[General Questions and Answers] sbpetrack:
[Q] Useability issue? single- vs. double-click buttons in WP7 App "Device Reset"

[Note to moderator: **PLEASE** read the note at the end of this post. Thank you. Note to all: the question of this post concerns ONLY the (excellent) app called "Device Reset" for Windows Phone 7 by sh4d0w86. This app is the subject of a thread in the Windows Phone 7 Software Development forum]

App installed perfectly and performs as documented. My right thumb and left index finger thank you!!

However, I humbly ask you to consider a small change to improve the useability, at least for idiots like me (and I believe there are many, I'm afraid):

When I started the app and saw those two big beautiful square buttons, I immediately clicked on the first one ("restart"). The feedback clearly showed me that the button-press was received. Then .... nothing. Nothing happened. It seemed so weird to me. So I tried a second time. Same result: nothing. I then pressed the "power off" button. Again, the button-pressed was clearly registered, but nothing happened. Thinking that "obviously" the problem was with me, I pressed each of the two buttons about 5-10 times, slowly and clearly, hoping that the little man inside the application would wake up and hear me. But the app just did nothing. Exceedingly confusing and frustrating.

I actually read the entire thread through THREE times before I noticed the little word "double" next to the word "click" and understood my problem. And of course, double-clicking the buttons works just fine, as per the instructions.

I certainly understand why you might want to insist on a double-click in this situation. In that case, may I humbly suggest that you add just that tiny part of the "user manual" to the button or its surroundings? For example, you might just replace the text "soft reset" with the phrase "double-click to soft reset," or replace the word "restart" with the phrase "double-click to restart." I don't want to dictate anything -- I actually really like the huge sparse text in what you have. But the fact is that it took me an extra 15-30 minutes, plus wading through an entire thread, to figure out how to use your app.

An alternative might be to avoid giving the graphical feedback (the color inversion) when I press the buttons. A single button press doesn't mean anything, and the feedback (which displays for the entire time the user has his finger on the button) really does suggest that a single button-press is a complete action, while it's not.

However, if you did that, I claim you'd **still** need to put something in the UI to tell the user that s/he needs to double-click. So my vote would be to do my first suggestion; if you have time to spare, it would be nice to have the graphical feedback display WHEN and ONLY WHEN the user finishes a complete double-click. If the user needs to double click to make it happen, then a single-click shouldn't bring any reward to the user.

Again, thanks for an excellent app.

[NB: this post would be much more appropriate for the thread

[APP] Device Reset -[R]- 21 Jan 12 -

- 13 Mar 12 -[V]- 2.0.0.0 [TRANSLATORS WANTED]

of the forum "Windows Phone 7 Software Development", which is devoted to the excellent app "Device Reset" by sh4d0w86. Alas, I am but a newbie, and when I tried to post to that thread I was instructed that I "must go to the Q&A or General Forum" to post anything. Of the two possibilites, the Q&A forum seemed to me to the be the least inappropriate. If you are a moderator, perhaps you can transfer this post to that thread, and (if possible) allow me to post to that thread only, should I receive any request to follow up. Thank you]