Dangerous actions and how to thoroughly terrify the user - Design, Prototyping, UI, Graphics

So I'm working on an app, which involves the users doing various non-safe things. Things involving root, and filesystems. Considering someone with a less-than-average IQ enters the userbase, I need to make it absolutely 100% clear this is a dangerous action with kitten-killing consequences.
I was hoping to get some input on how to accomplish this. So far I have considered the following options:
1) Time-based confirmation: Anyone who did rm -rf <folder> on zsh would know this. Basically, first prompt for confirmation, then when they give it to you, wait a few seconds, all the while showing a large cancel button, and when the time is over, you display a relatively small button, with the confirmation. This button also expires (i.e we assume it was canceled) when the user either waits more than a few seconds, moves to another activity, puts the phone to sleep or goes to another app/home screen.
Advantages I see:
Pretty simple to understand for the user
Relatively difficult to butt-press
Disadvantages I see:
Painful for repeat-actions
Not impossible to butt-press
2) iPhone style swipe-to-confirm: Pretty much describes it, and this is already used by TWRP for some things.
Advantages:
Absolutely impossible to butt-press
Doesn't take very long if certain
Disadvantages:
May not make it very clear that there is danger
Might trigger a positive sentiment when an ex-iPhone user uses it, which may increese the risk of accidental use
3) Github-style type-blah-here: Basically display the name of the filesystem (or a captcha, but we are not cruel), and ask user to type it in.
Advantages:
Non-butt-pressable
Very clear message
In some cases, it may alert the user when they are performing on the wrong entity (e.g deleting wrong file)
Disadvantages:
Takes a little while, pain on multiple uses.
Please mention your preferred one, and other suggestions of you have any.
Thanks!

Also, that alliteration in the title would make my English teacher proud.

Show the warning in big bold red capital letters. Tell them there's no going back. Then if there is a confirmation dialog then put a checkbox in it as well which needs to be ticked. That would be enough. But keep in mind that sometimes when using a ****ty cable the device registers the touches on random areas, so double confirmation would be reasonable.
Think of it like the person will sue you for loss of data; Would you be able to justify yourself? If yes, then the warning is enough.

