I have some suggestions for the new app.
They are based on my own usage where I use the different controls in this order of magnitude 1) Track controls (fx skip), 2) Volume, 3) Rooms - and wish the interface would align the controls better for this (easier and more intutive access to 1 over 3). SONOS should be as easy and intuitive to use as any streaming app like Spotify.
When listening to playlists or radio I use skip FAR more than changing the volume or switching rooms, and suspect many use it the same, but I don’t think the new app supports that as good or as intuitively as it could.
- Collapse the search box so it takes up less screen space → If pressed it expands and triggers the keyboard ready for input like now. This will make it less intrusive.
- The permanent player control at the bottom is not 100% intuitive
- Swipe up to show room selector. Swipe down to close room selector = make sense
- Click to open queue control but swipe to close = Can be confusing that swipe down does different things (back should also close it)
- Click to open queue control → Pressing back icon at the top or the back button on the phone shows the room control = Just plain confusing
- Make track controls more accessible
- Add “skip” buttons directly on the player control - the Volume slider takes up way too much valuable screen space compared to how often you use it vs. the track controls so there are plenty of space to add the track controls to the right of it.
- Re-introduce player widget for easier access to playback controls without having to open the app (it is stil slower to open than the old one)
- Add toggle button to keep the player active and keep phone from locking (like if Youtube is in full screen mode) = Will automatically make controls more accesible because I don’t need to unlock the phone every time I need to change to the next track
- Do not show content (like search results) behind controls that cannot be collapsed or hidden - it is annoying ;)