Analysis of the YouTube iOS App

Interface

The apps interface is made very easy to use by the different pages containing a very simple header section consisting of 7 tabs with icons and a title relating to the current page. In order to navigate the tabs you tap the icon of the page you would like the tab to switch to. The icons are obviously descriptive to the page they correspond to, for example a human silhouette is used to link to the profile page, this makes the interface easy to use for all. Above the icons are a title so that the knowledge of which page the user is on is clearly displayed so that all experience levels can have an idea of where on the app they currently are. There are also the icon of a magnifying glass which is a universal web symbol for a search bar and 3 small dots for the settings of the app. Upon tapping these icons a search bar will appear for you to search your query or the settings will open.

In terms of watching a video the interface is also very simple and east to use. To watch a video you click on the large thumbnail and the video begins to play. You are then presented with some buttons you can tap to interact with the channel such as thumbs up or down which are clear indicators to show your admiration or disapproval towards a video. You can also choose to comment on the video in a text box which is clearly labeled or subscribes to the channel who uploaded the video by tapping the red ‘Subscribe button’. To share the video a bent ‘send’ arrow icon must be tapped which clearly indicates sharing as it is a universally recognised icon for the function.

When watching a video there are the play, next and previous buttons as well as a video timeline. To use these functions you either tap the video buttons or drag the timeline marker to wherever in the video you would like to watch.

Data

The main data of the app are the user generated videos which have been uploaded to youtube from any device. The app is an interface which allows you to sort through, search for and have videos showcased to you. There are also other smaller types of data within the site such as: usernames, thumbnail images, comments, playlists etc.

Logic

The logic of the app is simple. It involves simple and easy to grasp tap to execute tasks. After the videos have been uploaded and sorted into the interface, it is now time for your actions to be carried out by javascript logics. For example ‘if’ you click on the thumbnail for a video ‘then’ it will begin to play. ‘If’ you click like on a video ‘then’ it will increase the like number by 1 ‘if’ you are logged into an account it will add the video to your like videos playlist.