirms an action and sometimes it takes you to the home screen?

 

[jclardy]

All I got from that quote is what a UX nightmare the digital crown is... Sometimes pushing it confirms an action and sometimes it takes you to the home screen?

Nope, it is more just the watchface customization screen being designed inconsistently - the crown is button is "back" 100% of the time. In the case of the watch face screen "back" is equal to "save" which also happens if you force press.

The crown being select would have made sense in many cases though - especially with a UI like the people picker - it just feels right to rotate through the list, then press the crown to select. But of course it is still back and will take to back to wherever you were before.

 

[bjdraw]

I disagree with the intent of the quote. Pressing the crown returns you to the watch face. So if you are customizing a watch face and you want to return to the watch face, then you press the crown. You aren't hitting the "commit" button, you are hitting the return to face button. You can also just tap and hold.

Now if you want to argue that the side button should be configurable, then I'm all for that. But I really like the way the crown works and it's button and can't think of a better way to navigate then the way Apple has done it.

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Nope, it is more just the watchface customization screen being designed inconsistently - the crown is button is "back" 100% of the time. In the case of the watch face screen "back" is equal to "save" which also happens if you force press.

Force touching on the customize watch face screen does not save or return you to the watch face; tap and hold the watch face does return you to the watch face.

 

[jclardy]

I disagree with the intent of the quote. Pressing the crown returns you to the watch face. So if you are customizing a watch face and you want to return to the watch face, then you press the crown. You aren't hitting the "commit" button, you are hitting the return to face button. You can also just tap and hold.

Now if you want to argue that the side button should be configurable, then I'm all for that. But I really like the way the crown works and it's button and can't think of a better way to navigate then the way Apple has done it.

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Force touching on the customize watch face screen does not save or return you to the watch face; tap and hold the watch face does return you to the watch face.

Are we talking about the same screen here? On the watch face, force touch takes you to the selection screen, tapping "Customize" takes you to the customize screen. There tapping just selects elements to be changed. At that point Force Touch is save (Or you use the crown "back" to save as well)...tap and hold is not a gesture used anywhere on the watch.

 

[bjdraw]

Are we talking about the same screen here? On the watch face, force touch takes you to the selection screen, tapping "Customize" takes you to the customize screen. There tapping just selects elements to be changed. At that point Force Touch is save (Or you use the crown "back" to save as well)...tap and hold is not a gesture used anywhere on the watch.

I see what you mean, not sure why I thought you had to hold the tap. It works both ways, so obviously the hold part wasn't doing anything.

 

[Trius]

Force touching on the customize watch face screen does not save or return you to the watch face; tap and hold the watch face does return you to the watch face.

Wrong. Force touch commits the change... tap and hold does absolutely nothing.

Source: I'm wearing an Apple watch right now.