Navigation Buttons vs Gestures on Android, 3 weeks of an unique experience.
From August 1st to August 24th, I’ve documented my experience on this aspect, called navigation gestures vs navigation buttons in Android phone.
In my 2 weeks of gesture navigation, with an additional week of button navigation, I found some pretty interesting nuances and little annoying, absurdly convenient stuff, that I failed to notice before, it was definitely an unique experience.
About the good and not so good things, that I’ve noticed, I’ve compiled them in this blog post here, which goes along with this blog post.
Also, I want to use gestures once again for about like 20 days or so, just to find, of one is better other, I feel it isn’t making any groundbreaking difference, up until what I have been experienced.
There will be a follow up blog post to this, in which I’ll go into more detail about this, so, please do wait for that.
But for now, I’m gonna share my Daily experience in the span of 24 days of me changing the navigation type on my smartphone.
Day 1,
This day changed my navigation buttons to gestures, swipe right to Back and from bottom to get to home.
Initial impressions, it’s really weird feeling, cause I’m so used to buttons that, it’s zero thought process that I put into doing that, but now with gestures, I’m actually consciously putting effort to remember the navigations, maybe it’ll too become second nature for me, bit we’ll have to see, I still prefer buttons though, I wonder if it changes or not.
Also a little thing I’ve noticed is that, the screen feels ever so slightly larger with gestures than with buttons, cause even though the buttons are hidden most of the time, they still occupy space, but with gestures, apps which take advantage of full screen, it’s larger, if not there’s no change.
Here are some pics for reference.
Day 2,
I’m still not used to this, and totally missing the recent apps gesture which is the one that I use the most, but one thing did happen that I got used to, which is going back to previous screen with the help of swiping from the edges of the phone gesture. Yes it’s useful and I understood that, moving all the way down to the back button, from resting your finger at the middle of the screen, which is there for like 90% of the time, cause it’s natural of you have phones with big screens, and I asked one of my friends this very same question why swiping is easy than tapping, I feel like a waste to swipe, but he replied, well swiping back from the edges is totally comfortable than tapping all the way down.
Well, I’m getting used to this, bit quite there yet, but I may get used to this gestures, let’s see.
Day 3,
This day, I was pretty much accustomed to back gesture, but it’s still hard to get into recent apps menu, apparently, you can switch between recent apps just by holding and swiping, but it’s still hard for me.
Day 4,
The multitasking is still hard, but going back to home screen, it started to get fun, but still it’s little hard.
Day 5,
I’ve noticed that in apps like YouTube, while playing a video on full screen I’ve totally used to just tapping on the home screen and whenever I return the video will be on half screen and paused, such a convenience for me, but with these gestures, first I’ve to go back, by sliding on sides or have to minimise the video by swiping down on screen and then go to Home, there’s more friction now, and it’s annoying for me.
Day 6,
The multitasking page, I still didn’t get used to it, I’m still being super conscious while using that.
Day 7,
I’m accustomed to back and home gestures, but still not used to the multitasking gesture.
Day 8,
everything feels fluent now, and somehow, I’m using the back gesture more now than before, cause it became convenient, and annoying at the same time, cause some ask like swipe again to go back home, and that’s annoying.
Day 9,
about multitasking, before I used to tap on the button twice, which got me into the previous app, and now I’m just swiping sideways from bottom to go back and forth, it’s convenient of I’m juggling between 2 apps, but not so fluid experience between more than 2 apps, cause it changes the recents right, it’s designed that way, I acknowledge that, and my problem is like, there but, it’s just what it is, I suppose. It’s the same when I’ve buttons too but I used to do that while swiping on the recent apps tab, but I’m now doing with swiping gestures, right, so I’m now noticing that difference, before it was obvious before, but not too much now.
Day 10,
Now I got really used to the gestures, and also in the process found another annoying thing, now I’m accidentally invoking back gesture while in the process of swiping down for quick toggles, it’s a little thing to get used to and apparently I’m still not there yet.
Day 11,
this day, I totally was accustomed to gestures, it’s starting to become thought less.
Day 12,
so nothing much really happened but, even using Instagram, I’m a person who absolutely don’t tap on the reels tab, cause it’s absolutely so not good for the brain, but for the first time while trying to do the home gesture I accidentally triggered it and it’s super super annoying.
Day 13,
still, more apps with games like coc, I’m used to just clicking on the home button, but while I do the same, it asks again if you really wanna quit, it’s a small thing, but it’s like more friction that I don’t like.
Day 14,
I’ve got used to that home swipe annoyance, but still annoying though.
Day 15,
totally got used to the navigation gestures, it’s becoming a second nature to me.
Day 16,
now, I noticed something, whenever I pick up my parents phone, they use navigation buttons, now out of habit I’m swiping and wondering why it’s not going back, haha.
Day 17,
I got super used to this gestures, that they’ve become truly like breathing, I’m now using those without noticing, also while using others with buttons, I’m always invoking the back gesture, only to find that’s not the case.
Day 18,
so, till now I’ve been using gestures, and this day i’ve switched to navigation buttons, I just wanted to check if I miss the gestures, or is it just comfortable with buttons.
Day 19,
this has been a hard day, cause now i was trying gestures instead of tapping buttons, but the double swipe gesture annoyance in games is gone now.
Day 20,
in now realising how easy and convenient those gestures were, I got used to them and now while browsing and stuff, it’s annoying to click the back button, swiping was way easier. On that note, I also noticed that while typing we’ve the virtual keyboard right, it’s also is a little small while using buttons, but it’s nice either way.
Day 21–22,
I haven’t noticed anything major in these two days, just got used to buttons I guess.
Day 23,
A little thing that I noticed is that while using Google Chrome for browsing they’ve this native swipe gesture to go back to the previous Page, I’ve not realised that until I accidently awoke it instead back gesture, cause I was using buttons.
Day 24,
these days I used the WhatsApp more, and tapping back button for everything got me annoyed but I got used to it.
