Is 3D Touch Going To Be Useful or will it Fade Away In Time?
A couple of months back Apple rolled out their iPhone 6S and 6S Plus and boasted about their new features and addition of 3D Touch. While everyone was going gaga about the features, especially 3D Touch, there were others like us who were sceptical about how revolutionary the tech is.
Gimmick or Reality?
3D Touch’s initial response was treated as a gimmick pulled by the Cupertino-based tech giant. Certainly, it was useful for some situations and a certain breed of users might flock towards the tech,
but it was never thought to be groundbreaking.
There were debates on how 3D Touch could potentially complicate applications, and how with a growing library of gestures it could be hard for some users to discover the use. A way of simple navigation could possibly turn complex and as the days went by, the tech would probably fade away.
However, 3D Touch has proved initial assumptions wrong. The technology is more than just a fad and could fundamentally alter the way we interact with our apps. Here’s how the reality could possibly play out if 3D Touch becomes as revolutionary as Apple claims.
Fluidity for Maps
3D Touch is, of course, an efficient and smoother way to interact with apps. There are no hiccups, literally, and some apps are more easily navigated with the new tech. When it comes to Maps app on the iOS with 3D Touch capabilities, it is easier to request new directions or move towards the homepage without jumping through a different screen.
The entire interaction takes place on a single screen, a rather huge improvement from the usual tapping-for-new-screen approach. The new way has more fluidity and feels a lot more natural, and going back to the traditional way feels disjointed and heavy. With such an improvement, there is serious room for change in design architecture of apps in the future.
How Can 3D Touch Be Implemented?
As of now, we don’t know for how good 3D Touch can be. With the existing apps, the tech could go a long way in bringing out a whole new UI experience. Presently, 3D Touch can be used in two places – productivity apps and content apps.
Productivity apps are with a mission to accomplish a particular task within a short time, while content apps are all about interacting with the content that lies within. Both these types can be moulded to provide a better way of accessibility through 3D Touch, opening up an easier navigation system.
Right now, 3D Touch is barely out of infancy. The new iPhones makes use of the tech quite nicely, as the new interactions are more efficient and the quick actions from the home icon is something we can relish. It makes the iPhone a lot faster and fun to use .
Text: Vishnudas Nandan Photos: Various Sources