Oh no...Digital Crown scrolling is backwards!

[KauaiBruce]

Not arguing for the behavior of a PC mouse. Arguing for an established input device norm. Not that I don't appreciate progress, but how is inverting the behavior of a scroll wheel progress? It's just different to be different. Touch and scroll are totally different methods by which to interact with a UI.

BUT the watch fob is not yet an established input device. I would argue that whoever did the original direction choice for a 'mouse scroll wheel' made a big mistake. I thought it was a bad design the first time I used it, but I got used to it because I had no choice.

It looks like on some screens we have a choice of touching the screen of the fob. It would be very confusing if pushing up on the screen versus pushing up on the fob moved in different directions. THAT would have had the reviewers screaming and not just a few on this first thread that seemed to have noticed it.

 

[Piggie]

Not sure what direction would feel natural to me.

But there is one thing I always do on computer games.
I always need to select "Invert Mouse"

Anyone else who plays games with a mouse, find they always need to select that to make the mouse movement look and feel natural as the move the mouse around to look around in their 3d world on screen.

 

[I am Sampson]

Scrolling up to move the content up makes obvious sense.
You can use your finger on the screen instead of the wheel to scroll and that would be sliding up.
If one was up and the other was down, as you suggest it should be, that would be insanely confusing and un-user friendly.

You sir, are wrong.

 

[iWooz]

I was just watching the video and the scroll direction immediately felt strange to me too.
Maybe it's because I often use the mousewheel...

 

[Piggie]

I was just watching the video and the scroll direction immediately felt strange to me too.
Maybe it's because I often use the mousewheel...

Well, I've never thought about it.
But a mouse wheel, as standard/default seems right to me.

I scroll a mouse wheel down, pulling the wheel towards me, top to bottom, and the web page scrolls up.

That's the normal way.

 

[Donoban]

It's just following the motion you would go with if you were using the screen.

Macrumors has a talent for creating threads about nothing. Lolz.

 

[kdarling]

BUT the watch fob is not yet an established input device.

Fob = strap or chain and ornaments attached to a pocket watch.

Crown = winder / Apple Watch input

It looks like on some screens we have a choice of touching the screen of the fob. It would be very confusing if pushing up on the screen versus pushing up on the fob moved in different directions. THAT would have had the reviewers screaming and not just a few on this first thread that seemed to have noticed it.

It's just following the motion you would go with if you were using the screen.

Exactly. Your finger is likely to often hit both the crown and screen at the same time. You would not want the two inputs fighting each other.

 

[MH01]

OP here. I'm debating this very topic with a friend of mine (who happens to be an early Silicon Valley pioneer of sorts). He disagrees with me as well. So I asked him:

Did scrolling with the wheel on your mouse feel backward for the past 20+ years?

He said, "yes."

Regardless, the movement of the digital crown contradicts 20+ years of input device norms (until Apple f'ed with it a few years back on the trackpad).

I'd be curious to know if age correlates to preference.

I agree with you OP, maybe cause I used computers for so many years and it feels natural to me. These are the Same input norms apple agreed with as the natural experience using a device with an input device.

While I understand why the tablet is the opposite, due to it being a touchscreen, it does not mean that input devices should also switch as Apple is trying to convience everyone.

The majority of the population would be with you OP. From everyone I know, only a small percentage have adopted apples new norm. Best of all you have a choice , and I hope there is a choice on the watch to change it

 

[KauaiBruce]

Fob = strap or chain and ornaments attached to a pocket watch.

Crown = winder / Apple Watch input

Wow, attack the word choice not the idea. Great way to avoid the subject.

I still say the Apple Watch 'crown' input is not yet an established input device and is not comparable to a mouse wheel.

 

[Knowimagination]

When Apple first started implementing natural scrolling gone macs I thought it was a bit odd, but now every time I am using a computer that doesn't have it as an option I get annoyed. I like the input method on all of my apple products flowing together so it all becomes second nature to me.

 

[jaymc]

This argument is purely intellectual. Your muscle memory defines what's natural to you. After you get used to it, it becomes natural and you quite literally never think about it again (for that particular interaction).

When Apple introduced natural scrolling, it was 'backwards' for me for about 10 minutes. The whole debate about 'you're moving content' or 'you're moving the view(finder)', is lost as soon as you start using it one way or another.

However, and I'm not being ageist here, as you get older these changes might take longer due to the brain being less 'plastic' or adaptive, so the change might be more difficult to get used to.

Agree with you here ... I have to set my gaming system controls to "inverted vertical" look probably due to my early days of using a joystick in flight simulator games. Anyway, as a 57 yo, my brain has plasticized and I'm stuck in this mode.

 

[Fireproof!]

I turn off "natural scrolling" on the trackpad on my Mac, but I don't see the digital crown as the same thing. Technically, a watch crown has traditionally been used for rotation of watch hands only. So, in order to convert that into scrolling content, it's entirely arbitrary. I personally like the decision to mirror the motion on the touchscreen because the crown sits immediately adjacent to the touchscreen. It's an extension of that screen - the same cannot be said for the trackpad on the MacBook or the Magic Trackpad. Location matters.

I agree that location matters - I was thinking the same thing.

I invert the motion on my trackpad like you. It's far enough from the screen that I don't feel like I'm "pushing the content" anywhere. Not the same with an iPad or iPhone.

But on the watch - I can imagine liking the crown to work the way it seems to be set up. I can push the content up with my finger on the screen. That's natural. Or if my finger is obscuring what I want to see, I slide it over a few mm and push the crown up to move the content up. Same motion, almost the same location. Makes sense to me.

 

[kdarling]

Wow, attack the word choice not the idea. Great way to avoid the subject.

I neither attacked your word choice nor avoided the subject.

I matter-of-factly corrected the word, and then quoted... and agreed with... the rest of your comment about the direction making sense.

I still say the Apple Watch 'crown' input is not yet an established input device and is not comparable to a mouse wheel.

I think that they came up with the crown idea first, then made parts of the UI use it. But only parts. Heck you still use your finger for swiping, choosing and scrolling in many parts of the UI.

 

[Squid7085]

I wonder if you will be able to change it. Honestly I don't mind it, and I think it makes sense this way. Even change that Apple made with the trackpad on Macs makes sense, the only reason I changed it back was because I am just used to the other way. With the Watch I don't have any prior experience, so it is likely much easier to learn it that way.

 

[ChinaRye]

I am happy the are doing it this way just like the iPhone and Mac. Otherwise it would just feel strange at this point.

 

[TheralSadurns]

Agree with you here ... I have to set my gaming system controls to "inverted vertical" look probably due to my early days of using a joystick in flight simulator games. Anyway, as a 57 yo, my brain has plasticized and I'm stuck in this mode.

Inverted vertical is the only way to go for me too . Otherwise I simply cannot play. On consoles you can at southpaw controls too it, aka move with right stick, aim with left stick.

These things being as far from the norm as possible (well almost) I can only say, that I really prefer natural scrolling, and do think it does make more sense. Scrolling used to move the scrollbar, now it is intended to move the content... that is all that has changed. So, yeah. I think the Digital Crown scroll direction makes perfect sense! But then again... like I said... I'm a southpaw gamer... so don't listen to me