Horrible UI - Still

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66 replies

ratty

I always tell me designers that anytime a user has to scroll that it’s a design failure.

 

It sounds like someone needs to brew up some coffee. Scrolling on a phone’s diminutive screen is a way of life. 

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

I appreciate [NOT] the handy 20 - 30 second wake up time. Makes it a real aggravation to mute your Sonos to take a phone call, or worse hear what your spouse is saying.

Sucks enough I’m using old Play 1s on my desk but muted, grouped with the room I’m listening to so I can actually pause at need.

Your points are really good ones, Sonos could really use some usability testing by folks that are not Sonos users. You wonder how many get returned by frustrated customers.

R
Userlevel 5
Badge +11

I am still on s1 where the text is displayed below the icons, which I have to say I like. Can't really see why it has gone on S2, it doesn't really free up much screen estate.

What does bug me is the fact that you cannot retrieve folder data or any other meta data that is contained in the file. I guess for the streaming services that is down to them, but does the app allow for more meta data?

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +11

Performing simple actions like opening the equalizer requires 5 minutes of discovery every time you want to use it.

 

Tap Volume, tap EQ icon, how can that be improved?

 

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +11

Why is the setting for Alarms on the screen for selecting rooms.

This used to be hidden away in settings, and shortcut was added to rooms menu for quick access.

Let’s say you didn’t have Sonos, you had an old fashioned ‘windup’ alarm clock in the bedroom. If you wanted to set this alarm clock, you would have to physically go to the bedroom first, then set the alarm. My guess, the flow through the Sonos App is replicating this process.

 

controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

Has the OP even shared what kind of device they are running the controller on? Or S1 or S2?

 

Primarily S2 on an iPhone, but I started with the CR100 and then CR200. In between I’ve used virtually every release on every device.

Try SonoPhone then on iOS. You might hate that too, but it will make a change if nothing else.

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

I think part of this is a generational problem. As I watch young folk, they seem to be looking for excuses to fondle their phone/pad. Nearly empty screens or screens with lots of pictures implies “easy”. They don’t mind scrolling forever.

 

I think that’s part of the problem. For a lot of apps/sites, maximizing screen time is the key to maximizing revenue. That’s become ingrained into a lot of design thinking. The goal with an app like Sonos should be minimize user screen time.

 

G

I’ve been using Sonos for 16 years (one of their first users.) I’ve purchased close to 50 Sonos devices.

 

I’ve been complaining about the UI for 15 years. It’s horrible. Performing simple actions like opening the equalizer requires 5 minutes of discovery every time you want to use it.

 

Why don’t the navigation icons at the bottom of the app have labels.

 

Why does the screen for selecting rooms/devices have the title “System”.  Why is the icon in the navigation bar for this function totally unrelated to the function. Why is the setting for Alarms on the screen for selecting rooms.

 

Why are there three separate icons  (search, favorites and browse) in the NavBar for selecting Music.

 

Why are the playback controls hidden in the collapsed now playing screen.

 

Setting up a new AMP…...What kind of imbecile would require a user to input a code into the app when installing a new device that’s written in illegible characters (requires a magnifying glass) on the back of the device, and only let the user know that it’s needed after the unit has already been installed at the back of a rack, under a sofa, or on the bottom shelf of a bookshelf.

 

“How do you want to use Amp”   - It’s not “as stereo speakers”  ….. it’s “with stereo speakers.”  AMP is an amp. It’s not a speaker (or speakers.)

 

In addition, to being a Sonos user, I work as a product manager.  It makes me want to puke every time I use the Sonos app.

 

This has to be the worst UI I’ve ever seen on an app for a well established Comapany

 

This is my first visit to this community and I came here just to do that. To complain on the UI that is really bad.

The reasons I bought many speakers is the sound quality, connectivity and everything else. I find the app to be something that can be changed if the product is good. So here the product is great, but the app is a total miss. The number of clicks required to do something simple is unbelievably large and stupid.

I am 42 years old. I had my first computer when I was 6 years old. I started with basics and here I am many years later. I know how to program in some languages and many years back I even learned assembler. People around me stayed in the IT business and developed many apps.

The Sonos app is bad and that is it. It is not intuitive, it is missing features and nothing is logical.

I do understand that if you get used to it…. but that is the problem. You don’t need to get used to a good app.

So I am confirming here that the app is bad. Really bad. So bad that I am here. Thinking about getting my friends together so they can make me a new app. The one that doesn’t need getting used to. Again, the product is great and the app by itself is not unusable to not use it, but it is marginal.

