Content providers stick to what they know with publishing for iPad

The expectations surrounding the iPad are highly strung indeed. Apple’s new gadget will bring the way we consume media one step further in the digital era by allowing us to navigate the online environment with a touch screen, a good internet connection and Apple’s usual ease-of-use.

But we’re not there yet, warns American research firm Nielsen Norman Group. The company studied the design and usability of some 40 apps and websites for the iPad. The conclusions are not too optimistic.

The researchers, who studied how people use the iPad, found that there is little clarity and structure in the interaction design. More often than not, it is unclear which gestures can be used and what the result of a touch or swipe will be. The same kind of touch (for example touching a picture) yields, different results in different apps. With some, nothing happens. In others, a large version of the picture appears and with yet others, a caption with some info on the picture opens.

Furthermore, the report concludes that application builders  are sticking to outdated concepts. Especially the mental model they call the “just like print metaphor” is persistent.

Just like with print, the apps often connect content in a linear way: one presses either on next or previous to navigate, without knowing where one ends up. A homepage with clickable links or a search function are often missing. In a digital context, a “next article” button holds little meaning to users. Navigating is easier with a menu containing links. The researchers emphasise that application builders should make the strategic choice of pursuing either user empowerment or author control. In the current layout of many apps, the possibilities for users are limited, whereas they do have much more freedom on the web. It is questionable whether users will want to give up parts of that freedom.

Our thoughts are that it will not take long before apps will make better use of the iPad’s new possibilities. Currently, a lot of developers are building a diverse range of apps. Design conventions have not been able to develop yet. Developers, just like the rest of us, need some time to assess the potential of innovations and make full use of them. When cars came about, they looked remarkably like horse-drawn carriages and the first PCs did not exactly score high on user friendliness either.

17 May 2010