#11: Coviu’s updated Mobile User Interface
Coviu has had iOS, Android and Desktop applications for several months now. We’ve been building all of these from the same codebase, making it possible for us to support this many platforms with a really small number of developers.
Our mobile user interface, however, just didn’t feel like a mobile application — it was more like a small version of the Web application. That didn’t really work, because users on mobile need bigger buttons and less functionality on the small screens.
The approach that we had to take to adapt to the small screen was quite clear: we had to separate the video connections from the shared content — users would only ever see one of these on screen. Audio would, of course, continue to be available seeing as it takes no space on screen.
There were some more challenges to overcome with extra menus, so changes to the Web user interface were not avoidable. Our goal as always was to retain the simplicity of use and the clean interface. So, for Christmas 2016, we gave our users the updated interface.
Subject: “Coviu: Huge update to Mobile User Interface”
Date sent: 21st December 2016
Hi user,
This year’s holiday present from us is a huge update to our user interface to make it more usable across all platforms. We’re very excited about this, because it prepares us to make more Add-On functionality available to you in the New Year.
Changes to Desktop
You can now mute your video and microphone with one click from the on-screen local video. But the two biggest changes are the Device “Settings” and the “Menu” buttons, which open drawers.
The “Device Settings” drawer:
This is where the local video is always located. Here you can also choose your camera input, microphone and speakers.
The “Menu” drawer:
This contains much of the bookkeeping around a call, including the link to join this room, the call duration, and other functional buttons.
Changes to Mobile
The Coviu app is now fully responsive and stays usable at all screen sizes.
To improve your experience with Coviu on mobile, we have split the Video View from the Content View.
The double arrow button at the bottom right switches between the Video and the Content View.
All our apps on iOS, Android, Desktop and Web have been updated with these interface changes. Happy Coviu!
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We’d love to get your feedback — you can simply email support or me at silvia@coviu.com.
Thank you for your support and encouragement this year while we worked hard at building you a great collaboration platform. We will continue to roll out new and exciting features next year, but for now we would like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
See you on Coviu!