Timelines & On boarding [Inspiration and practices from apps & widgets]
Great ways to present Timelines
Presenting timelines properly can be a difficult problem — more so if we are talking about tight spaces like apps or widgets. This is due to the challenge of making the timeline look like, well, an actual time line — and not just a bunch of stuff scrambled horizontally next to a line. These examples present beautifully designed — and well understood timelines ideas for mobile.
The key to success here is getting the hierarchy done right!
The headline always comes first> Then the date (If there isn’t any crucial information regarding the headline)> Then the description> and lastly — the time.
Use icons or images to give the user a better indication due to what your headline refers to.
This is an example of a BAD timeline:
Account creation & On boarding
Keep in mind, when your app prompts a user to create a new account — it’s basically like asking a person for at least 2 minutes of his precious time and focus — it’s A LOT.
As we all know, registered users also cost more than simple “In-and-out” bad users. This fact alone makes the registration and on boarding process one of the most important parts of our app.
There is a saying that says: “Lower the speed bumps”.
I actually really support it. The way I see it — whenever you design an on boarding experience, always try to ask as less as you can from the user. For example: 2 passwords are no longer a necessity, Email confirmation? — save it for later (unless you really have to), Profile image? Just give me a random one!- and so on. If possible, try and let the user access your product and ask him for a sign up in a seamless way when he tries to do a specific action that requires log in — just keep the sign up process to the minimum.
By the way — when making an on boarding experience — always give the user a Skip option (in cases when asking the user to do specific actions)
Some interactions — just for inspiration
