Next Developer Call will be on 06/03/2015 - Guest- Alfred Liu -Sr. Director of Consumer User Experience

General Discussion Groups & Events
1

Hi All!

Please join me in attending the next developer call! Alfred Liu will be taking your questions on the SmartThings UX/UI.

Cheers!

To join the Meeting:
https://bluejeans.com/551112646

To join via Browser:
https://bluejeans.com/551112646/browser

To join via Phone:

  1. Dial:
    +1 408 740 7256
    +1 888 240 2560 (US or Canada only)
    (see all numbers - http://bluejeans.com/numbers)
  2. Enter Conference ID: 551112646

Tuesday, 5pm PST

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Is the time, and time zone not pertinent?

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Hey Joel,

Join us live, 5 pm pst.

See you there!

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For those that might not be in the know… UX/UI means user experience and user interface.

So, I assume we might be seeing some cool stuff from Alfred?

Does he want questions before or should we just wait until live?

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I’m calling in today! Finally have a free Wednesday night! haha!

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it’s going to be a sneak peak! There won’t be too many questions- as there’s not too much we can share outside the realm of what we’re sharing, but come with your projects and ideas!

:slight_smile: Let’s just say-- I fought really hard to get this sneak peak out.

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You can share what you will share, but won’t share what you can’t share. :wink:

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I vote we send 50 of those pink garden flamingos to her house daily until she tells us all :wink:

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i share everything I know with the community, except my lunch. I don’t share my lunches.

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10

Is there a link for the video available?

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Hi! No- Not at this time. Because of the Sneak peak, we are not releasing this video until a later date.

:slight_smile: More reason to come attend the event live.

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12

Dang! I got on this call just too late for the “peek”! :see_no_evil: :cry:
What if we promise to keep it a secret? :speak_no_evil:

It was a public open call as usual, right? No NDA or anything?

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13

looks like it got posted! @tgauchat

scrubbing vid now for sneak peek! Edit - starts 6:30

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14

I can see a great deal of work is going into it, and I’m sure it will be a big improvement.

That said, it appears no thought has been given to improving accessibility for those who have either vision or mobility impairments.

Just as an example, when the primary navigation is put at the very bottom of the screen, those using either Voice Over or switch control navigation have to step through everything else on the screen before reaching the navigation choices, making use of the app both cumbersome and physically tiring.

I suggest the UI team take an hour each, put on a blindfold, and try using voiceover to complete 3 or 4 set tasks. This will give them a better understanding of accessibility requirements.

Those with physical challenges are a significant market for home automation systems. It makes sense to put at least a little thought into how the app will work for them.

Submitted with respect.

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More over, ADA compliance is something ST should be looking into.

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There are several resources that can help UI teams better understand how to design for those using alternative controls.

Any of the national organizations for the blind can help with design tips for those using screen readers.

Resources for the needs of those who can’t touch the screen easily and typically rely on “switch control” are a little less easy to find, but Tecla, the makers of one of the most popular switch control devices, are usually happy to talk to app designers about switch control guidelines, including ADA compliance. Their device works with both IOS and Android devices, so they are very familiar with both.

I would think they’d be delighted to help showcase environmental controls based on a SmartThings hub, but of course the mobile app has to be switch-friendly.

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