Question for community: eye candy a good thing?

chaley · 01-31-2016, 04:18 PM

I am in the middle of updating CC to use Google's advanced compatibility libraries, primarily so I can use the "Storage Access Framework" to better access SD cards. However, a lot of Google's "material design" comes along for "free", and other options become possible.

My question: do people want the eye candy that the later android releases provide? Is it worth opening this door? For example, does the sort of transition shown in the attached video push your "cool" button or "never" button? This sort of eye candy isn't particulary hard (but enough not-hard things becomes hard), but costs performance and occasionally doesn't work exactly as one expects.

Thanks for your comments.

jackie_w · 01-31-2016, 04:51 PM

Personally I detest my screen contents being in what seems like a state of perpetual motion (page curls, images zooming in-and-out) for no good reason. However I'm not sure I'm typical.

Terisa de morgan · 01-31-2016, 05:03 PM

The only eye candy I like in the video is the first image

I have the same opinion than jackie_w. But I'm sure I'm not typical.

theducks · 01-31-2016, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Personally I detest my screen contents being in what seems like a state of perpetual motion (page curls, images zooming in-and-out) for no good reason. However I'm not sure I'm typical.

double

Motion needs CPU cycles (which may also be limited on older devices)
CPU cycles eats power

The only motion I DO want is some sort of progress indication for tasks that run over a few dozen seconds. You already have that

copyrite · 01-31-2016, 06:18 PM

No thank you

Rizla · 01-31-2016, 08:29 PM

Performance is more important.

dickloraine · 02-01-2016, 12:43 AM

I like transitions like that. They shouldn't be to extrem and in appropriate places of course. In the example it is a good place, because it shows very clearly what is going on and which element is triggered. I don't need/like animations for every page turn for example (that's too much). Animations should not get into the foreground, like: look what great animations I can make. But used with care, they enhance the use experience I think.

Purple Lady · 02-01-2016, 12:00 PM

I don't like animation either. It will look especially bad on an eink device.

chaley · 02-01-2016, 02:38 PM

Thanks to all who have responded.

I confess to being surprised by the level of antipathy to animations. Google and other app developers are clearly going the other way, even if it adds nothing. As evidence, consider the spinning "hamburger" that morphs into an arrow when you open a message in Gmail (Android 6).

On the other hand, dickloraine has a point. The animation in the video, or at least the exit animation, does provide information. It carries the eye back to the book that just was examined in book details. If you are coming back to a cover grid with 20 books showing, finding where you were becomes trivial.

The animations work in lollipop (Android 5) or better. On Android 4 nothing happens, and I am dropping Gingerbread and Honeycomb support in CC. This means that there isn't any animation on older devices. I know of no eink device running android 5 or later, so the animations won't happen there either.

It seems clear that I shouldn't spend any time to enable more of the android 5+ animations. I am not yet convinced that I should remove the one shown in the video. Fortunately I can wait. The "updated" version of CC will not be ready for some time (weeks, probably) and will require an alpha test.

Thanks again for the comments, both those already made and those that come later.

DoctorOhh · 02-02-2016, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaley

It seems clear that I shouldn't spend any time to enable more of the android 5+ animations. I am not yet convinced that I should remove the one shown in the video. Fortunately I can wait. The "updated" version of CC will not be ready for some time (weeks, probably) and will require an alpha test.

I like the animation you presented. I don't see any reason to remove it.

nqk · 02-03-2016, 06:22 PM

I like it, too.

Dopedangel · 02-03-2016, 07:59 PM

I like it too but would prefer to be able to disable animations as I use it on my eink device as well.

kaufman · 02-07-2016, 01:46 AM

I don't like them either. Seems like a waste of your time to implement and a waste of my time to have to see them.

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01-31-2016, 04:51 PM	#2
jackie_w Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,251 Karma: 16539642 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Device: ClaraHD, Forma, Libra2, Clara2E, LibraCol, PBTouchHD3	Personally I detest my screen contents being in what seems like a state of perpetual motion (page curls, images zooming in-and-out) for no good reason. However I'm not sure I'm typical.

01-31-2016, 05:03 PM	#3
Terisa de morgan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,631 Karma: 12595249 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: Kobo Clara/Aura One/Forma,XiaoMI 5, iPad, Huawei MediaPad, YotaPhone 2	The only eye candy I like in the video is the first image I have the same opinion than jackie_w. But I'm sure I'm not typical.

01-31-2016, 06:18 PM	#5
copyrite Wizard Posts: 1,841 Karma: 4985051 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Maryland Device: Kindle	No thank you

01-31-2016, 08:29 PM	#6
Rizla Member Retired Posts: 3,183 Karma: 11721895 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nook STR (rooted) & Sony T2	Performance is more important.

02-01-2016, 12:43 AM	#7
dickloraine Guru Posts: 631 Karma: 7544528 Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Berlin Device: PRS 350, Kobo Aura	I like transitions like that. They shouldn't be to extrem and in appropriate places of course. In the example it is a good place, because it shows very clearly what is going on and which element is triggered. I don't need/like animations for every page turn for example (that's too much). Animations should not get into the foreground, like: look what great animations I can make. But used with care, they enhance the use experience I think.

02-01-2016, 12:00 PM	#8
Purple Lady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,698 Karma: 16542228 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Pennsylvania Device: Huawei MediaPad M5, LG V30, Boyue T80S, Nexus 7 LTE, K3 3G, Fire HD8	I don't like animation either. It will look especially bad on an eink device.

02-01-2016, 02:38 PM	#9
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,447 Karma: 8012886 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	Thanks to all who have responded. I confess to being surprised by the level of antipathy to animations. Google and other app developers are clearly going the other way, even if it adds nothing. As evidence, consider the spinning "hamburger" that morphs into an arrow when you open a message in Gmail (Android 6). On the other hand, dickloraine has a point. The animation in the video, or at least the exit animation, does provide information. It carries the eye back to the book that just was examined in book details. If you are coming back to a cover grid with 20 books showing, finding where you were becomes trivial. The animations work in lollipop (Android 5) or better. On Android 4 nothing happens, and I am dropping Gingerbread and Honeycomb support in CC. This means that there isn't any animation on older devices. I know of no eink device running android 5 or later, so the animations won't happen there either. It seems clear that I shouldn't spend any time to enable more of the android 5+ animations. I am not yet convinced that I should remove the one shown in the video. Fortunately I can wait. The "updated" version of CC will not be ready for some time (weeks, probably) and will require an alpha test. Thanks again for the comments, both those already made and those that come later.

02-03-2016, 06:22 PM	#11
nqk Fanatic Posts: 564 Karma: 32228 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Onyx Boox Leaf	I like it, too.

02-03-2016, 07:59 PM	#12
Dopedangel Wizard Posts: 1,793 Karma: 30548723 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Singapore Device: Boyue	I like it too but would prefer to be able to disable animations as I use it on my eink device as well.

02-07-2016, 01:46 AM	#13
kaufman Calibre Companion Fanatic Posts: 873 Karma: 1088610 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Galaxy Note 4, Kindle Voyage	I don't like them either. Seems like a waste of your time to implement and a waste of my time to have to see them.

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