Timeline Screen View/Edit Screen
  | Timeline Screen:
The timeline shows a scrollable
list of journal entries. The list
grows downward in chronological
order as new entries are added
using the "new entry" button,
which is always after the last entry
in the journal. The screen always
opens to the end of the journal.
A divider is inserted each time the
entries on screen belong to different
months/years. An identical divider
is always at the top of the screen
showing the month and year of the
first entry on the screen.
The list scrolls slightly past the
last entry so that the "new entry"
button is near the center of the
screen when at the end.
Each entry shows a time and
abbreviated date, as well as a
snippet of the actual entry (first
few words of the text, a photo
thumbnail).
Clicking on an entry takes the
user to the view screen.
The context menu (press and
hold on the touch screen) allows
the user to share the post.
Clicking on the "new entry" button
takes you to the edit screen for a
new entry.
View/Edit Screen:
The app uses the same screen
for both view and edit functions by
employing "view" and "edit" modes.
In view mode, the time and rough
location of the post are shown at the
top of the scrollable pane, and the
journal entry is shown as series of
paragraphs of text (with embedded
contact links) and pictures.
The context menu allows the user
to take a new photo, import a picture
from the SD card, or add a contact
link. Normal copy-paste functionality
also works, as with standard android
apps.
In edit mode, the entry is editable
like a text box (with flashing cursor),
and a "save" button appears in the
lower right corner at all times.
The app comes with a "welcome"
journal entry that shows the kinds
of content users can add to a
journal entry.
Each new journal entry defaults to
the current time and location, lets
the user alter these manually by
entering a different time&date, and
selecting a location on the map.
| Pros:
Timeline screen:
- The new entry button appears as
a placeholder in the list of journal
entries, showing the user where
new entries will appear.
- The new uses a "+" icon affordance
for adding content.
- The journal entries are stacked in
chronological order, with the month
and year always on-screen. This is
consistent with a paper journal or
organizer with dated pages. This is
also consistent with many computer
visualizations of timeline data.
View/Edit screen:
- The WYSIWYG editor/view screen
helps learnability by letting the user
dynamically preview the journal post
as the user enters content.
- Editable fields are consistent with
other android apps.
Cons:
- The timeline looks more like a list
than a timeline, making it difficult to
visualize passage of time between
journal entries.
- The edit screen does not have
on-screen affordances for adding
pictures or contact links (uses a
context menu instead), making it
harder for the user to learn how to
embed photos and contacts.
| Pros:
- The sticky month/year dividers help the user to
quickly navigate the journal by flicking up/down,
and stopping at the right month before searching
for a particular entry.
- The WYSIWYG viewer/editor maximizes
the screen area given to the journal entryentry,
which helps the user keep more of the entry
on-screen, and .
- The save button in the edit view is sticky to the
lower right corner, and is always on screen, so
the user does not have to scroll after entering
content.
Cons:
- The timeline screen must be at the end of the
list in order to add new journal entries. Although
the app opens to the end of the journal, a user
has to manually navigate to the end after viewing
prior posts in order to add content.
- The minimal editor forces the user to employ
a context menu (rather than an on-screen button)
to add photos to the journal. | Pros:
- Accidentally creating a new post is easily
undone by not saving the newly created post.
- Only a small number of functions affect the state
of the journal (delete, save, new entry), and each is
obvious, and reversible.
- Accidental deletions will be addressed
using an undo system.
Cons:
- Employing two modes for the view/edit screen
may lead to mode errors. A user may attempt to
make edits in the view screen, or accidentally
edits.
- A sticky "save" button in the edit screen can be
accidentally clicked, forcing the user to re-open
the post in edit mode to finish entering content. |
