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That swipeable element is standard in the Apple Watch UI vocabulary. It only needs to be intuitive for Apple Watch users. It’s not a button to avoid an acciden

That swipeable element is standard in the Apple Watch UI vocabulary. It only needs to be intuitive for Apple Watch users. It’s not a button to avoid an accidental press, because the false positive means emergency services are dispatched… and with enough false positives, the service stops being useful (wolf crying).

peoplefromibiza 4y ago
> It’s not a button to avoid an accidental press so if I actually fell and broke my thumb, I won't be able to easily activate it. Swiping is a terrible gesture, nothing related to "emergency" should be linked to swiping. It's much better to put there a "DID NOT FALL" button than a swipable element to avoid false positives. False positives are still better than false negatives, in these circumstances.
- nicky0 4y ago
  Actually, the emergency services are called automatically after a timer countdown. Purpose of the dialog is to check if you are okay and NOT call the emergency services. The slider skips the countdown and calls immediately.
- fingerlocks 4y ago
  I suspect you don’t actually own an apple watch, because you’re really reaching here. First of all, SOS is dispatched after a period of inactivity. Otherwise, you can use your remaining four fingers to swipe. Or your nose. Or Siri. Or remove the watch with your teeth and use the other hand. But more obviously, broken thumbs still swipe too.
  - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
    not contesting the Apple watch, but the claim that swiping should be used to avoid false positives. Swiping should be used for low priority confirmations, like confirming you want to buy a subscription or pay for some in-game addon. In my opinion it shouldn't be used to answer phone calls either.
    - b112 4y ago
      Please never design any interface I have to use. A button would mean I'd answer endless calls by accident, in my pocket. No, sensors don't prevent this. Yes, my leg, through my pocket fabric, can push buttons. Did you test all of this, before deciding a button is better?
      - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
        > A button would mean I'd answer endless calls by accident That's honestly not a design issue. The design of the following device was never criticized because answering a phone call was "too easy" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3310 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3310 Anyway, I've never said to use a button, I said "swiping is a terrible gesture" My parents have enormous issues swiping to answer phone calls. So they answer by accident to a lot more calls than they did when the phone had buttons, because they answer while trying to hung up. It's not clear at all that they could not do anything and the call will automatically end after a while. It's not clear at all that they could silence that phone call, without silencing all phone calls. It's even worse than that: most of the times they call me back because they could not swipe "the right way" and were unable to answer. But they are not stupid, they've gone through life pretty well, they worked with precision instruments in health care, where people lives were at stake, it's the interface design that is stupid! There was a time when things were designed to be used by people leveraging human natural abilities, not forced onto people because they look cool in ADS. > Yes, my leg, through my pocket fabric, can push buttons on Don't keep your phone in you front pocket then! Anyway, I don't know how big you are, but the pockets of my jeans can't handle more than half a smartphone. And previous generations of phone never activated on their own while in my pockets (yes, they could fit, because they were sized to be handhelds not small tablets) But, more importantly, you're not considering more ergonomic gestures than swiping, like a long press. You are assuming that your habits are the best possible implementation. EDIT: there's also this: swiping can reveal physical characteristics of the user which could be considered not exactly a good thing, in this era of data harvesting and targetization. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581916000021 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S107158191...