 

I am using android app and Windows app, but I don’t think others are much different.

 

I will give you an example:

I like shutting my sub off in the evening. So here is how to do it.

Choose the room with the Arc and connected sub. Then press volume button on the phone so the equalizer icon appears. Click the equalizer icon. Then settings. Scroll down to Sound->Sub Audio. Then I have sub enable/disable button.

How many clicks is that?

I know I have a similar problem when, after playing music on Arc I want to return the sound to TV. Some similar s… is needed.

There is more, but I don’t know is there any point in going further after reading comments. It seams like everybody else are happy with the app and number of clicks in it and that few of us have a problem. But then again, I know that people think something is good as long as they don’t try something miles better. They can’t even imagine what that is and that is a problem. I can imagine what a mile better app is.

Ken_Griffiths

This is my first visit to this community and I came here just to do that. To complain on the UI that is really bad.

The reasons I bought many speakers is the sound quality, connectivity and everything else. I find the app to be something that can be changed if the product is good. So here the product is great, but the app is a total miss. The number of clicks required to do something simple is unbelievably large and stupid.

I am 42 years old. I had my first computer when I was 6 years old. I started with basics and here I am many years later. I know how to program in some languages and many years back I even learned assembler. People around me stayed in the IT business and developed many apps.

The Sonos app is bad and that is it. It is not intuitive, it is missing features and nothing is logical.

I do understand that if you get used to it…. but that is the problem. You don’t need to get used to a good app.

So I am confirming here that the app is bad. Really bad. So bad that I am here. Thinking about getting my friends together so they can make me a new app. The one that doesn’t need getting used to. Again, the product is great and the app by itself is not unusable to not use it, but it is marginal.

 

I am using android app and Windows app, but I don’t think others are much different.

 

I will give you an example:

I like shutting my sub off in the evening. So here is how to do it.

Choose the room with the Arc and connected sub. Then press volume button on the phone so the equalizer icon appears. Click the equalizer icon. Then settings. Scroll down to Sound->Sub Audio. Then I have sub enable/disable button.

How many clicks is that?

I know I have a similar problem when, after playing music on Arc I want to return the sound to TV. Some similar s… is needed.

There is more, but I don’t know is there any point in going further after reading comments. It seams like everybody else are happy with the app and number of clicks in it and that few of us have a problem. But then again, I know that people think something is good as long as they don’t try something miles better. They can’t even imagine what that is and that is a problem. I can imagine what a mile better app is.

Another alternative to switching off the Sub each evening… ‘Hey Sonos, switch on Night Mode’ or use that feature via the App - just as good and a lot less troublesome to enable/disable. 

For many, the Sonos App is fine, just because you don’t like it, it doesn’t mean that applies to everyone.

Oh..and the Windows Controller App, which you also mention, has been in maintenance-only mode for some years. Development was halted on that platform because the majority of users apparently use iOS and/or Android controllers.  

I think that’s maybe the platform for your mates to begin their development - maybe a browser version of the App that links to server-side services and user accounts, eh?
 

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

I always tell me designers that anytime a user has to scroll that it’s a design failure.

 

It sounds like someone needs to brew up some coffee. Scrolling on a phone’s diminutive screen is a way of life. 

IME there are two types of users. Ones who are productive and like to get things done efficiently, and ones who are happy to spend their whole day scrolling through TikTok and YouTube videos.

 

Some of the general guidelines I use in design are.

  1. Every additional action required reduces usage by 10x
  2. Scrolling/swiping/selecting from menus requires 10x the cognitive overhead of tapping.
  3. Parsing/finding unlabelled, unfamiliar, and/or monotone icons is a total waste of user time and completely unnecessary.
jgatie

IME there are two types of users. Ones who are productive and like to get things done efficiently, and ones who are happy to spend their whole day scrolling through TikTok and YouTube videos.

 

Some of the general guidelines I use in design are.

  1. Every additional action required reduces usage by 10x
  2. Scrolling/swiping/selecting from menus requires 10x the cognitive overhead of tapping.
  3. Parsing/finding unlabelled, unfamiliar, and/or monotone icons is a total waste of user time and completely unnecessary.

 

Do you have any actual data to back up these guidelines, or did you just make them up on the fly?

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

 

The Sonos app is bad and that is it. It is not intuitive, it is missing features and nothing is logical.

I do understand that if you get used to it…. but that is the problem. You don’t need to get used to a good app.

