Greg, I don't think this is an Android issue but rather a more universal people issue. I have a development nexus 5 and I was notified about the OS upgrade but chose not to do it because I need it to be on the OS version its on now. The notification is sitting there still, taunting me to upgrade.
The problem is, people tend to click important notifications or dialogues without realising what they're doing. In my opinion, this is a symptom of overuse of these prompts to the point where people are barely aware of them. "Format C:? All data will be lost!"... yes yes, I'm busy go away... oh crap... I'm pretty sure there's also one for whether to download via wifi only. For this reason I tend to avoid using this method to prevent critical problems in apps. It occasionally requires effort to convince a customer of the danger. Its even worse when the accept button happens to be in the same place as another button a user is intending to press. A number of times I've tried to press a button only to have a dialog pop up and be accepted just at the moment of clicking with me having no idea what I just did. My personal awareness of this make me slightly less inclined to ignore such prompts but I still occasional do it. So in your case, some part of the blame is your own and some part is overuse of such notifications. I think significant changes in OS versions are to be expected and ordinarily you would be prepared for them. However, some of the problems you describe are another UI problem I've seen a lot in recent years. Namely, hidden interface components. Everything from long press (been around a while) to invisible magical mystery corners of doom, they're all bad for users. The first time I used windows 8, I had no idea how to do anything. I had to google how to use it. I've stared at web pages wondering how to do something only to eventually discover that when I pointed at something, a button would appear out of nowhere. David "If we can hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards... checkmate!" -Zapp Brannigan, Futurama On 3 July 2015 at 09:22, Greg Keogh <[email protected]> wrote: > Here's a TGIF story that hints at a deep technical and business/culture > problem with Android phones and Google. I don't think this problem is so > bad on other phone brands, is it? > > * Last December I downloaded several app updates to my "unbranded" > development Nexus 5 and I didn't read (or understand) one of the screens > and I accidentally downloaded a complete OS update and blew $135 in 30 > seconds because I wasn't at home on the wireless. I had to ring Telstra and > beg them for a discount, and luckily they gave me a $100 discount because I > had never exceeded quota before. After rebooting the phone I find it has > completely changed appearance to be "materiel design" and I can't find > anything, and some buttons have turned into little "darts" leaving me > floundering to even figure out how to send an SMS. > > * Two weeks ago I wanted to show some family photos on my phone to a > friend. I click the usual "Photos" icon I'm presented with an unfamiliar > incomprehensible screen about synching and Google+ apps. I don't have time > to read this woffle, so I click crap everywhere to get out of it and back > to my photos. I eventually arrive at the photos and find they have a new > arrangement by date group, scroll differently and the older ones I want are > missing. I scroll and click until hell froze but I could not find the > photos and I was livid with rage that someone had subverted my phone from > under my nose. The next day I stick the phone into my PC and eventually > found the photos, and I also found an obscure "Data Folders" menu I > previously missed that displays the old photos. After an hour of web > searching I could not find a clear explanation for what had changed. It has > something to do with the default photo app changing to Google+ (which I > don't even voluntarily use). > > * One week ago I tried to take some photos at a concert and I suddenly > find the camera app has completely changed with little preview "dots" and a > weird 3D warping preview and I have no idea what the screen is showing or > telling me. Once again I don't have time to sit down and fiddle around with > menus and buttons to find the original phone screen, so I guess it's > working and I press the button and it looks like it's taking photos. When I > get home I discover I have taken no photos at all, but was actually inside > some sort of panorama feature that I don't care about or need. By fiddling > with the new camera screen menus I eventually find it has 4 "modes" and one > of them is the plain camera. So this vital app changed under my nose and > the default was something useless and confusing. > > You'd think the UI of a phone would be easy to navigate, but after having > it for 18 months I still get completely lost trying to find some setting > and often stumble into screens that I've never seen before and are > incomprehensible (either because I never went there before or the OS or > app has silently changed). The other day I was so f**ing angry with the > phone's UI and navigation that I threw it across my desk, and it popped > into a configuration screen I didn't know existed. Wonders never cease! > > Okay, so what the hell is happening in the Android phone world. Who's > running this circus and who the hell has the right to completely change the > OS and UI of vital apps secretly while I'm looking the other way? Imagine > if they built aircraft like this ...who'd fly? > > *Greg K* >
