How People Really Use the iPhone

Create with Context did some research recently into how people use the iPhone, with the sample including both experienced and novice users. They’ve released their presentation slides which I found very interesting because they have a bunch of insights that you can apply in your own interface design, not just for the iPhone. Here’s a list of their main findings:

• Take advantage of learned behaviors. "Oh, this works just like the calendar"
• Avoid interaction inconsistencies. "This is weird, cancel is usually over there"
• Provide clear conceptual link across widgets. "This button must be related to that box, they're next to each other"
• Put space between action widgets. "Oh man, I didn't mean to send that SMS!"
• Plan for accidental overswiping. "I keep accidentally changing to a different screen"
• Don't rely exclusively on multi-touch. "It's hard to do this while I'm holding something in the other hand"
• Provide visual feedback for taps. "Did I hit that button? I'm not sure"
• Provide interaction affordances. "It's obvious that you're supposed to swipe left-and-right"