 

 

Amen.

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

Has the OP even shared what kind of device they are running the controller on? Or S1 or S2?

 

Primarily S2 on an iPhone, but I started with the CR100 and then CR200. In between I’ve used virtually every release on every device.

Try SonoPhone then on iOS. You might hate that too, but it will make a change if nothing else.

I might. Any reason they don’t offer a free trial. If the app is decent, a trial would have a very high conversion rate and might even support a subscription model.

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

IME there are two types of users. Ones who are productive and like to get things done efficiently, and ones who are happy to spend their whole day scrolling through TikTok and YouTube videos.

 

Some of the general guidelines I use in design are.

  1. Every additional action required reduces usage by 10x
  2. Scrolling/swiping/selecting from menus requires 10x the cognitive overhead of tapping.
  3. Parsing/finding unlabelled, unfamiliar, and/or monotone icons is a total waste of user time and completely unnecessary.

 

Do you have any actual data to back these guidelines, or did you just make them up on the fly?

I don’t know. Does watching 1000 video hours of user testing count as data?

jgatie

I might. Any reason they don’t offer a free trial. If the app is decent, a trial would have a very high conversion rate and might even support a subscription model.

 

It's not "they", it's "you".  The guy shilling the app is the author, and the beneficiary of any sales. 

jgatie

I don’t know. Does watching 1000 video hours of user testing count as data?

No. It does not.

G

This is my first visit to this community and I came here just to do that. To complain on the UI that is really bad.

The reasons I bought many speakers is the sound quality, connectivity and everything else. I find the app to be something that can be changed if the product is good. So here the product is great, but the app is a total miss. The number of clicks required to do something simple is unbelievably large and stupid.

I am 42 years old. I had my first computer when I was 6 years old. I started with basics and here I am many years later. I know how to program in some languages and many years back I even learned assembler. People around me stayed in the IT business and developed many apps.

The Sonos app is bad and that is it. It is not intuitive, it is missing features and nothing is logical.

I do understand that if you get used to it…. but that is the problem. You don’t need to get used to a good app.

So I am confirming here that the app is bad. Really bad. So bad that I am here. Thinking about getting my friends together so they can make me a new app. The one that doesn’t need getting used to. Again, the product is great and the app by itself is not unusable to not use it, but it is marginal.

 

I am using android app and Windows app, but I don’t think others are much different.

 

I will give you an example:

I like shutting my sub off in the evening. So here is how to do it.

Choose the room with the Arc and connected sub. Then press volume button on the phone so the equalizer icon appears. Click the equalizer icon. Then settings. Scroll down to Sound->Sub Audio. Then I have sub enable/disable button.

How many clicks is that?

I know I have a similar problem when, after playing music on Arc I want to return the sound to TV. Some similar s… is needed.

There is more, but I don’t know is there any point in going further after reading comments. It seams like everybody else are happy with the app and number of clicks in it and that few of us have a problem. But then again, I know that people think something is good as long as they don’t try something miles better. They can’t even imagine what that is and that is a problem. I can imagine what a mile better app is.

Another alternative to switching off the Sub each evening… ‘Hey Sonos, switch on Night Mode’ or use that feature via the App - just as good and a lot less troublesome to enable/disable. 

For many, the Sonos App is fine, just because you don’t like it, it doesn’t mean that applies to everyone.

Oh..and the Windows Controller App, which you also mention, has been in maintenance-only mode for some years. Development was halted on that platform because the majority of users apparently use iOS and/or Android controllers.  

I think that’s maybe the platform for your mates to begin their development - maybe a browser version of the App that links to server-side services and user accounts, eh?
 

Unfortunately I haven't notice that Night Mode switches the sub off. I tried this as a first solution. It is better, but not good enough. Still have low noise bass thru the house. So switching it completely off is much better and the Arc is good enough for usual usage at night. Night mode can be switched on easily and that is not a problem.

The point stays that the app is not intuitive and really takes time to get use to it. It has to much clicks and scrolls to do something. At this point I partially agree with the creator of the post. I absolutely agree with the statement, but I’m not sure for every point made. In general I think we think the same. App is bad. I am mainly talking about Android app used on my phone.

I will agree for the Windows app. I installed it recently just to see if I can do something faster or better on the bigger screen just to find out that it is not much better than the Android one. It has some things more, but again missing other things. Larger screen gives more things to be seen on the screen. So queue is better visible, choosing multi room speakers is all in one screen, volume is always there as are the controls for the music. So overall I find it better than the Android app. Search bar is a problem. I have to choose where I want to search the music. Google play, Local or Radio. There is no visible option to search all.