Related

4 Hard Button Go Crazy on Android

I installed the Android OS on my phone that was found on this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=5480057&postcount=7353
I updated it and everything to what he has but occasionally my hard buttons at the bottom will either stay lit or not respond at all. Or it will even go crazy as if I were sitting there spinning my finger around the middle hard button thus making it highlight everything on my menu. That also causes trouble because then it thinks that when I press the home key it decides to bring up the call log screen.
Is there anyway to disable the "iPod Scroll" on the center hard key?
Dude. You should update to the newest build. And update Rootfs and zImages.
everything is in the XDAndroid thread in this forum.
I updated to the one found here:
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=104276
And my scroll wheel and hard buttons still mess up from time to time.
What device do you have? RAPH100?
Sorry I don't know the developer names but its the HTC Fuze for AT&T so it's either the RAPH100 or just the RAPH. The start up config I'm using for Droid is the RAPH config.
Its best not to touch the capacitive DPAD and scroller during boot up. (safe time is when you can see a n d r o i d or the bootscreen.) This and having the pad clean is very crucial if you don't want it going crazy.
Try cleaning it with a wet cloth/tissue and try again.
I also had a screen protector which was massively scratched which caused problems. Ever since removing it the DPAD has been working great.
dude i totally have the same problem.
i ve tried wipe it clean but no luck.
sometimes everything work great but all of a sudden the buttons go wild and start flashing. after that, nothing will bring it back to normal. maybe after a few minutes if will stop blinking, lefting one or two LEDs on, and the button is then less responsive, though still works if you place your finger on the button you want for a few seconds before pressing.
I've seen a few people complaining about this but other says its because of our own device...
However everything works normally in WM... so i guess it might be about the sensitivity or something like that.
no matter it get fixed or not, I do want a method to disable the scrolling too, and maybe the left and right buttons, because they never work even under WM...
Yeah, mine does that too. Its random, sometimes not happening for days, then all of the sudden it starts. And this is within the same boot. Very odd. BTW, I keep up on all builds, always update asap, and my pad is spotless. I can't really figure it out.
also getting the exact same problem a lot, with everything up to date, clean, and not touching on bootup. would it be difficult to implement a code where we could just disable the middle scroll wheel? thats the thing that causes the most problems, and its not really that useful anyway.
@reverendkjr
This may be off topic but, you say you leave your phone running Droid all the time? How do you not drain your battery in like 4 hours unless you leave it charging all day?
But I'm pretty sure I'm as up to date as I can be and I still get this issue.
twiggy159 said:
@reverendkjr
This may be off topic but, you say you leave your phone running Droid all the time? How do you not drain your battery in like 4 hours unless you leave it charging all day?
But I'm pretty sure I'm as up to date as I can be and I still get this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not off topic at all. I have been using Xandroid as my one and only OS for about a month now. I do charge it quite often, and I leave it on my desk at work on a charger. I also charge it at night as I sleep. I start off the day with 100% and can go 6 or so hours without issue. I continuously get 3-4 days in a row without a reboot or a failure. I find that it has become a suitable alternative to Winmo. The difficulty that I have is that there are primary functions which I miss a bit (camera mostly). But I feel that in order for me to fully understand and appreciate this, and to be able to contribute as a quasi beta tester, I must be willing to spend as much time with it as possible. I keep up with these forums on a regular basis , checking them sometimes 2-3 times a day. It is difficult to distinguish helpful info sometimes, since there are several versions floating around, and not everyone has the same setup & environment. I search as much as I can to find my own solutions, and for the most part, I'm relatively proud of myself. I usually only chime in when something is really bugging me, or I see something valuable that I can add to a conversation.
This issue was one that I had seen a few people talk about, and it had always been chalked up to being a dirty sensor type of thing, or someone touching the pad while it was booting. Having tried all of these solutions with no success, I had come to the determination that it was not constant, it could be ignored or dealt with, and eventually someone would fix it. It is most definitely not a "hot" item, so I never made a stink about it. Now that others have brought it forward, I decided to add my experiences.
I have loads of respect for the developers, and realize that they are not doing this for me. They are doing it for themselves, and fortunately, they share it with us. I am envious of their ability to make this project possible, and have no expectation or demands. I just take what they give us, and try to make it work for me.
Just my two sense, I'll step away from the pulpit now.
+1 for Navigation Wheel or capacitive D-pad issue
reverendkjr said:
Yeah, mine does that too. Its random, sometimes not happening for days, then all of the sudden it starts. And this is within the same boot. Very odd. BTW, I keep up on all builds, always update asap, and my pad is spotless. I can't really figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I appeal to the developers to move Raph110 Navigation wheel to "Not working" so further development can occur. I do not touch the wheel during boot, but it still randomly flips out. My screen is clean. I did the clean cloth thing. The Navigation wheel not only flips out going all over the place. It actually rarely works the way it should in any application.
All I really need is to turn it off or disable the Navigation wheel if at all possible. Is it necessary to load the Nav-wheel capacitive drivers or can we disable them? Would it disrupt the function of the D-pad if disabled because all I need is the D-pad.
Chime in RAPH110 guys. Would you care if the Nav-wheel was disabled, because I actually think this is what is causing the issue.
I just want to make sure that I communicate to any developers that this is not a major issue. To me, I feel as though this is the only issue that I have at all. With the build I use, I honestly have no other issue which means that the Raph110 Android end product is 99% complete. To be direct, Thank you! I feel as though you purchased me a new phone, so this is no way a complaint. It is only the last 1% quality assurance analysis. ;-)
Edit: I just re-read this thread and the common denominator is HTC Fuze or RAPH110 users are having this minor issue. RAPH100 posting are saying "Just read the thread" or "use updated packages" or "clean the screen" which I think may all work and be valid for you RAPH100 users. I can indeed say without a doubt that this does not work for RAPH110.
In order for me to stop the random D-pad/Nav-wheel random scrolling, I have to screen lock it, let it go to sleep, then it might stop. It does stop mind you, but it is quite random how I am able to stop it.
spideyngo said:
May I appeal to the developers to move Raph110 Navigation wheel to "Not working" so further development can occur. I do not touch the wheel during boot, but it still randomly flips out. My screen is clean. I did the clean cloth thing. The Navigation wheel not only flips out going all over the place. It actually rarely works the way it should in any application.
All I really need is to turn it off or disable the Navigation wheel if at all possible. Is it necessary to load the Nav-wheel capacitive drivers or can we disable them? Would it disrupt the function of the D-pad if disabled because all I need is the D-pad.
Chime in RAPH110 guys. Would you care if the Nav-wheel was disabled, because I actually think this is what is causing the issue.
I just want to make sure that I communicate to any developers that this is not a major issue. To me, I feel as though this is the only issue that I have at all. With the build I use, I honestly have no other issue which means that the Raph110 Android end product is 99% complete. To be direct, Thank you! I feel as though you purchased me a new phone, so this is no way a complaint. It is only the last 1% quality assurance analysis. ;-)
Edit: I just re-read this thread and the common denominator is HTC Fuze or RAPH110 users are having this minor issue. RAPH100 posting are saying "Just read the thread" or "use updated packages" or "clean the screen" which I think may all work and be valid for you RAPH100 users. I can indeed say without a doubt that this does not work for RAPH110.
In order for me to stop the random D-pad/Nav-wheel random scrolling, I have to screen lock it, let it go to sleep, then it might stop. It does stop mind you, but it is quite random how I am able to stop it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think mine is a RAPH100... i cant take out the battery and double check... but mine is a unbranded version fron 3 australia... which i remember is raph100. and i totally have the same issue so this is not only happening on raph110 i believe.
Hey guys,
I was having the same problem in wm6.5 using many different energyroms, i disabled the scrollwheel altogether within the registry, never used it anyway. I am now getting the same problem in Android. is there is a registry parallel in android?
btw using a RAPH100 (all above fixes did not work)
devs, is there no easy way to implement a disable scroll wheel setting?? i swear that wheel will drive me crazy at times
While this could be an issue with all Raph 110's (AT&T Fuze), I think it is just a subset due to hardware problems. For me, the problem only happens occasionally and it does not only occur in xdandroid, but also in WM. There is an HTC tool (for WM) named NavDbgTool.exe that will show you what is happening with the capacitive buttons/touch area on the Raph. For me, when I have issues it lights up all over and shows touches occurring that are not occurring. I know of at least one XDA member (Captain Throwback) who was able to get a replacement phone (a Tilt2) from the insurance carrier because of this issue.
Perhaps this is a problem that eventually happens with all Raph 110's due to a hardware flaw. If that is the case, maybe enough complaints to AT&T will cause them to replace all of the devices (similar to how Sprint is replacing all their Touch Pro's due to overheating issues). In the meantime, if you have insurance, you should be able to get a replacement phone, just use the NavDbgTool.exe to document the problem in WM.
Also, due to this issue, it would be nice to have the option to disable the capacitive touch area on the Raph 110 in xdandroid (while keeping the D-pad working). I don't use it for anything now that zooming doesn't work for recent versions of Opera in WM.
I'm starting to think that this is Winmo ROM related. I noticed that since I've used the ROM that I have installed right now, the amount of times this issue has affected me has been slim to none. I am currently running the an NRG rom from june 12 with sense 2.5.
link: http://hotfile.com/dl/47992175/ccd8b44/Energy.RAPHAEL.21905.Sense2.5.Jun.12.7z.html
I'm not guaranteeing anything, but its working for me.
Maybe it has something to do with a package that is built into certain roms. I have noticed a few times where the winmo ROM i have loaded will affect Android's performance as well. The ROM that I am currently running was also what provided me with the ability to get GPS working in Android.
I hope this helps some of you.
I don't think it has anything to do with WM. For me, it only happens in Android.
firstly i have a raph100 that has this issue too, so its not just raph110
secondly, for me, this happens in wm too but a lot less frequently and seems to repair itself. It happens in android 70% of time when i boot, the 30% else happens later...
newly released zimages seem to shutdown the capacitive panel when sleeping, and this solved my problem a little bit since every time it goes crazy I can put the device in sleep then resume it...
But when it goes asleep the two buttons on the right act as back, the two on the left act as home. I think there is only one physical button on both sides, the touch figures if you are pressing back or end.
Sent from my AOSP on XDANDROID MSM using XDA App

