Why Easy Tap Zones Matter

I’ve mentioned a few times now that I use the Digg app on the iPhone pretty regularly. I like that I can browse some articles that are typically interesting, and send those articles to Instapaper with a swipe… Well actually send them with one of half-a-dozen swipes. You see, my iPhone with iOS 7 on…

I’ve mentioned a few times now that I use the Digg app on the iPhone pretty regularly. I like that I can browse some articles that are typically interesting, and send those articles to Instapaper with a swipe… Well actually send them with one of half-a-dozen swipes. You see, my iPhone with iOS 7 on it, apparently hates the Digg app (or the other way around). ((Could be fallout from the Digg podcast’s terribleness.))

[Here’s what happens with the latest Digg app running on iOS 7](https://vimeo.com/71755406):

Let’s be clear: I place zero blame on Digg, Apple, or the developers of either for those swiping issues. *I* am running beta software, and I included Digg not to chastise them, but to talk about a larger point: interaction matters.

While the fact that I cannot reliably swipe the table off the screen to see the hidden actions is incredibly annoying, almost more annoying is how small the tap zone is for Instapaper. Yes, I hit the icon 9 times out of 10, but given the fact that it takes me a maddening amount of swipes to get to that view, if I miss that tap even once — I am so pissed I almost throw my phone.

## My Point

My point isn’t that developers should support beta software — I don’t care about that. My point is that if you require a gesture to reveal a tap zone(s), then make sure that the tap zone(s) are easy to, uh, *tap*. Having to repeat a gesture once is annoying enough, having to repeat it because you missed a tap is downright maddening.

That is all.

*(Side note: I didn’t realize what that Ke$$$$Ha article was about until I watched the video — it’s rather fitting.)*

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