It took something like 2 years to finally solve the search problem on the Android appp. Until few months ago it didn’t work. I had to type query in the search, then press Overview button, then return and only then I would get results. There was no other way for this to work. Phones I had… S10, S21. So Samsung top of the line and if it doesn’t work there I don’t know where it should. Now it finally works. It’s a bit slow, but it’s working.

I just feel that the quality of the sound and overall idea is not nearly followed by the quality of the app. If the Sonos speaker is 8 or 9 then the app is max 4.

Once again. I can do everything in the app. I can turn off the Sub. I can do everything. 27 clicks and I’m there. And by the comments, most of you are OK with that. But hey, two of as are not :)

Every time I start the app my disappointment with it rises. Such a good speaker and idea but not the app. The quality of the speaker can’t be improved later (the driver, box or the amp), but fortunately for all the App can. The app needs it, the speakers don’t. So there is hope.

J
Userlevel 5
Badge +8

Whilst I wouldn’t actually call the software horrible, I’m still disappointed in the appearance, features and usability.

When I took the plunge and scrapped quite a bit of my old Sonos gear to “upgrade” to the S2 version, I thought by the way Sonos were pushing it that the app would be vastly improved and to be honest I’m still waiting for that to happen because it’s just the same from a usability point of view.

A lot of things in the app feel like they’ve been “bolted on” or “shoe-horned” in to the existing app and it could really do with a proper re-write rather than just tarting it up with a re-skin.

The app is usable but it could be so much nicer and easier to use with a better design in my opinion.

I do know that it’s not an easy thing to re-design and re-write existing software…. I was a software developer for over 30 years until recent early retirement. I fully understood the need for the S2 version so that old legacy products didn’t stifle the software, but apart from improvements to setup routines and features like that, it’s still the same old app as far as I’m concerned.

In conclusion, I would call the software “mediocre” but I do like the Sonos speakers :)

 

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

I might. Any reason they don’t offer a free trial. If the app is decent, a trial would have a very high conversion rate and might even support a subscription model.

 

It's not "they", it's "you".  The guy shilling the app is the author, and the beneficiary of any sales. 

 

Obviously.  Good for him that’s he promoting his app as long as he’s not violating forum rules.

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +11

 

I know I have a similar problem when, after playing music on Arc I want to return the sound to TV. 

Check settings, if you have ‘TV Autoplay’ enabled it will automatically switch to the TV sound when you turn TV back on, no need to stop music and select TV as source.

 

jgatie

 

Obviously.  Good for him that’s he promoting his app as long as he’s not violating forum rules.

 

He is violating forum rules, he just doesn't care.

buzz

IME there are two types of users. Ones who are productive and like to get things done efficiently, and ones who are happy to spend their whole day scrolling through TikTok and YouTube videos.

 

Some of the general guidelines I use in design are.

  1. Every additional action required reduces usage by 10x
  2. Scrolling/swiping/selecting from menus requires 10x the cognitive overhead of tapping.
  3. Parsing/finding unlabelled, unfamiliar, and/or monotone icons is a total waste of user time and completely unnecessary.

I’m in the productivity bin, but I notice throngs of young users who are looking for excuses to stroke their phone/pad. These individuals will look at a screen that we would classify as “productive” and cry “too complicated”. As a market reality they are much more likely to purchase “easy”.

controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

I might. Any reason they don’t offer a free trial. If the app is decent, a trial would have a very high conversion rate and might even support a subscription model.

 

It's not "they", it's "you".  The guy shilling the app is the author, and the beneficiary of any sales. 

Um no, I have nothing to do with that app, I just happen to think its a solid alternative on iOS. 888888888888888888888888888888

 

MODERATOR EDIT: unnecessary comment about another user.

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

I might. Any reason they don’t offer a free trial. If the app is decent, a trial would have a very high conversion rate and might even support a subscription model.

 

It's not "they", it's "you".  The guy shilling the app is the author, and the beneficiary of any sales. 

 

Obviously.  Good for him that’s he promoting his app as long as he’s not violating forum rules.

Its not my *** app, ok?

 

MODERATOR EDIT: language

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

 

Obviously.  Good for him that’s he promoting his app as long as he’s not violating forum rules.

 

He is violating forum rules, he just doesn't care.

You are violating forum rules by making s-t up about me, and personally attacking me. And have done for a very long time as I recall.

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
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