- slackdog 4y ago
  > so if I actually fell and broke my thumb, Thankfully most people have four backup fingers on the same hand..
  - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
    yeah but it's called opposable thumb for a reason. try to do what you do every day without using a thumb and tell me how good it is to have 4 "backup" fingers.
    - slackdog 4y ago
      All my fingers work fine on a touch screen. If your thumb was injured and you needed emergency assistance, would you really give up instead of trying to use your index finger? Really? You would just lay there and die because you can't or won't use your index finger instead of your thumb to call for help? Really?!? I hope this isn't true and you've merely lost track of the context of this discussion.
      - gowld 4y ago
        > hope this isn't true and you've merely lost track of the context of this discussion On a smartphone it's hard to keep track of a long thread if I have a broken thumb.
      - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
        > All my fingers work fine on a touch screen Good. Now watch these images and tell me how these people are holding the devices in their hands (hint: watch their thumbs). Unfortunately for you, you're still a primate with opposable thumbs. https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/previews/002/884/038/large_2x/business-people-holding-cell-phone-or-mobile-smart-phone-technology-communication-free-photo.jpg https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/previews/002/88... https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/03/31/88/03/360_F_331880337_DmRJT2IUduSlW4RgCusaOEzA7mLX3NF6.jpg https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/03/31/88/03/360_F_331880337_DmRJT2I... https://c8.alamy.com/comp/FXTP62/holding-generic-smart-phone-vertically-FXTP62.jpg https://c8.alamy.com/comp/FXTP62/holding-generic-smart-phone... > If your thumb was injured and you needed emergency assistance, would you really give up instead of trying to use your index finger? it's obvious you never saw an emergency situation or never lived one. You still think it's a matter of will. People give up and die, of course, that's the problem! Meanwhile a better gesture would be long press the screen with the palm if you need help. Bad ergonomics is bad, regardless of how much people love feeling cool with their touch screens, it won't last. In 10 years people playing with pocket sized touch screens will look like this photo. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/TECH/mobile/07/09/cooper.cell.phone.inventor/t1larg.martin.cooper.jpg http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/TECH/mobile/07/09/cooper.c... Cars are already removing them because they are a distraction and don't work! Mazda to remove touch screens from all new cars - June 2021 Top Stellantis Designer Wants to Remove All Touch Screens - June 2022 Shocker! Test Shows Physical Buttons Are Less Time-Consuming in Cars Than Touchscreens - Aug 2022 Are Car Touch Screens Getting Out of Control? - Feb 2023 You know ironically what the real reasoning behind it also is? Touch screens are cheap, why should I buy a luxury car to watch a black piece of glass in my car when it's turned off? It doesn't feel luxury, it feels identical to the cheap car of everybody else, it looks identical to induction burners. And why is the manufacturer saving on costs if the car costed me a premium price, because it's nominally a top brand? Would you buy a Prada bag made of cheap plastic in China?
alexdbird 4y ago
On a related note, I wish there was a swipeable element in the flow to prevent a Watch™ falsely entering PINs in your pocket until it locks permanently and needs to be completely reset. It can happen in minutes. It's pretty crazy that people might be depending* on an Ultra model doing some extreme outdoors activity, and it turns itself into a little brick because it's tapping against something slightly conductive. *—Don't do this with any tech.