[Q] Messaging

Why, using numeric tast, when i write a sms, very often, the bar space doesn't work. The text, infact, if i write quickly, is whithout spaces. Afhter touching the bar space, i can't touch immediatly the next letter, i have to wait almost one second.
Is it normal?
Thank You..
I had problems with keypad when composing text too. Sometimes the back space won't work. Sometimes, spacebar behaves out of order. And other frustrating weird stuffs.
I found a few ways to temporarily set it to work properly. To avoid the time-consuming soft reset. The solutions i came up with are not consistent. Sometimes you have to try more than one of the methods, or in combinations.
1. Close down some apps. Generally, i observed that if your remaining RAM falls below 80Mb, the chances of misbehaving keypad rises. Though not consistent. Just higher risk to go out of order. Use BattClock to monitor remaining RAM, and Task Manager to close down apps.
2. Go to Text Input settings, and remove garbage words from User Dictionary. They tend to pile up real quick. Most mistyped words are sucked in, and interpreted as user's custom words. The programming of this User Dictionary really suck. I clean it up daily.
3. Shutting down, and re-running HTC Messaging can sometimes help. Really weird.
4. Install and use CleanRAM.
These are temporary solutions. It doesn't work all the time. But do work most of the time. Reducing the frequency of your trips to the soft reset planet drastically.
We'll just have to live with it for now. Until someone at HTC decided to actually read our complaints for once and do something about it.
Maybe by the next decade.

