patterns.intuio.at

Secondary functions via long press (press and hold)

This pattern provides a method to access secondary functions of a command button.

Context

Users needs to access a secondary function of a command button.

Forces

The user may not know by looking at the control that a secondary function is available; this function probably must be trained. Functionality to be accessed using this pattern must be well chosen, otherwise interaction might become unclear and confusing.

Solution

The secondary function can be accessed by pressing and holding a command button for longer than a defined timeout, e.g., longer than 1 second.

Sample

The sample screen shows a row of custom speed dial buttons. The left-most speed dial is pressed and displays the secondary context menu.

Usability Impact

Freeing screen real estate reduces screen clutter and cognitive overhead.

Safety Impact

Using this pattern allows designers to hide less frequently needed functions, thus, freeing screen real estate for safety-relevant functions.

Your opinion!

Feel free to provide your comments, reports of usage of this pattern, or feedback in general!