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Android 16 is here

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Re: Android 16 is here

#101

Post by kstrauser »

nextos wrote: post #97
pier25 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't agree more. Quite a fall from grace by Apple.

Apple did skeuomorphism really well, which is hard and requires a lot of design work. I cannot understand why they gradually abandoned that, as it was clearly a competitive moat in terms of usability. I've seen how computer illiterate or elderly people were able to navigate skeuomorphic designs with relative ease. Right now, they can't tell what is a button or a field and what isn't.

It was primarily because skeuomorphic UIs don't scale well with user experience levels. They're easier for novices but don't lend themselves well to expert use, unless you add a bunch of extra affordances that would seem really out of place in a UI meant to look like a real thing. And what does a skeuomorphic web browser or email app look ike? We don't have those in meatspace.

Re: Android 16 is here

#102

Post by adhamsalama »

zb3 wrote: post #46

Ah, so the "Linux Terminal" app is not yet ready for any announcements. This app with 3D acceleration enabling running graphical linux systems is what I'm waiting for, but it looks like we'll wait another year..

How does it enable graphical Linux systems? I mean, I did already do this by running KDE Plasma on Termux, but why would Google allow this?

Re: Android 16 is here

#103

Post by jrgaston »

Lerc wrote: post #34
voidfunc wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

UI engineers need to justify their existence.

UI engineers should be like vaccines. If they do their job well, you should never see why they were needed.

That so many do not see why vaccines are needed is a serious problem.

Re: Android 16 is here

#104

Post by mcintyre1994 »

I'm surprised they didn't have live notifications or desktop windowing. I guess features like that go from Android OEMs, to iOS, then to Android itself. Do Google have their own Pixel versions of things like that before they make it to Android though?

Re: Android 16 is here

#105

Post by justsomehnguy »

butlike wrote: post #49
demosthanos wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This knee-jerk reaction is correct more often than not (see the terrible iOS redesign announced earlier), but in this case it seems like it might be incorrect? I looked through the highlights linked here and the full "What's New" page [0] and am pleasantly surprised to see a few new features but no major overhauls of existing ones. [0] https://www.android.com/16

The issue is this reaction never sticks. Everyone's up in arms, but would you really want to go back to Android KitKat or iOS 2? Probably not for more than novelty, right?

I can live another decade without an app what groups three options (one of it is "About") under a hamburger menu on a completely blank screen.

Re: Android 16 is here

#106

Post by wijwp »

paxys wrote: post #24
silisili wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I tried a few Android cheap phones recently IMO that's the big 'problem' with Android - any fly by night company can make a phone with it, which sours those people on Android as a whole and rightfully so. They may not understand that it's not Android itself that is awful, but the low spec'd phone or 'enhancements' some company added. Higher end Android phones generally don't have any of these problems at all. I can…

It's a problem that 95% of the world can afford to purchase a smartphone with a modern OS?

That's why "problem" is in quotes. It's a self-inflicted and purposeful problem that trades a unified perception of Android through flagship devices for broad reach.

Re: Android 16 is here

#107

Post by ozim »

flyinghamster wrote: post #5

Oh great, I get to learn how to use my phone all over again. We need a "leave this the $EXPLETIVE alone" setting for our user interfaces.

It is good for your brain, it is an excellent exercise. /s

Re: Android 16 is here

#108

Post by bitwize »

paxys wrote: post #23

I like their Material Expressive design a lot more now after Apple's big reveal. While it's still a bit too colorful and whimsical for my liking, it does stay much closer to what I think should be the top UX design ideal - be clear, legible, and get out of the way . On the new iOS every screen feels like some UX designer is shouting "look how amazing I am at this!!" at me.

Indeed, but Apple still wins when it comes to "wow factor". In a year's time Android will look old and busted, and Google will have to respond with a similar UI refresh. Of course it won't be as pretty, responsive, or slick but it will keep Android in the running.

Turns out "pretty" matters -- a lot -- in UI. Sucks for those of us who found Windows 9x, NEXTSTEP, or AmigaOS as the pinnacle of usability, but users find themselves more comfortable with a UI that looks modern even if said UI has other detriments like lack of affordance.

Re: Android 16 is here

#110

Post by MisterBiggs »

aaomidi wrote: post #37
paxys wrote: post #23

I like their Material Expressive design a lot more now after Apple's big reveal. While it's still a bit too colorful and whimsical for my liking, it does stay much closer to what I think should be the top UX design ideal - be clear, legible, and get out of the way . On the new iOS every screen feels like some UX designer is shouting "look how amazing I am at this!!" at me.

I decided to install the beta to get a more informed opinion. I think the UI looks better when you’re holding it vs seeing it in the pictures. Control center, however, sucks.

Same experience. I hopped on the beta because I thought the current version was going to be really bad and I wanted to watch them move towards something more functional. Its definitely not perfect but the way that the UI reacts in real time to holding the phone and elements moving makes it work really well and isn't something you can capture in a screenshot or video.
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