First and foremost, I am not a developer nor am I claiming to be. This is just an observation, an experiment and an inquiry to my fellow Android enthusiasts here on the forum in regards to a common topic that's always brought up with each and every new Android phone (especially non-stock devices): UI Speed.
For the sake of this post, I'm only using the S4 as my reference point and I'll try to be as to the point as possible.
I've had a Verizon S4 since it was released and I've been on Android for the past few years, beginning with a Motorola Droid. I am no Android expert and I have pretty much since the beginning relied on sites such as this to 'tell me what to do' to get the most out of my device. As such, one common thing I have come across for years is something along the following lines:
As a novice at the time and heavily trusting the tech sites, I've always done that from the very beginning never really thinking twice. But, as years have gone on and I've owned dozens of devices, including BlackBerry, iPhone and many Android smartphones from virtually every OEM, the one thing that has always bugged me right down to my S4 is that I feel that the phone feels sluggish and it shouldn't. It's gotten to the point that I've even recently debated trying out an HTC One that people say seem to not have the issue or possibly even just going back to an iPhone (and I freaking hate that device because it doesn't really suit my needs well) because the one thing I couldn't complain about was performance.
I wracked my brain trying to figure out why in 2013 can a device such as my S4 still feel sluggish in the UI area. I'm sure there are many technical reasons (Touchwiz, java based OS, etc.) and I greatly welcome explanations, but let me also share a personal theory that I think could very well be affecting many visitors of tech sites:
My Theory in Question:
Often times, people debate that animations are simply eye candy that could be considered unnecessary. "Why have a 1 second animation when you could have the application just pop up instantaneously on the screen?" some may argue. However, I feel that animations are not merely meant for eye candy. After playing with hundreds of devices and noting which ones I felt were the most fluid overall (iPhone, Windows 8 and yes even my limited experience with the HTC One to a certain extent) the only takeaway I could grasp is that my devices have always have animations turned off and the others either don't have that option or I didn't disable it (as in the case of the HTC One).
Recently, I decided to change those settings. First, in Developer Options I reverted back to having the animation scales on, albeit I adjusted them from the 1.0 seconds default setting to 0.5 seconds just out of personal preference. In Nova Launcher (my go to launcher for everything) I changed the Scrolling Speed from "Faster than Light" to the default "Nova" and then all I did was start using the phone again as I normally do.
The result?
My loathing for 'performance issues' almost instantaneously went away.
My conclusion?
Animations play a huge factor in user experience. I don't believe they only are meant to be pleasing to the eye, but they are also meant to govern the user experience. For example: Some applications are optimized well enough that clicking on them could result in them opening virtually instantly with zero delay. Whereas other applications for various reasons may take a little longer to open. By forcing (governing) an animation for ALL applications you control the user experience to the point where it feels that everything is opening at the same speed - a more fluid/linear experience. When you disable the animation scale options in Developer settings you now are seeing many different applications seemingly open at different rates of speed. This kills the user experience and the mind translates it to slower performance.
I figure by today's standards the majority of applications can open within 1 second of clicking on them and very well optimized applications can open instantly. However, even a 1 second delay from app to app can create a different perception of performance. Thus, again, by forcing a small animation you give the impression that everything is running at the same speed.
After using my device with the various settings off and on I can definitely say that I am happier with the experience of leaving the animations on and I personally believe that's why Apple and every other OEM leaves them on by default. If they felt it would speed up the experience by disabling them, why not do it? If they felt that removing animations entirely would save on processing or memory, why not do it? My conclusion is that they don't simply because animations help to control and create a better user experience in a technological world where not every application will open at the same rate of speed.
What do you think?
For the sake of this post, I'm only using the S4 as my reference point and I'll try to be as to the point as possible.
I've had a Verizon S4 since it was released and I've been on Android for the past few years, beginning with a Motorola Droid. I am no Android expert and I have pretty much since the beginning relied on sites such as this to 'tell me what to do' to get the most out of my device. As such, one common thing I have come across for years is something along the following lines:
As a novice at the time and heavily trusting the tech sites, I've always done that from the very beginning never really thinking twice. But, as years have gone on and I've owned dozens of devices, including BlackBerry, iPhone and many Android smartphones from virtually every OEM, the one thing that has always bugged me right down to my S4 is that I feel that the phone feels sluggish and it shouldn't. It's gotten to the point that I've even recently debated trying out an HTC One that people say seem to not have the issue or possibly even just going back to an iPhone (and I freaking hate that device because it doesn't really suit my needs well) because the one thing I couldn't complain about was performance.
I wracked my brain trying to figure out why in 2013 can a device such as my S4 still feel sluggish in the UI area. I'm sure there are many technical reasons (Touchwiz, java based OS, etc.) and I greatly welcome explanations, but let me also share a personal theory that I think could very well be affecting many visitors of tech sites:
My Theory in Question:
Often times, people debate that animations are simply eye candy that could be considered unnecessary. "Why have a 1 second animation when you could have the application just pop up instantaneously on the screen?" some may argue. However, I feel that animations are not merely meant for eye candy. After playing with hundreds of devices and noting which ones I felt were the most fluid overall (iPhone, Windows 8 and yes even my limited experience with the HTC One to a certain extent) the only takeaway I could grasp is that my devices have always have animations turned off and the others either don't have that option or I didn't disable it (as in the case of the HTC One).
Recently, I decided to change those settings. First, in Developer Options I reverted back to having the animation scales on, albeit I adjusted them from the 1.0 seconds default setting to 0.5 seconds just out of personal preference. In Nova Launcher (my go to launcher for everything) I changed the Scrolling Speed from "Faster than Light" to the default "Nova" and then all I did was start using the phone again as I normally do.
The result?
My loathing for 'performance issues' almost instantaneously went away.
My conclusion?
Animations play a huge factor in user experience. I don't believe they only are meant to be pleasing to the eye, but they are also meant to govern the user experience. For example: Some applications are optimized well enough that clicking on them could result in them opening virtually instantly with zero delay. Whereas other applications for various reasons may take a little longer to open. By forcing (governing) an animation for ALL applications you control the user experience to the point where it feels that everything is opening at the same speed - a more fluid/linear experience. When you disable the animation scale options in Developer settings you now are seeing many different applications seemingly open at different rates of speed. This kills the user experience and the mind translates it to slower performance.
I figure by today's standards the majority of applications can open within 1 second of clicking on them and very well optimized applications can open instantly. However, even a 1 second delay from app to app can create a different perception of performance. Thus, again, by forcing a small animation you give the impression that everything is running at the same speed.
After using my device with the various settings off and on I can definitely say that I am happier with the experience of leaving the animations on and I personally believe that's why Apple and every other OEM leaves them on by default. If they felt it would speed up the experience by disabling them, why not do it? If they felt that removing animations entirely would save on processing or memory, why not do it? My conclusion is that they don't simply because animations help to control and create a better user experience in a technological world where not every application will open at the same rate of speed.
What do you think?
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