西门子SX1“侧键”设计的用意( 二 )


创造一个新的设计都会有它的问题,很明显的一个是用户的认同度 。过去有几个更合理的有别于标准PC电脑键盘的PC电脑键盘设计无一例外的遭受了巨大的失败 。Siemens意识到了这确实可能是个问题 。Oliver说:"我们在用户操作界面上进行了广泛的测试 。我们的测试第一个显示出来的就是人们对这种"侧键"设计十分好奇都想用手实际的操作试试 。测试结果显示人们很容易习惯使用新的设计,而且有很高的认同度 。当然并不是每一个人都喜欢这种设计,但是总体来说我们相信我们已经达到了给用户提供更轻松的使用的主要目的 。"
The side keys also open up some new possibilities for developers. The majority of the keys are adjacent to the screen creating the possibility of using the number keys in a direct way to control applications something which would have been impossible with a standard keyboard. This rather obvious usage unsurprisingly has not been lost on Siemens.
"侧键"的设计还提供给开发者一些新的可能性 。因为大多数数字按键紧邻着显示屏,所以直接使用数字按键来对应操作显示屏上的应用程序成为可能,而这在标准键盘上是不可能的 。这种使用方式显然Siemens的重点 。
To ensure that side key controls are not as obscure as standard keyboard shortcuts there is an obvious need to incorporate some form of label into the screen display. Doing so however would obscure a significant portion of the screen, reducing the space available for the application, not necessarily a desirable thing to do on the 176 x 208 Series 60 screen (the SX1 screen is actually 176 x 220 as Siemens have added a permanent status bar to the standard Series 60 layout). Siemens addressed this issue by devising three alternative models for labeling the keys.
为了保证"侧键"控制不会像标准键盘操作那样容易使人混淆,显然需要组合排布一些标签到显示屏 。这样做会使屏幕的一部分被占用,还减少了应用程序的显示面积,我们可不希望在一个176×208的Series 60屏幕(SX1实际显示屏分辨率是176×220,因为SX1在标准的Series 60的界面上方增加了自己的一个状态栏)上老是看到这个东东 。Siemens 通过三种不同的方式来解决这个问题 。
The first is permanently displayed labels. This model has the labels always displayed, with the application space being narrowed to the center of the screen. As the active application space is reduced this approach will work best where the key label information integrates with the application. This is the approach Siemens has taken in providing controls for the SX1抯 FM radio where the side keys provide access to preset radio stations, in a similar fashion to the preset buttons on a conventional radio.
第一种方式是固定显示标签 。标签总是显示,而应用程序缩到显示屏的中间 。在应用程序同按键标签一体化的时候,采用这种方式效果最好 。Siemens采用这种方式用于使用"侧键"选择SX1的FM收音机的预设电台,这就很像常规的收音机的方式 。
The second approach is to have a temporary layer that displays the key labels, activated by the user. In this model the labels obscure the underlying screen temporarily while they are displayed. This approach will allow the application to continue to use the full screen but provide the user with the key labels when they need them, either while they are learning the shortcuts or when reminding themselves of ones they don抰 use that frequently. This option reduces the number of available shortcut keys as one will need to be reserved to show the labels. Siemens are recommending that the activation key is the 8 key. The final option is to use a semi-transparent layer where the key labels permanently overlay the screen but the application is still visible below. The key label background would need to be visually identifiable and clearly associated with the label so as to ensure that the application background and key label were not confused by the user. This option may well be the hardest to implement because of the graphic design needed to ensure that the application in background and label in the foreground do not clash, otherwise neither key label or the underlying application will be readable.

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