peoplefromibiza 4y ago

> It’s not a button to avoid an accidental press so if I actually fell and broke my thumb, I won't be able to easily activate it. Swiping is a terrible gesture, nothing related to "emergency" should be linked to swiping. It's much better to put there a "DID NOT FALL" button than a swipable element to avoid false positives. False positives are still better than false negatives, in these circumstances.

nicky0 4y ago
Actually, the emergency services are called automatically after a timer countdown. Purpose of the dialog is to check if you are okay and NOT call the emergency services. The slider skips the countdown and calls immediately.
fingerlocks 4y ago
I suspect you don’t actually own an apple watch, because you’re really reaching here. First of all, SOS is dispatched after a period of inactivity. Otherwise, you can use your remaining four fingers to swipe. Or your nose. Or Siri. Or remove the watch with your teeth and use the other hand. But more obviously, broken thumbs still swipe too.
- peoplefromibiza 4y ago
  not contesting the Apple watch, but the claim that swiping should be used to avoid false positives. Swiping should be used for low priority confirmations, like confirming you want to buy a subscription or pay for some in-game addon. In my opinion it shouldn't be used to answer phone calls either.
  - b112 4y ago
    Please never design any interface I have to use. A button would mean I'd answer endless calls by accident, in my pocket. No, sensors don't prevent this. Yes, my leg, through my pocket fabric, can push buttons. Did you test all of this, before deciding a button is better?
    - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
      > A button would mean I'd answer endless calls by accident That's honestly not a design issue. The design of the following device was never criticized because answering a phone call was "too easy" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3310 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3310 Anyway, I've never said to use a button, I said "swiping is a terrible gesture" My parents have enormous issues swiping to answer phone calls. So they answer by accident to a lot more calls than they did when the phone had buttons, because they answer while trying to hung up. It's not clear at all that they could not do anything and the call will automatically end after a while. It's not clear at all that they could silence that phone call, without silencing all phone calls. It's even worse than that: most of the times they call me back because they could not swipe "the right way" and were unable to answer. But they are not stupid, they've gone through life pretty well, they worked with precision instruments in health care, where people lives were at stake, it's the interface design that is stupid! There was a time when things were designed to be used by people leveraging human natural abilities, not forced onto people because they look cool in ADS. > Yes, my leg, through my pocket fabric, can push buttons on Don't keep your phone in you front pocket then! Anyway, I don't know how big you are, but the pockets of my jeans can't handle more than half a smartphone. And previous generations of phone never activated on their own while in my pockets (yes, they could fit, because they were sized to be handhelds not small tablets) But, more importantly, you're not considering more ergonomic gestures than swiping, like a long press. You are assuming that your habits are the best possible implementation. EDIT: there's also this: swiping can reveal physical characteristics of the user which could be considered not exactly a good thing, in this era of data harvesting and targetization. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581916000021 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S107158191...
slackdog 4y ago
> so if I actually fell and broke my thumb, Thankfully most people have four backup fingers on the same hand..
- peoplefromibiza 4y ago
  yeah but it's called opposable thumb for a reason. try to do what you do every day without using a thumb and tell me how good it is to have 4 "backup" fingers.
  - slackdog 4y ago
    All my fingers work fine on a touch screen. If your thumb was injured and you needed emergency assistance, would you really give up instead of trying to use your index finger? Really? You would just lay there and die because you can't or won't use your index finger instead of your thumb to call for help? Really?!? I hope this isn't true and you've merely lost track of the context of this discussion.
    - gowld 4y ago
      > hope this isn't true and you've merely lost track of the context of this discussion On a smartphone it's hard to keep track of a long thread if I have a broken thumb.
    - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
      > All my fingers work fine on a touch screen Good. Now watch these images and tell me how these people are holding the devices in their hands (hint: watch their thumbs). Unfortunately for you, you're still a primate with opposable thumbs. https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/previews/002/884/038/large_2x/business-people-holding-cell-phone-or-mobile-smart-phone-technology-communication-free-photo.jpg https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/previews/002/88... https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/03/31/88/03/360_F_331880337_DmRJT2IUduSlW4RgCusaOEzA7mLX3NF6.jpg https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/03/31/88/03/360_F_331880337_DmRJT2I... https://c8.alamy.com/comp/FXTP62/holding-generic-smart-phone-vertically-FXTP62.jpg https://c8.alamy.com/comp/FXTP62/holding-generic-smart-phone... > If your thumb was injured and you needed emergency assistance, would you really give up instead of trying to use your index finger? it's obvious you never saw an emergency situation or never lived one. You still think it's a matter of will. People give up and die, of course, that's the problem! Meanwhile a better gesture would be long press the screen with the palm if you need help. Bad ergonomics is bad, regardless of how much people love feeling cool with their touch screens, it won't last. In 10 years people playing with pocket sized touch screens will look like this photo. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/TECH/mobile/07/09/cooper.cell.phone.inventor/t1larg.martin.cooper.jpg http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/TECH/mobile/07/09/cooper.c... Cars are already removing them because they are a distraction and don't work! Mazda to remove touch screens from all new cars - June 2021 Top Stellantis Designer Wants to Remove All Touch Screens - June 2022 Shocker! Test Shows Physical Buttons Are Less Time-Consuming in Cars Than Touchscreens - Aug 2022 Are Car Touch Screens Getting Out of Control? - Feb 2023 You know ironically what the real reasoning behind it also is? Touch screens are cheap, why should I buy a luxury car to watch a black piece of glass in my car when it's turned off? It doesn't feel luxury, it feels identical to the cheap car of everybody else, it looks identical to induction burners. And why is the manufacturer saving on costs if the car costed me a premium price, because it's nominally a top brand? Would you buy a Prada bag made of cheap plastic in China?

alexdbird 4y ago

On a related note, I wish there was a swipeable element in the flow to prevent a Watch™ falsely entering PINs in your pocket until it locks permanently and needs to be completely reset. It can happen in minutes. It's pretty crazy that people might be depending* on an Ultra model doing some extreme outdoors activity, and it turns itself into a little brick because it's tapping against something slightly conductive. *—Don't do this with any tech.