Horrible UI - Still

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66 replies

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

my comment was hyperbolic.

And as such -- along with comments about “imbeciles” -- served to undermine your argument.

If you really felt so revolted, why on earth do you continue to use the system?

 

  1. Great hardware
  2. Great architecture
  3. Solid underlying software logic.

Which is why the horrible UI is so frustrating.

 

BTW - the comment about “imbeciles” was not hyperbolic.

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Started a new topic on my startup issues.

 

J

 

Presumably you’re feigning obtuseness and actually know my comment was hyperbolic.

If ‘feigning obtuseness’ is a way of describing being ironic, then perhaps @ratty was feigning obtuseness.

 

J

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?

 

Is that a serious question?  What is the point of hiding the EQ icon. Even if the user remembers how to unhide the icon, it still requires an extra step (tap the volume control) in order to display the icon. Why would anyone possibly design the UI that way. Even if experienced users remember how to do this, why would you want to introduce that kind of totally unnecessary friction for new users. Also why are other playback controls (crossfade) hidden elsewhere behind a “more” ellipsis in a line (the music/album title) that is completely unrelated to playback control. A minimal amount of UAT would immediately reveal these problems.

Honestly, whoever is responsible for this must have studied at the blind darts school of UX design.

 

Your fury, rudeness and dogmatism over things that seem to me to be grey areas or of little consequence are really quite entertaining.  And your inconsistency.  You complain about having to do two taps instead of one for one thing, yet want to split the process of selecting music so that it has two stages.  Or do you think, Favourites, Browse and Search can all be handled on a single ‘select music’ screen.  If so, please provide a design, as that would be quite an achievement.

You seem to want to crowd the screen with labels for buttons that everybody knows the purpose of, full controls in collapsed screens (which consequently don’t collapse much) permanent icon for EQ settings….  Well that is your view and you are entitled to it.  I prefer an uncluttered look.  And although i have never been a product manager I think you know no more than the rest of us about UI design.

 

ratty

my comment was hyperbolic.

And as such -- along with comments about “imbeciles” -- served to undermine your argument.

If you really felt so revolted, why on earth do you continue to use the system? 

By the way, have you tried using the myriad of native apps from the various music streaming providers? Compared with the Sonos controller those really can provoke a whole new level of frustration.

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

I’ve had a Sonos system for 15 years. Somehow I’ve managed to move with the times, graduating from CR100 all the way to the mobile apps. The changes in the latter tend to be incremental so the learning process is usually a case of “what does this new button do?”.

 

CR100 was kludgy but decent for a startup in that day and age. CR 200 looked cool but was garbage. There should not be a learning process. The functionality is neither new nor complex.

 

> I can’t say I’ve ever been aware of the app having an emetic effect.

 

Presumably you’re feigning obtuseness and actually know my comment was hyperbolic.

ratty

I’ve had a Sonos system for 15 years. Somehow I’ve managed to move with the times, graduating from CR100 all the way to the mobile apps. The changes in the latter tend to be incremental so the learning process is usually a case of “what does this new button do?”. I can’t say I’ve ever been aware of the app having an emetic effect.

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +5

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?

 

Is that a serious question?  What is the point of hiding the EQ icon. Even if the user remembers how to unhide the icon, it still requires an extra step (tap the volume control) in order to display the icon. Why would anyone possibly design the UI that way. Even if experienced users remember how to do this, why would you want to introduce that kind of totally unnecessary friction for new users. Also why are other playback controls (crossfade) hidden elsewhere behind a “more” ellipsis in a line (the music/album title) that is completely unrelated to playback control. A minimal amount of UAT would immediately reveal these problems.

Honestly, whoever is responsible for this must have studied at the blind darts school of UX design.

 

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +11

I don’t see that, I just forced closed Sonos App on iPhone 12 mini, and see all rooms in a couple of seconds. About my system will show the Sonos device (IP address) associated with the App, what device is that when it takes 20 seconds? Maybe its an older/slower Sonos device?

Ken_Griffiths

From a fully closed state, if I launch the Sonos App it takes between 7 & 8 seconds to load a 15 room system (that’s an iPhone XR or iPad Pro (3rd gen) controller) - if the Sonos App has been backgrounded, or minimised, for a while, then it’s a couple of seconds to wait in that case, if that, for the focus to be reclaimed.. and my controllers are now both a few years old. 

20-30 seconds sounds to me like there is perhaps an issue with the controller device itself, or perhaps the network. I would just try closing all apps fully and just count (normally) and see how long it takes to launch?

… and I thought my old iOS controllers were getting slow?🤷‍♂️

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +11

What ‘20-30 sec wake up time’ are you referring to?

A

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.

I thought that it was just me… The wake up time has been getting slower and slower, to the extent that we now just walk across the room and press the button, rather than wait for the mobile software to react.

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.

 

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?

 

J

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.

Unless (on the mobile S2 app) you tap the volume bar and then the equaliser icon and get there in 1 second.

 

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

Because space is at a premium on a mobile.  There would have to be a different compromise somewhere else.  Speaking personally, I don’t even need to think any more about what each icon represents

 

Why does the screen for selecting rooms/devices have the title “System”.

Because it shows all the speakers in your system, which ones are currently grouped, and what each is playing?  What would you call it that would be clearly better?  And does it really matter that much?

  Why is the icon in the navigation bar for this function totally unrelated to the function.

Fair point, but not a problem once you know what it is

 

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

Because you need to choose a room for the alarm?  Dunno, I don’t use alarms

 

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

So you would prefer to tap a ‘”select music” icon and then pick which one of the three options you want to use?  

 

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

There is a case for saying it would be better to keep these visible.  But play/pause is visible, and a single tap expands it back.  Keeping the controls would hide more of the rest of the screen.  Is it such a clearly inferior design?

 

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.

I haven’t been through this process so I can’t comment.  It doesn’t seem to me to have anything to do with UI design though;

 

“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.)

OK

 

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.

Sorry, but I hope you never become the product manager in charge of the Sonos UI.

 

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

Let’s agree to disagree.

 

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.

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