1. TheStoof's Avatar
    So I was thinking about how AT&T has their phones laid out in the stores. iPhone 5 and GSIII are there up front and Blackberry on the side. These all have buttons of some sort. Either a home button or a back button to get back (with Android, it deletes all the top pages).

    How will they educate prospective users on getting back to the home screen and hub if the phone is just there? Leave a video playing like the Playbook demo mode?
    12-03-12 08:14 AM
  2. shemaree09's Avatar
    Hopefully through a series of marketing commercials. Just like Apple shows off features on their phones, RIM can do the same thing.

    That's what really hurts Blackberry the most. There are still people today who don't even know the 9900 exists or that it is touchscreen and has a better web browser. RIM advertised the Bold 9900 months after its release with glowing bikes and a woman using BBM and facebook to talk about her date
    convenor and Drew808 like this.
    12-03-12 08:23 AM
  3. RubberChicken76's Avatar
    How will they educate prospective users on getting back to the home screen and hub if the phone is just there? Leave a video playing like the Playbook demo mode?
    That's what I would do personally. Every time I've seen someone play with the PlayBook, they stumble over the gestures for a second, then get the hang of them, then are off to the races.
    peter9477 likes this.
    12-03-12 08:29 AM
  4. shemaree09's Avatar
    That's what I would do personally. Every time I've seen someone play with the PlayBook, they stumble over the gestures for a second, then get the hang of them, then are off to the races.
    I really had a hard time with the Playbook in-store. I remember being in Office Depot and I was so confused about how to use it. Of course the employees were just as clueless as me and insisted that it was a terrible product, and how I should purchase a Kindle Fire instead.

    I also remember seeing many potential buyers frustrated and moving on because they didnt know how to navigate it.

    Another example where the Playbook's feature should have been featured in the commercials instead of Jennifer Lopez lol
    12-03-12 08:33 AM
  5. qbnkelt's Avatar
    So I was thinking about how AT&T has their phones laid out in the stores. iPhone 5 and GSIII are there up front and Blackberry on the side. These all have buttons of some sort. Either a home button or a back button to get back (with Android, it deletes all the top pages).

    How will they educate prospective users on getting back to the home screen and hub if the phone is just there? Leave a video playing like the Playbook demo mode?
    Gestures on the PB were simple. I'm sure there will be a slight learning curve.

    No pun intended.


    Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk
    12-03-12 08:43 AM
  6. Tatperson's Avatar
    I remember the first time I actually played with a Playbook on display at a local Singtel Shop, but (the then dumb me) did not even know how to get to the Home Screen... I was literally stuck in the Gallery just like every other person who went to try it ._.

    Sent from the world's (once) most powerful smartphone.
    12-03-12 08:44 AM
  7. SlcCorrado's Avatar
    Some intriguing commercials will definitely help out
    12-03-12 08:48 AM
  8. RubberChicken76's Avatar
    I remember the first time I actually played with a Playbook on display at a local Singtel Shop, but (the then dumb me) did not even know how to get to the Home Screen... I was literally stuck in the Gallery just like every other person who went to try it ._.

    Sent from the world's (once) most powerful smartphone.
    I noticed that some of the stores later added a display sticker to explain the gestures, as well as the demo mode video. Guess a few people had that issue.

    I still maintain firmly that the PlayBook is a very, very, very easy to use device ... but the gestures are different from other devices out there and take a second to get a handle on the concept.

    My mother is the best example ... she is the least technical person I know .. and zips around her PlayBook like no one's business. That's a sign that it works ... once you grasp the gesture concept.
    Zildjian71 and RocPlayr like this.
    12-03-12 08:49 AM
  9. shemaree09's Avatar
    My mother is the best example ... she is the least technical person I know .. and zips around her PlayBook like no one's business. That's a sign that it works ... once you grasp the gesture concept.
    This is what should have been highlighted in commercials/ads for the Playbook. The gestures are different, but it works very well once you get the hang of it. I've found myself trying to do Playbook gestures on my friend's iPad. Then I realize I just have to press that dinky button for EVERYthing
    Zildjian71 likes this.
    12-03-12 08:53 AM
  10. anon(2757538)'s Avatar
    Hitting a button is not intuitive...it's simple.

