Rethinking Message Notifications on iOS
We all have that special friend, colleague or loved one who just. Can’t. Wait. To. Send. Their. Messages. Before. Finishing. Them! For some of us, these repeated messages lead to a perpetual stream of notifications that drive you mad.
We found that with every iteration of iOS and Android the notifications keep getting bigger and more prominent. Both on the lockscreen and the notification area. This is great for a lot of things but can be frustrating when communicating with trigger-happy typists.
In iOS 10 the latest messages appear at the top of your notifications area. That means the first message you received is pushed all the way to the end of the queue, often below the fold. These poor messages are vital for the context of the succeeding messages but remain unread, banished to the outer edge of your device.
It would be great if we could combine all these separate messages in one notification, so it reads as a complete sentence, instead of a stack of bewildering words. After all, if we can’t make sense of the notifications, what is the point?
To solve this age-old problem we propose this simple design solution.
When that special someone sends multiple sparsely worded messages in rapid succession, your phone’s notification system should respond appropriately. Instead of generating a stream of pointless notifications why not wait until a complete sentence is formed.
We propose to include the typing indicator, which we know and love from the Messages app, directly into the notification. Multiple messages can be shown in just one notification instead of four, clearing up the screen, leaving enough room for other app notifications!
Wouldn’t this be soooo great? See more on our Dribbble.