Windows Phone 7 owners, test an app?

Hey, i just got my dell venue pro today and was finally able to try out my app i created!
I added it to the market on the 15th of oct and it received poor reviews from the guys in the UK (not sure why).
Using it on the dell and it works great.
Anyway i was wondering if you guys could give it a try and give a review of what you thought.
My app is in the Health Fitness section and it is called My Workout.
Description:
It is a handy app that allows you to save your workout routines to an easy to access and easy to read schedule. My app also has a stopwatch and 1 rep max calculator.
It doesn't keep track of workouts, nor does it have any pre-loaded. This was created to allow gym savvy people (anyone who's worked out before) to digitally have their workout routine with them at the gym (i use my phone for music) to replace paper.
Video of app:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVoqy0xYmNg
* BUGS/ FEATURES NOTICED SINCE USING ON REAL DEVICE***
1. The lock screen wipes out any in progress routine that you were entering. Same with stopwatch.. If you are running the stopwatch and the screen locks, the stopwatch will reset. ( will fix with new lock screen guidelines that were just released)
2. I need to make the return key allow for the exercise to be added to your list instead of always hitting the add button.
Discovered that new users to windows phone 7 are oblivious to pivot controls and they love hitting return to enter data. WILL fix the return bug, the pivot control is essential to the metro ui. Cant change that.
* End bugs/features**
If you guys find anything let me know!
Thanks,
Blake
do not mean to hijack this thread but does the venue pro have a sd card slot? if it does it will be the phone i get.
I have nothing to test it on, but I do think the timer should have milliseconds as well.
the dell venue pro does NOT have a sd card slot.
Nice app, wish I had it when I was in the gym.
It's simple and straight to the point. Good to keep up with your routines.
Micro I just tested it in my HD7. Very nice app. I don't go to the Gym. (Too many posers there). Instead I ride my mountain bike and go swimming. Still your app will come in handy to many.
I've just written a brief review on Marketplace and given it 5 stars- user name jfsfoster.
Looks solid, I have two issues, but they're just aesthetic. The flexed arm doesn't really fit in too well with the default icons. I know, silly gripe, but it caught my eye. I'd try something more low key. Such as a round weight.
Remove the white border around Start/Stop and Reset and remove the speedometer graphic. It will fit better with the WP7 look.
These are just my opinions. The actual usefulness of it looks great and I will be downloading it once I find a Venue Pro.
After having friends use the app for the first time (first time wp7 users as well)
The most common problems were:
1. Unable to figure out that the navigation is pivot.
2. Why hitting return doesn't add exercises to the list.
I cant do anything about #1
However i have made some significant changes to how the textbox entry is maintained and have fixed some major bugs:
Disabled the lock screen from enabling via phone idle (microsoft wont like that i bet..) - Had to do it, if you are half way entering data and you set the phone down for 30 seconds it locks and then guess what, NO MORE DATA, you have to start over if you haven't finished the routine.
Allowed for the return (enter) key to add exercises to the list.
fixed misc bugs.
Version 1.4 look for it in about 2 days.
what do you mean navigation is pivot? as in, how they have to slide left/right? people just have to get use to that with the phone, it's not your fault. if they owned the phone, after a couple of days use they would work it out and it would be natural.
what do you mean no more data? i thought the new guidelines said the app could stay alive even if the screen goes to stand by? can you write to isolated storage upon screen lock?
Yes, you are right. People do need to get used to that but what's happening is that they download the app, attempt to use it for 2 min and then rate it 1 star and uninstall. I've noticed many apps getting poor ratings and they seem perfectly fine to me.
You are allowed to run in the background, however you cant have any timers running as per power saving guidelines. So that would mean that my stopwatch would have to be disabled.
I'd rather just disable the phone idle while using my app..
Also as for the data erasing, I write to isolated storage but not until the routine is at a specific point in the process. If you are say entering exercises and you have to go do something and set the phone down and it auto screen locks, the app re-sets and all that data you were entering gets cleared since it didnt get to the isolated storage save point yet.
that is fixed, it's just up to microsoft to see if it passes testing now.
Will download and test it, but can't report back for a few weeks. Can't go to the gym this week and next I'm out of the country.
App updated 11/10/2010
Added the ability for users to import exercises from previously entered routines. This saves time for those who do the same routine throughout the week.

