B. I don't have a new iOS device, but hearing about 3D touch makes me immediately think of right-click, and how Apple traditionally eschewed such an interaction. Or at least made it difficult with one-button mice.
This comment from the OP was particularly interesting:
> For Instagram, 3D Touch is much more than a 2015 version of the “right click”. The interaction adds another level of depth and carries a different intent. You aren’t yet committed to navigating to the content, but it's clear that you are interested. With this in mind, Peek and Pop gives you a glimpse of what lies ahead and lets you quickly back out to continue browsing.
Isn't a "3D Touch" a physically more demanding action than just a traditional tap? Why should the former be associated with a "quick peek" and the latter with a committed selection, rather than vice versa? (Besides the fact that 3D touch isn't yet available to the majority of iOS users?). Not a criticism of Instagram's decision here, just funny how things can seem counter-intuitive in the written description of them. Though in practice, it makes sense...a deep-click to preview, then a release to back out of the modal, is easier than a single-click to preview, than another single click to close the modal.
In a traditional OS interface, a single-click was used to signify a non-committal selection, and a double-click signified action. And that makes more sense as a double-click, like a "3D touch", takes more time and physical pressure. Of course the problem with a double-click is that double-click speeds among users can vary quite drastically, resulting in false positives and negatives. Will 3D touch mitigate these issues or fall into the same trap? Again, haven't experienced it but everytime I hear of the description of 3D touch, it doesn't sound much different than "click-and-hold"...which more or less worked OK in such apps as Kindle on IOS (for highlighting).
Is there a distinction between a traditional click-and-hold, versus a singular 3D deep click, and then a 3D-deep-click-and-hold? Seems like there could be more ambiguity there than there was in the slow-single-clicks vs double-click problem.
Physically, it is. You use more energy to activate it. But after using it for a while, the real benefit comes from browsing a list of stuff by only peeking and then backing out. You can consume a ton of thumbnails much, much faster since you don't have to reach the back button or swipe to go back. Instead, you just let go of the screen and it returns to where you were.
I actually really like your analogy of single-click and double-click. 3D touch sort of fills the single-click void.
Avoiding the trap is a real issue. 3D Touch should absolutely not be applied to every single element in every single interface. Challenge is how do you teach someone what can use a 3D Touch and what can't? Not sure we have the answer yet.
Full disclosure, I work on this at Instagram and wrote the post.
- Touch screen users use the app, and never/worry know the shortcuts that they're missing,
- Mouse (w/ two buttons) users first wonder which button the have to use, then learn to use the left one. They stick to clicking that leftmost button, but occasionally look, confused, at that other button.
(Ignoring power users with the assumption that they get used to either.)
On the other hand (as a counter-point against my own thesis), I've never noticed them shying from cmd, ctrl, alt, fn buttons on keyboard, which seem to present the same issue. Perhaps that's just because keyboards have so many keys already?
So you think Apple et al should completely upend the entire interaction model of iOS i.e. make clicks force touches and vice versa. That's an interesting take on introducing a new input method.
> Seems like there could be more ambiguity there than there was in the slow-single-clicks vs double-click problem.
One of the commentators is right. You really need to use the feature.
There is very little ambiguity when you try it especially when the haptic feedback reinforces your action.
That particular interaction was defined by Apple and Instagram is merely implementing it. Not implying that "because Apple created it, then it must be correct", just clarifying the source.
I'm looking into implementing Peek and Pop into my app as well. One thing that was not clear from your article was, do you use two different View Controllers for Peek and Pop (as the Peek VC is way simpler, though functionally related to the Pop one)?
From the Apple documentation this looked like it was meant to be one and the same VC (though displayed in a "responsive" way).
FYI, I've asked the same question on the dev forum here: https://forums.developer.apple.com/thread/21954
Cheers!
This should be a standard, it really does change the way touch devices are used. I'm starting to dislike apps that don't have the "peek/pop" functionality (Instagram is the third party app that I use that has implemented it)
"3d touch" works and feels different because of the feedback you get via vibrations and the fact that it feels like you're actually pushing the whole screen down. It's hard to explain but feels natural when you use it.
What do you expect Apple to call it ? Pressure sensitive input method with haptic feedback ?
You really think the average punter on the street is going to remember that.
The name is just a silly attempt to create a hype, "firm press" or something similar would be just fine. But yeah, it wouldn't pretend that it's a "new concept" then. It's just like it was with "retina" - my phone had "retina" screen years before Apple started to use that word.
What makes you think so?
