This, for a lot of you, may be repetition. Nonetheless, I still want to mention this because of my drive to get Android even more credibility.
One thing that’s not utilized in a productive way in many of consumers Android phone’s, are the multi-homepage customizable layouts. Although this seems minor, and it’s no surprise that Android is rocking out the lead with popularity, I still can’t resist driving this point home as critical to a great Android experience.
Make it personal!
After all, the best part about Android’s operating system is the “canvas-like” design and flexibility you get. Each one of those 5-7 home pages is meant to be personalized to make your experience easy, but functional. I, Personally, set each page to a theme such as “music”, or “5 things I use most often.” I do this because it takes almost all of the thought process out of navigating my device.
Here’s my suggestion for a page…
First, write down or keep in the forefront of your thoughts 3-5 activities, hobbies, or daily organization tools. Keep it to five or below because the idea here is to keep things simple, but practical for your device.
I’ll use the theme “most used applications”
- At the bottom, I place a “messaging” icon because I use messaging so often. I place it at the bottom because I use my thumb most often to navigate through my phone.
- Also, at the bottom, I place my “internet” icon because of its easy access while using my thumb in addition to the frequency of its use.
- In the middle I have placed a “widget” which is a larger version of an icon with live updates for my time and weather. I place this in the middle mostly because aesthetically it’s more pleasing to the eye, but also because it serves its function of delivering weather and time.
- And, at the top, I place a note taking application that offers quick easy access to voice notes, typed notes or reference to previous notes taken.
Obviously this is just an example from my personal use of my Android device, however, your device should resemble something similar if you want it to be quick and easy to use.
So, to the point often suggested… “my phone has all those applications, so why wouldn’t I load my homepages up with my favorites?” If you have an Android device that has only five homepages, think about if you customized all 5 of those pages with four or five applications. That’s 20-25 applications that you have dedicated to a location for quick access! Most people will only, on average, use around five applications consistently.
This is why it’s so critical to keep your pages simple. It will focus your pages to what you use the most, and ultimately, make your experience more enjoyable.
Proof comes from the simplicity experts
It’s no surprise that Android is a powerhouse because of these features. Take a look at iOS 5, it’s proving this by resembling a lot of the functions that an Android phone offers! That’s so classic to how useful the Android operating system really is, but too often do we disregard the most important part of the process…proper setup.
If Apple gets that it’s simple, then it must be!
Credit given to the experts
Don’t get me wrong, I know that every close Android follower is more than willing to spew the vast array of great information to any one set of learning ears (or all ears willing to listen). Sometimes though, I think that we as experts become more interested in the excitement and not the simplicity.
So, for the experts, let’s get back to the basics….help a newbie today, and show them how to turn those home pages into a powerhouse of lifestyle representation with untouched functionality.