    The geastures are designed to make sense and be intuitive. I don't see people having any issues after using the phone for more than 30 seconds.
    kbz1960 and Jake Storm like this.
    12-03-12 09:22 AM
  11. eve6er69's Avatar
    just remember as kevin said on a podcast pinch to zoom is and never was an intuitive function but apple made it normal now.

    lets not forget some people are unwilling to learn anything new. if someone sits through a 5 minute tutorial and gets the concept of gestures then they may never go back to buttons again. i can see many people starring at the phone and wondering how to turn it on or get out of angry birds after they're done playing with it.
    12-03-12 09:32 AM
  12. kbz1960's Avatar
    just remember as kevin said on a podcast pinch to zoom is and never was an intuitive function but apple made it normal now.

    lets not forget some people are unwilling to learn anything new. if someone sits through a 5 minute tutorial and gets the concept of gestures then they may never go back to buttons again. i can see many people starring at the phone and wondering how to turn it on or get out of angry birds after they're done playing with it.
    Then win8 is pretty screwed then huh. Just need an overlay.
    12-03-12 09:38 AM
  13. shemaree09's Avatar
    just remember as kevin said on a podcast pinch to zoom is and never was an intuitive function but apple made it normal now.

    lets not forget some people are unwilling to learn anything new. if someone sits through a 5 minute tutorial and gets the concept of gestures then they may never go back to buttons again. i can see many people starring at the phone and wondering how to turn it on or get out of angry birds after they're done playing with it.
    that's not really the issue though. Apple has several commercials showing you how to use their products. There were no ads showing the gestures of the Playbook. RIM needs to actually SHOW what their products can do. They've failed miserably in that department with their phones and tablets.

    Then win8 is pretty screwed then huh. Just need an overlay.
    At least commercials for Windows 8 show off each features and how to navigate the OS. RIM needs to take notes.
    12-03-12 09:49 AM
  14. neteng1000's Avatar
    When I bought my 1st PB, it took me about 15min to get the hang of it. It's second nature now.
    12-03-12 09:50 AM
  15. kbz1960's Avatar
    that's not really the issue though. Apple has several commercials showing you how to use their products. There were no ads showing the gestures of the Playbook. RIM needs to actually SHOW what their products can do. They've failed miserably in that department with their phones and tablets.



    At least commercials for Windows 8 show off each features and how to navigate the OS. RIM needs to take notes.
    Agree but I was responding more to "people don't want to learn something new" or whatever to that effect.
    12-03-12 09:55 AM
  16. ubizmo's Avatar
    I remember not knowing how to wake up the PB in the store, and then when I finally did it by accident, I didn't know what I'd done. Intuitions are formed by experience, so anyone who is used to pressing buttons, hard or virtual, to do everything, will find gestures initially counterintuitive. They quickly become second nature, however. But the OP's question is a good one, because RIM doesn't want to lose potential customers over it. Plenty of people don't research before buying; they just go into a store and play with a device for a while. But the solutions have already been mentioned.

    1. Have sales reps who know their way around BB10 and are willing to demonstrate.
    2. Have a short instructional video loop playing on the demo phones.
    3. Have a concise explanatory poster/sign that shows how to wake up the device, how to get a menu, how to switch from one task to another, and how to close things.

    Ideally, have all three. Television commercials will help too, but their main purpose is to stimulate interest, not to instruct.
    kbz1960, spike12, Drew808 and 3 others like this.
    12-03-12 10:02 AM
  17. simu31's Avatar
    if someone sits through a 5 minute tutorial and gets the concept of gestures then they may never go back to buttons again.
    I don't disagree with what you say, but I find it hard to believe that anyone is ... "slow" enough to not get the gestures within 30seconds
    - drag from the bottom to the middle of the screen when you're in an app to see incoming messages/e-mails/bbm/fb/twitter/etc...
    - either pull to the right if you want to go into the Blackberry Hub
    - or pull back down to go back to your app.
    - Drag from the bottom up and the app will go into an Active Frame
    - touch another Active Frame or chose another app to go into that app.

