Talbica. Mobile app

The Periodic table is horizontally wide and divided into 18 columns, which are called groups. Desktop computers are ideal for such a structure, but for mobile phones, table design is a real puzzle.

Alternative Periodic table

For 150 years, designers have come up with dozens of various periodic system designs.

The most popular alternative is the short form of the Periodic table. This version is widely known only in their homeland: it is widely studied in Russian schools. In other countries, this form is practically unknown, but even if it were, it still would not fit in mobile screen.

Other table forms are even more complex. One version is linear, in which elements are combined into blocks by the last unfilled atomic orbital: s, p, d and f. Too complicated. In addition, the table is stretched in width even more than the standard version.

The most unusual version of the table is oval. It was drawn by the famous chemist and writer John Clark in 1933. Officially, it is called the Race-track table. Such design is insanely interesting to consider, but it is completely unsuitable for work.

Another interesting version is a table in the form of honeycombs. It is based on a hexagonal spiral, each turn of which is numbered. The number indicates the period in which the element is located. It is absolutely incomprehensible why such sorting was needed and why it is convenient.

Vertical versions of the table exist as well. Unfortunately, they are too non-standard and therefore not suitable for the mobile version.

Mobile Perodic table

To design a vertical version of the Periodic table, one can apply the main rule of translating desktop tables to mobile interfaces: the columns of the table must be turned into blocks that go one after another.

This version loses the generally accepted form of the Periodic table, but it is convenient to use: the elements go in tiles. The disadvantage of this version is that the groups are not signed. This is hardly a big problem, because one can simply count the group or open the element card and check it.

The full version of the table turns on when phone switches to landscape mode.

In this mode, heat maps look like in the desktop version.

Clicking on an element opens its information card. In mobile version, it occupies the entire screen and opens with a stylish animation widely used in iOS.

Photos on mobile phone can be zoomed in with pinch, like in standard photo albums. Full-size photos of the elements can be viewed in full detail. They look amazing in hands.

Chemical reactions are as well presented in the form of a card. It opens when user enters a formula. The interface supports 3D molecules, lists are implemented in according to the best practices of mobile interfaces and navigated by swipe.

Three-dimensional molecules rotate with a finger, zoom in and out with pinch. Substance data is presented in organized lists that look even more organic on mobile than on desktop.

Mobile version supports dark mode. The animation of the space travel, which is implemented in the full version, turned out to be not so spectacular on mobile phones. Instead, a photograph of a nebula is used.

Download

Talbica is available for iOS and Android. Mobile version works on both phones and tablets.