Button Long Press Activation
As a user, I can't stress enough how I really have grown to dislike long-press activation (or deactivation).
As a first example, I have two devices in my RV which use long-press for several functions: the TV and the stereo through which the TV passes audio. A common function they both use long-press on their power buttons, with a short press to do the opposite (i.e. turn off or on). Here's the kicker: They use opposite schemes! - the TV is a long-press ON, short-press OFF; yet, the radio is a short-press ON, long-press OFF! Or it could be vice versa, I genuinely can't remember.
As a second example, I have a bedside reading light that has three states: OFF, ON:BLUE LIGHT, ON:WHITE LIGHT. You'd think that it would be a simple one-button solution of OFF -> (press) -> BLUE -> (press) -> WHITE -> (press) -> OFF. Nope. It's: OFF -> (press) -> BLUE -> (press) -> OFF {and} BLUE -> (3 second press) -> WHITE -> (3 second press) -> BLUE.
This makes me question several things:
- Have we really abandoned state-machine design to such a degree as to not realize that ON -> OFF and OFF -> ON, do NOT require "opposite" functions of the same button simply because they are "opposite" states?
- Is the TV trying to get me to never accidentally turn it on, while the Radio trying to never accidentally turn it off? What trains-of-thought led to one device being completely opposite of a related device?
- Are the developers simply blindly copying others? Or are there case studies that show my washer, dryer, dishwasher, AND oven need to arbitrarily put 2-3 second delays on some functions and not on others? (I understand if there is a dedicated lockout button for children.)
- Why is the default length around 2-3 seconds? This is far, far too long, and it's the reason I started to become aware of the increasing use of long-press activation. This length of time is beyond long enough to break my own train of thought.
It's no longer, "Let me do the thing, bop the button I have muscle memory for, and get back to what I was doing."
It's become, "Let me do the thing, oh crap, which buttons have long press? How long are presses on this device? This is an LG, right? No, Samsung. Shit. Why didn't the mode take? Let me just start over. I'll turn it off and on again (long-press, pause, long-press). Crap! Before I can long-press the start button, the device is forcing me to turn the jog wheel even though it's already on the setting I want. ok...3..........2......(this is taking forever).....1....... (silence)? Did it start? Did I release a few milliseconds too soon? I think I did. Let me try aga... (beep boowooop). Beep boowoop?! That sounded like a sad 'beep bwoooop'. What does THAT mean? Did it turn off? (sound of water running in the pipes). Whew, I think I got it. Ok, now what was I doing?"
- My sanity.
- Can I please have 3D touch back?