Most phones — non-iPhones, of course — have a row of dedicated ‘hardware buttons’ that typically include some combination of home, search, menu and a back button. They make for convenient quick-access commands! But do you really need them all?
Our friends at BuzzFeed FWD argue that the dedicated back button should die because its unclear where pressing that button will take you. A dedicated home button always sends you to the home screen. A dedicated search button is the same. But a back button? It could take you back a screen in the app you’re in or back an action of what you were just doing on your phone. It’s confusing (and often redundant since many apps have back buttons themselves).
So how many buttons do you guys like on your phone? Do you use all the hardware buttons on your Android phone or Windows Phone (or… Blackberry haha)? Which one would you eliminate first. Or do you want more?