This a continuation of my interface concept. You can check out the first part below —
Let’s break it down.
Wi-Fi:
When you launch the interface and select the Wi-Fi tab, this is what will appear.
Toggles:
You have the standard Wi-Fi on and off button as well as the Ask to Join Networks switch. Whatever you change in this interface will also change in Settings (vice versa).
Blacklist:
Blacklisting is a way of putting networks you don’t want to see or get notified by into a list. That way you will longer see the network or get a notification for it if you’re in the area (blue box on SpringBoard / application). You can at any point put or take networks out of the list and have three ways of adding networks to it:
- Swiping inside the blue box and hitting “Blacklist”
- Swiping inside this interface and hitting “Blacklist”
- Swiping in Settings in the Wi-Fi section and hitting “Blacklist”
The Blacklist is available in this interface as well as the Wi-Fi section in Settings.
Disconnect:
On top of being able to turn Wi-Fi on and off from here, you can also disconnect from networks by simply swiping the connected network in this list and hitting the “Disconnect” button (not shown — exactly like the Blacklist button but with the string “Disconnect”). This saves you from having to disconnect from Wi-Fi and than joining another network. Or choosing “Forget this Network.”
Pull to Refresh:
To update the list of networks that are shown, simply pull down from the interface to refresh the list.
© 2012 Joshua Tucker
It’s been a crazy last few days with this concept on my mind — I’ve learned a lot and I’m excited to move forward! Thank you for all your comments, support, and feedback; it’s greatly appreciated!
I’m going back through again to touch things up and change things if necessary. So without further to do, let’s start off Round Two with the Launchpad interface. Get acquainted with my prior concepts by visiting the following links:
Launchpad:
Activating the shade brings you to the Launchpad interface first. This particular page is a merge between two different components:
- Launchpad - launch applications
- Multitasking - switch between applications.
The shade can be launched from anywhere (lock screen, SpringBoard, inside an application).
You can also folder applications on the Launchpad as well if you desire.
Note: If you have a passcode on your lock screen, you will be barred from using certain features until you type it in.
There is a set of page dots to alert you of which page you’re on in the Launchpad. To change pages, you simply swipe just like you would on the SpringBoard.
Arrangement:
It is arranged from the bottom to the top with the running applications at the bottom. This allows for quick app switching.
Activation:
The interface can be activated using the Home Button or some other gesture (unsure of which).
Dock:
The dock at the bottom is how you access the different tabs in the interface. The dock isscrollable and can be scrolled with swipe/drag gestures. As an example, to switch between taps, simply hold down on the dock and drag until the tab you want is selected.
It happens to show three icons on the dock for easy access but, if you scroll left or right, it will show other options. Two of the icons that are not included are:
- Music (Music Controls)
- Settings (Options/Toggles)
Note: I’m looking to add more icons if applicable.
Here’s a more detailed explanation for some of the parts associated with the dock.
- Name Box - Since the bar is scrollable, as you move from icon to icon, the box at the top changes and tells you what section you’ve selected. In the case of the image, it says I’m currently on “Launchpad.” Now, if I were to swipe or move to the next icon (either right or left), the box would change to that respective name. After a certain amount of time (unknown) of staying on that tab, the box disappears.
- Selected Indicator - The blue icon on the bottom always says in the middle and alerts you of which tab you’re on. This is always visible even after the name box disappears.
Quit Applications:
Just like the current native multitasking, simply hold down on the icon to go into wiggle mode. From there, just hit the minus sign to quit applications.
Note: The minus sign won’t display on applications that are not running.
Stay tuned — I’m moving onto Round Two; WiFi!
“I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others…I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.” - Thomas Edison
© 2011 Joshua Tucker
Here’s Part Two of my recent multitasking concept. Visit below to get context if you don’t understand what I’m about to explain.
New iOS Multitasking Interface
Note: I changed how to distinguish which tab is in use; it is now the darkest tab is the one that is selected.
The low down is the following:
Music Interface:
If you remember from the first concept, basically when you launch multitasking, you will be given three options. Launchpad will always appear first, but you have the option to switch to another tab. If you choose the Music tab, than it will show this screen.
