Carousel
From MobileDesign
[edit] Applies to:
User Interface: Scroll & select interfaces > 4- and 5-way keypads,
Screen-input interfaces,
2-D scroll
Hardware: Any
A carousel allows the user to visually browse through content. It's especially useful for highly visual content, such as photos, videos, PDFs and so on. Non-visual items such as music can be browsed by using a well-understood individual graphic such as the album cover.
Some desktop systems (OSX column view) have explored iconic methods of displaying other content types, but these are still in their infancy so no usable standard exists for items without good, individual iconic representations of text, email, voicemail and other such common mobile content.
Slideshows are not carousels.
[edit] Design
Individual files are displayed as thumbnails or icons within the carousel browser. A sense of motion should be designed into it. The example to the right implies the files revolve around the edge of the screen; the iPhone implies the files are off the screen to the right and left. Not all files available must be visible on the screen at once.
The selected item must be centered, and is generally indicated as being highlighted in some other manner. Generally, carousels make the selected item larger than other items on the screen. If this is much larger, all items may be of varying size, with larger items closer to the currently viewed item. This size implies proximity, and makes the item more visible for immediate scanning of several items, without selecting each item individually.
Scrolling or gesturing will move between selected items, and must reinforce the directionality of the motion paradigm.
A method to select the item for viewing, editing or other actions must be made available.
Note that the carousel can scroll vertically, instead of horizontally. This may be preferable if your primary scrolling mechanism implies vertical-only scrolling.
[edit] When Used
For any file types that can be represented wuith a unique, graphical icon or thumbnail, preferably one that is derived directly from the content of the file itself.
[edit] Rationale
Graphic content should be displayed in a graphic sense.
Files, and especially graphic content (whether photos in a stack or albums in a record store), has traditionally been flipped through in a rapidly scannable manner.
Also see: Any that apply, Else remove it entirely
