Timeline Screen
View Screen Edit Screen
  | Timeline Screen
At the top of the timeline screen is a map
with dots at all of the locations of the visible
posts below. The map will automatically
resize to encompass them all with as much
detail as possible. There is an arrow across
the screen showing the direction of travel,
using the locations of the visible posts as
points to fit a curve for the arrow to follow.
At the bottom of the timeline screen is a list
of posts from the earliest at the top to the
latest at the bottom. Only a few (in the
drawing, four) posts are visible in the list at
a time. By default the list shows the most
recent posts.
Posts are separated by
headings with the month and year
corresponding to the posts under the
heading. The line for each post is
designated by a date and time, as well as
the first few words (if any) and a small icon
to indicate the presence of a picture (if any).
This bottom section is vertically scrollable
by swiping a finger up to see later entries
and down to see earlier ones. At the
bottom of the list is a button to create a
new entry. This will bring the user to the
edit screen with the current time and
location filled in by default.
The user may press and hold a finger on an
entry to see the options to share, edit, or
delete the entry. Just tapping once on an
entry will bring the user to the view screen
for that entry.
View/Edit Screen
The view screen shows the user first the
time and location of the post, then any
pictures, then any contacts, and finally any
text in the post. This screen is scrollable in
the same manner as the list in the timeline
screen. The user can get to the edit screen
by pressing and holding on the screen or
by using the phone's menu button.
The edit screen looks similar to the view
screen, with the addition of a few buttons
and visual cues which let the user know she
can edit the post. The time and location are
underlined, there are buttons to add photos
and contacts, and the textbox has a border
and a cursor.
In addition, there is a "save"
button in the lower right hand corner, which
will save any changes and bring the user
back to the timeline screen. To delete a
photo or contact from the post, the user
must press and hold over the item they
wish to remove and select "delete". | Pros:
Timeline Screen
- the "new entry" button is visible upon starting the app,
so it is easy to understand how to create a new post
- the list of posts is in chronological order in the style of
many calendars, so the order is quickly discernible
- the map moves as the list is scrolled, so it is easy to
connect the points on the map with the visible posts
View/Edit Screen
- the buttons for adding, the underlining, and the cursor
in the textbox are all strong visual cues for the user to
edit those parts of the post in edit mode
Cons:
Timeline Screen
- the screen is more cluttered compared to the other
designs - in particular, the map may be distracting
- the map may look like it's interactive when it is not
- the user may have trouble determining how to edit,
share, or delete a post
View/Edit Screen
- the user may have trouble determining how to get
to edit mode from view mode
- the user may have trouble determining how to delete
items in a post in edit mode
| Pros:
Timeline Screen
- the "new entry" button is visible upon starting the app,
so it is one button tap to create a new post
- it takes only one tap to view a post
- the month and year headings make it easier to search
through past entries
- the map moves as the user scrolls through past entries,
also making it easier to find one in particular
View/Edit Screen
- adding items to a post in edit mode is just a tap away
- saving a post takes just a single tap
Cons:
Timeline Screen
- scrolling through the entries takes a bit of time since
only the bottom half of the screen is scrollable
- because there is less information for each post (as
compared to Design 1) in the list, it is more difficult to
search for a specific post based on the information in
the line of the post | Pros:
Timeline Screen
- any new entry accidentally created is easily deleted
- accidentally deleting a post can be undone with a
temporary button that appears after a deletion occurs
View/Edit Screen
- any unintentional changes to posts can easily be
seen in the view screen and changed back in the
edit screen
Cons:
Timeline Screen
- the lines in the list of posts are thinner than in
Design 1, so it may be easier to click on the wrong
post |