A-Button Glitch

I've found myself back here on the forums after getting frustrated with the official Windows updates.
There's a really big glitch I've encountered that changes the volume from Normal to Vibrate or vice versa.
It took me years to finally realize why my phone was switching profiles without me changing it.
Whenever I start a new text message and type the letter 'A' too fast as the first letter of the message it changes to Normal/Vibrate. If I slowly start typing the message, the glitch is avoided.
Has anyone else encountered this bizarre problem? I'm still trying to figure out how this could even be possible! Any suggestions from the gurus?
This problem exists on ALL Roms I believe ... I have always had it.
Here is the explanation, as I see it:
The Texting program, in all honesty, sucks. Windows decided to create the TextBox before loading up the history of messages, which meant there was a huge lag. FURTHER: They didn't do these actions on separate threads, which means the lag would occur on one thread.
Now think of it this way: While a program can have different 'threads' to run on, the keyboard, while an input to the program, will get its own thread because it is a system device. So the Keyboard gets its own thread, therefore its own buffer.
What goes on, in the second it takes to load the text message history is this:
1) TextBox appears and is activated to user [and Keyboard]
2) History load starts on same thread as TextBox
3) User types "A"
4) "A" is sent to the foreground window, which is the TextBox
5) The TextBox takes a while to respond, to process the message, therefore the system assumes the key was held down for X seconds.
6) Realizing this is the Hard-coded "change-profile" shortcut, the system then sends a message to the Profile 'manager' (if one exists, but in theory let us say it does) to switch profiles.
7) The TextBox stops lagging since the history is loaded, and it registers that the 'A' key was lifted.
The whole issue has to do with timing and buffers ... all pretty stupid errors on Microsoft's part.
I had wanted to start making a replacement, but alas, I have no time
One day....maybe one day
Brilliant Cyclone! Thanks for the simplified/understandable response.
I didn't realize the quick button to switch profiles is the 'A' button. That's much more understandable.
I just updated my phone to 3v0, but then downdated to 1.22.531.6 because it 3v0 was too buggy.
It cleared all my text messages and I haven't had the A-glitch yet. I'm guessing clearing the text history is the only way to avoid the glitch.
I'm surprised I haven't heard other people talking about this problem. I Googled it, but couldn't find anything.
Very interesting...although, these kind of problems are expected when dealing with Microsoft.
I just had a thought...
How easy would it be to change the "Hard-coded "change-profile" shortcut" to a letter that is never used? Like 'Q'. Or completely remove the change-profile shortcut.
You guys are way over my head when it comes to working with the fundamentals of phones(the registry?) like this. I'd like to learn more, but I must also say....One day....maybe one day!
I don't honestly believe it is possible..."hard coded' means that they programmed it straight into the OS.
Now realize, this is only my theory, I can be 100% incorrect..
The OS can't have any changes made to it? I thought this was possible through something like "regedit" on PC's. Changes to the registry aren't changes to the OS?
zemaoner said:
The OS can't have any changes made to it? I thought this was possible through something like "regedit" on PC's. Changes to the registry aren't changes to the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Things in the Registry aren't 'hardcoded' ... when I say 'hardcoded' I mean that when Microsoft employees was in their IDEs developing, they typed in a few lines of code dealing with the A-Key, and then compiled it. We cannot change that, especially since it is part of the ROM.

Minor Mods

I'm looking for a way to change a few things but I haven't seen too many of these mentioned.. I enjoy flashing a new rom but then experience some frustration at what seems like the smallest things.
I would like:
-my phone to "not' beep when I plug in the charger. It really hinders the process of putting a baby to sleep.
-to adjust my in-call volume without first activating the screen, whether hands free or not.
I think Calkulin has both of these built in but I don't care for the stock look.
-to 'display' my contacts by first name and 'sort' them by last name; scroll through the list and 'not' have the first name fade out so that only the last names are visible. I guess this is a Samsung thing but it's annoying.
Any suggestions? Besides telling me that I should adapt or live with it or hold the phone differently so that it isn't inconvenienced?

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