    That's all the basic stuff they need to be "taught", the rest will come by itself as they play with the device.

    Si.
    12-03-12 10:18 AM
  18. berryaddictnoza's Avatar
    I hate to say, but I think BB10 devices will mainly appeal to the serious smartphone user. Swipe/gesture goodness really works well for quickly navigating around the device, but isn't near as easy to understand as basic see and touch ( I can't tell you how many iPad users I know that don't have multitask gestures activated on their devices!). Let's face it, the current 99xx with keyboard shortcuts and touch screen is the quickest device out there for getting around the OS (oh, I hear the nay sayers keying up now!), but the iPhone outsells it by huge margins (the iPhone admittedly having the easiest to understand OS).
    Last edited by berryaddictnoza; 12-03-12 at 06:31 PM.
    12-03-12 10:48 AM
  19. calicocat2010's Avatar
    Well, swiping is becoming the new trend, wait sorry it Is the new trend. All smartphones use a a swipe gesture, flicking their finger across the icons dock screen, or homescreen. (Also there are those Swype keyboards)

    New users will have to adapt to gestures be it an Iphone user, Android, WP, BB etc etc.

    If the user doesn't want swipe gestures, they should downgrade to a Dumbphone.
    12-03-12 11:12 AM
  20. Drew808's Avatar
    I think that once someone plays with the phone they will get the general feel of how it flows, but they won't get the unusual gestures such as the up and left to get to the hub. If a new user who is not familiar with what BB10 does picks the device they will definitely need some sort of guidance until they get comfortable. I just bought the wife a Samsung Galaxy Tab and it took her maybe 15 minutes(with a tutorial from me) to get accustomed to Android and she has only used BB's. Rim better have in-store reps or they may have customer's who will just get frustrated and go to the next device.
    12-03-12 11:50 AM
  21. ubizmo's Avatar
    I suppose this video, from another thread, will help a lot:

    12-03-12 01:40 PM
  22. Marauder2's Avatar
    I've seen good booths in a couple stores near me, the Staples in Kitchener had the demo video playing and a sticker on the screen with the basic gestures.

    I think at first many will criticise the lack of buttons, just because they aren't used to it. If RIM produces some good commercials, that combined with knowledgeable staff, maybe a video playing above/on the phone, sticker/booklet, it should be easy enough to learn. Once you get the hang of the basic gestures (which will be 1. Return to home screen, 2. Swipe left to apps and 3. Peek/up then right to the hub) you'll fly through it.

    Some people are afraid of new things, things they aren't used to, while others (like us) enjoy something new and refreshing.

    I'm excited!
    12-03-12 02:41 PM
  23. njblackberry's Avatar
    If you have to be shown how to use it, it is too late. Part of the reason other devices have succeeded is that they are easy enough for a 3 year old to figure out. That's not an insult (well, it is a little insult). If it requires training, people won't want it. Make it slick, fast, easy to use and stable. That's all. Of course having a touchscreen will be a change for many, but I'll give it a chance.
    12-03-12 02:46 PM
  24. kill_9's Avatar
    I remember the first time I actually played with a Playbook on display at a local Singtel Shop, but (the then dumb me) did not even know how to get to the Home Screen... I was literally stuck in the Gallery just like every other person who went to try it ._.

    Sent from the world's (once) most powerful smartphone.
    I had a similar experience the first time I used the BlackBerry PlayBook except I launched Need for Speed and could not figure out how to exit the application much less get back to the 'home' screen. I had never used any tablet prior to this encounter. After buying a BlackBerry PlayBook and spending a few hours with the touch-screen user interface it suddenly felt intuitive.
    12-03-12 02:58 PM
  25. rogeryen's Avatar
    I really had a hard time with the Playbook in-store. I remember being in Office Depot and I was so confused about how to use it. Of course the employees were just as clueless as me and insisted that it was a terrible product, and how I should purchase a Kindle Fire instead.
    And where are Kindle Fire's buttons again?
    12-03-12 05:01 PM
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