Cygen Product Blog

In the current version (1.3) of ‘When Did It Happen Facts’, the first view presented is the topic view. From here, it isn’t apparent what needs to be done next. Eventually, the user might discover they can flick up and down to move between topics. But how do you reach the timeline view, which is the first image show in iTunes? To reach the timeline, the user actually has to click the brown parchment paper surrounding the topic. Not very intuitive. Upon clicking the parchment paper, an info icon will display. Clicking it reveals the timeline. These steps are shown below.

Step 1: Topic view with info icon (appears after clicking parchment paper)

Step 2: Timeline view

To improve upon this design, the user needs an immediate cue on what to do next. Having the info icon always visible provides this cue. Not only does it draw the eye to its location initially, but it gets the user onto the timeline, which is intuitive enough that the user can drag to a new date. Even if the user doesn’t flick topics on the first view, the slider on the timeline view will allow them to reach new dates. The enhanced topic view is shown below.

You’ll also notice the info icon is moved to the right so it doesn’t pass through the middle of a new topic’s white space as it moves into view.

Another change is that the timeline view will open as the first view. I can’t tell what date a user may want to start on, which is the scenario when opening the app on the topic view. Starting the app on the timeline view will let the user quickly scroll to any date.

You’ll notice a new background is also present. It’s a leathery texture I’m experimenting with. This is part of an overall effort to enhance the UI of ‘When Did It Happens Facts’ to make it more visually appealing. Watch for the new design in version 1.4.