Music Controls:
Just like in the native multitasking interface, you have access to music controls,except you now have more options. The buttons I added are the following:
- Repeat
- Shuffle
Note: I may add more if applicable or reasonable.
Also, the volume slider is shown. If you swipe either direction in that area, the scrub slider will show (allows you to change the place in the song. You can easily go back to the volume toggle by swiping again.
There is more info now as well, such as the artist’s name and album. It is modeled out of the native Music application so the lighter text indicates the name of the song that is playing. Or just remember the middle string of text is the name of the song.
Album Art:
The album art of the album is shown at all times and will change if another album or artists starts playing (obviously).
Here’s the cool part — if you tap the album art, it will peel back revealing the Music icon, which allows you to go back into the native Music application. That area will be swipe-able and will house buttons beyond as follows:
- Tweet song
- Add to playlist
- Rate
- More (if I can think of any)
As always, a concept is always evolving so stay tuned! I have added Disqus support for commenting on my Tumblr so please comment away with your concerns, suggestions, or whatever.
Thank you for your continued support and all the wonderful feedback you’e given me. Without a further to do, I end with this:
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” - Steve Jobs
© 2011 Joshua Tucker
The multitasking interface on iOS has been an area that I’ve had a lot of passion for. I’ve run into many ideas and have hit a lot of walls. Here is some of my earlier work:
Multitasking — Revised Version
I decided to go a different route and try to bring in the good characteristics of other Apple products and interfaces and merge them together.
Here’s my idea of bringing the Mac OS X Launchpad concept to iOS and merging the following into one interface:
- Launchpad
- Multitasking
- Music Controls
- Brightness / Volume Slider
- Basically all the multitasking utilities available to you now in native iOS
Initially, this would be a replacement of the entire multitasking interface all together.
Note: This interface can be launched from the SpringBoard and inside applications (not from the lock screen).
Also: This interface is more oriented towards the iPhone and iPod touch. I have another idea in mind for the iPad. After I’m pretty solid with this, I’ll move onto that.
Let’s break this down into sections so I can best explain this:
Activation:
This would be done natively (double pressing the Home Button) or by a gesture of some sort.
Shade:
When you activate this interface, the background as displayed in the photos will pop up. The shade is a mixture of the Notification Center shade (toned down a bit) and a blurred view of the background. The goal behind this view is to keep the experience all together — the focus should be on what is on the shade but it keeps a small sliver of what else is going on to promote a unified experience.
Applications:
On the shade, applications are lined up for easy access. They are arranged from bottom to top and by last used. That means that the applications that are running are down at the bottom closest to your fingers. The blue indicator under the applications lets you know that the application is running. Just like the native multitasking interface, holding down on the icons will allow you to get to wiggle mode and kill applications.
Since you’re bound to have more applications than 16 (per page), you can swipe from left to right to go from page to page. I’m unsure on how much configuration I personally would add to the layout of the shade itself, but it’s a possibility. Once again, Launchpad is a way of accessing all your applications and launching them from wherever you are — whether from the SpringBoard or inside an application.
Bottom Navigation Bar:
When you first activate the shade (however you do that), it will always start at the Launchpad. A button shade tells you which button you are viewing. To change buttons, simply press or swipe along the bottom bar to move onto the next option. As mentioned above, you can tinker however you want. But, the other buttons are important as well.
- Music — Instead of the music controls and what not being viewed from the start, simply swipe the bottom bar until Music is selected to view what that interface. My aim is to add more then just the standard music controls to this interface but I have not started on that yet. This would include the volume slider and what not as well.
- Settings — I’m not even sure I want to keep this: this was just filler to be honest. However, this could be useful if you want quick access to certain settings. However, I may change it to something else later on.
Note: This navigation bar could be potentially scrollable with more interfaces but I’m unsure of what to add.
I’ll be sticking with this for a while so stay tuned for what is to come! You’re always welcome to give suggestions and critiques as well. Thanks!
© 2011 Joshua Tucker
