Amazon Kindle Fire usability test finds it wanting vs. iPad
updated 12:10 am EST, Tue December 6, 2011
DEtailed study shows Kindle Fire too small, slow
A detailed usability test for the Amazon Kindle Fire from UseIt has shown significant practical issues relative to the iPad and, in some cases, earlier Kindles. Some of them are inherent to the seven-inch screen: the tablet is both too small for full desktop websites but almost overkill for mobile optimized pages, the site's Jakob Nielsen found. Even in the general interface, many of the buttons are too small, hiding any feedback from a press.
Other screen size issues stemmed from a lack of optimization. Magazines and apps simply repurposed from a larger tablet like the iPad weren't ideal as-is.
The interface itself, irrespective of size, was docked for significant interface flaws. Android's signature lag was still evident, and the lack of hardware navigation or volume buttons, as well as the absence of consistent guarantees of onscreen back and menu buttons, created significant problems for getting around the design. Changing the volume or going back always required at least one extra step by having to tap to bring up an on-screen menu.
Magazine layouts often had mismatched layouts, again often intended for a larger tablet, and had interface elements like the page scrubber that were too small that would have worked more effectively on a larger tablet like the iPad. Searching wasn't even sorted by best matches.
Despite being lighter than the iPad, the Kindle Fire's weight relative to its size made it too heavy to comfortably read for long periods. It worked well for optimized periodicals or other short text, but an e-paper Kindle was often more efficient for fiction and other long reads because of the reduced fatigue and overall better comfort.
Many of the possible millions of Kindle Fire buyers may not be fazed by the setbacks. At $199, the tablet is inexpensive enough that the price gap is rumored to have made it the top-selling Android tablet by a wide margin. Nielsen still left room for there to be significant improvement, as it could shine with optimized content and interfaces it didn't yet have.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2008
Once again the press...
was BIG on reporting that millions were being sold and not ONE thing about the user experience. If it was ONE thing Steve Jobs harped on over and over it was the "user experience." Even after Isaacson's book, recordings of Steve, these dumb bozos still don't get it UNLESS they really don't care. Push SOMETHING out the door, hope people will put up with it, and TRY (maybe) to fix it later. Usually, it doesn't happen (talk to Android owners).
It surprises me every day that people will throw money away on inferior stuff but not fork over a few hundred more to get the Real McCoy! As someone wrote, the Kindle Fire may end up being a great advertisement for the iPad. You know, that "toy" whose name some people made fun of?