Thoughts on Portable Video Interfaces

WPW_Feedbot · #1 (**permalink**) 10-06-2005, 11:00 AM

My boss and I were looking at some fake video iPod images yesterday, wondering whether Apple will finally launch its video device next week, when I realized that all the mockups floating around turn the iPod into a two-handed device to make it accept video. Now, these are just fake mock-ups -- and it stands to reason that Apple could surprise us with a completely new interface when they do launch a video iPod. And the importance of one-handed navigation is up for debate -- in large part, it depends on how and when and where people will use portable video devices, and those questions are themselves very much still up for debate.

But in any case, I wonder whether the existing iPod interface design paradigm is suited for a portable video device. In portable video, there will be less to organize (perhaps a few hundred videos, rather than 60,000 songs), and using any space on the face of the device for a visible navigation control reduces crucial screen real estate. The scroll-wheel that serves so well on an audio device, then, could become an unnecessary space hog on a video device. There are other considerations -- such as the fact that portable video devices are just as likely to be used for audio as for video, potentially increasing the number of stored files significantly -- but that's perhaps fodder for another blog entry some other time. Whichever way you look at it, navigation is one of the key challenges for Apple when planning for portable video.

The best interface I've seen for a portable video player? The iRiver U10, which uses what iRiver calls the "direct click system." Want to navigate up or down, or turn the volume up or down? Tap the top or the bottom of the screen. Want to go forward or backward through folders or video? Tap the screen on the left or the right. It's incredibly simple, and incredibly clean. When I first got my hands on one at IFA last month, I didn't let go of it for quite some time. Then I went back later in the day to play with it some more. And for at least part of that time, I was holding the device (and navigating through its content) with one hand.

The U10 isn't perfect. It's too small, for one thing -- I wanted a larger video screen. (Though make it any bigger and it might not be a one-handed device -- which is the catch.) But the "direct click" design paradigm has the ability to change everything for portable video players, the same way the iPod design paradigm did for portable audio players. In a way, I hope Apple's bold enough to steal the U10 interface. And I certainly hope iRiver is rewarded with some market share for introducing such a sublime design innovation.

Read more...