I have built a food delivery application, but face some issues that I’m not sure are bugs, a non existent feature, or my lack of knowledge on how to go about it.
I would like to be able to navigate between TABS using buttons. Link to screens connects me to a sheet, but does not navigate to an existing tab in the app.
In response to a comment on “which popular apps allow this navigation” that I saw in a similar topic, see Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Zomato, Talabat, where users click on a button to VIEW the cart, not just to add items to it. While it is possible to navigate to the cart by clicking the Cart tab, 100% of users were at a loss as to what to do after they’d added an item to the cart because they expect there to be a button that allows one to navigate to the cart. It seems to be so common a navigation pattern, it is the default navigation pattern expected by users of such apps.
This issue is not simply related to viewing the cart, it is a generic issue about using buttons as navigation tools. Another example in the same app is in creating profiles. If a user has not created a profile, then they will be unable to see their order in their cart. Ideally, as per the structure of Glide, they would navigate to “My Profile” and create a profile. A button that would navigate them to “My Profile” to do so would be the easiest solution. I thought I had a workaround with using a form button to create a profile from within the Cart that wrote into the Profile Sheet, only to realise that it a) creates a new profile whether or not there is one already, b) its visibility cannot be controlled to appear only if there is no existing profile as the parameters controlling this are in the Profile sheet not the Cart sheet (and visibility parameters don’t cut across sheets for some reason - also a seriously limiting issue in and of itself that deserves its own post). As a result the option to create a profile on the Cart sheet is available even if a profile exists, and its visibility is dependent on whether there are items in the Cart. As a result, it is a poor workaround, which could be fixed by having a distinct button that navigates to a tab in sequence so that I can guide the user experience, whilst still maintaining the tab buttons at the bottom of the screen that allow users to navigate to any tab.
Thanks for your response.
The first suggestion doesn’t work because it would require that I recreate an entirely new shopping cart within the new linked screen to look and function exactly like the existing one, which isn’t navigation, its duplication, and will lead to an impossibly risky and complex feature upgrading and testing process as every change made to one screen has to be carefully remade on the other screen.
Secondly, it will lead to the creation of new entries in my sheets that lack cross-editing capability. For example, if I make an edit to my order from within the “true” cart, depending on the set up, it may not be reflected within the faux cart, because the entries in the faux cart may edit different row items than in the true cart.
With respect to your second suggestion, I already have visibility settings in place that direct users to create profiles if they don’t have one. The reason this isn’t the first tab is due to user experience / business logic issues. After already signing in using their email, users expect to immediately see the options on what they want to purchase and begin the process of making a purchase / order. Only upon having selected their order and having made that mental commitment, are they willing to ‘opt in’ and provide their personal information that allows them to avail of their purchase. So in this way the user experience and business logic is fundamentally different to Finstagram or Instagram, not only because of the ‘personal-ness’ of the information required to deliver a food order, but also because of what they are using the app for. With the food, no one wants to give their phone and address just to see the menu, they want to look at the menu, decide to make an order, and then provide the details. With Finstragram, they want to see pictures and post pictures and all one needs to provide is their name. Other food apps (and probably the broader e-commerce world, as well as brick and mortar restaurants) likely show you the ‘menu’ first for this same business logic reason.
Hence, neither of these suggestions aid me, provide workarounds, or address the stated issue.
How will a proper user profile address the fundamental issue of button enabled tab navigation? I also have use cases such as my primary use case that requires button enabled tab navigation for a seamless user experience which has nothing to do with user profiles.
Also I’m not sure what you’re suggesting I wait for - for Glide Corp. to implement user profile features?