Different interfaces for similar tasks

To work effectively with any product (both digital and non-digital), it is often required to perform some actions without thinking. For example, when you get a new car, the new position of light and wiper switches may cause inconvenience. Pilots may have to take a long training course before changing to a different type of aircraft. When different interfaces are alternated or used simultaneously, the user can make mistakes and has to pay extra attention. Traditionally, each application determines how the user interacts with it. Many similar products have similar interfaces, but the differences between them waste the user’s time and attention. It is obvious that among several interfaces that perform the same task, some are more convenient than others. But unfortunately, they cannot be used everywhere.

For example, some image viewing programs support zooming with a mouse wheel, while the pointed pixel of the image remains static. This introduces a simple gesture to zoom in to any part of the image or to zoom out to see the general plan. At the same time, when opening an image received via vKontakte or Skype desktop messengers, there is no way of zooming in or out, which forces the user to download the image and view it using external software if there is a need to zoom in to see some details of the image.

Some video players support previewing a frame when you move the mouse pointer over the slider in the file. This feature should be supported by every video player. However, it is still not available when viewing videos from many video hosting platforms. Mobile media players often support changing screen brightness with a simple gesture, but some official video hosting applications (e.g. YouTube Android client) do not.

Some messengers support sending a message by pressing Ctrl+Enter, which is convenient when you often have to send lengthy messages. Some other messengers require typing Shift+Enter if you wish to insert a line break. Using both types of messengers leads to sending unfinished messages or to starting a new line instead of sending them. Different IDEs support different hotkeys for typical operations and similar smartphone operations use different gestures. This leads to unpredictable behavior of the device which irritates the user.

In Sivelkiria, it is possible to install a universal image viewer which will work in a browser, in messenger applications and when opening image files from the disk. In any context, viewing images will be convenient to the user. Installing a universal video player interface on your smartphone will allow you to use the same gestures to control any video, regardless of its source, simplifying the process and making it more convenient and predictable. Using a universal messenger interface makes it possible to use the hotkeys the user prefers. However, the user can still use different components in different contexts.