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iOS 7's Design is Confused

andrewmunsell.com

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Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#31

Post by Camillo »

shalmanese wrote: post #14
Tloewald wrote: post #3

The gradients are only problematic if interpreted as lighting. If merely decorative, no problem. Note that almost all of the gradients involve hue shifts. The spacing of the balloons is actually clever. Balloons from one party are closer spaced than balloons from different parties. I prefer space around the text to space around the balloons. I agree that the calculator et. al. Could be customizable. That aside, it's…

We already have a terms for "gradients that are not meant to be interpreted as lighting", we call them "optical illusions" and they're immensely confusing to the visual system.

Don't be silly, there are all sorts of gradients in nature that have nothing to do with lighting.

Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#32

Post by elpool2 »

He makes some good points, except for the complaining about the app icons. If all the built-in apps had consistent icons then you'd have half the icons on your homescreen looking the same and the other half that are made by 3rd parties all looking unique and different. It's better when ALL the icons look completely different.

Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#33

Post by nigelsampson »

czhiddy wrote: post #17
tathagata wrote: post #7

The icon backgrounds now look largely redundant. Apple could have done better by getting rid of the backgrounds altogether like Android.

The completely arbitrary icon sizes look absolutely terrible on Android, IMO : http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/nexu...

Having arbitrary sizes for icons / tiles I think is still required. I'd maybe go with a consistent gradient / no gradient approach.

Personally I'd go with no gradient and a flat colour.

Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#34

Post by bennyg »

joeblau wrote: post #6
andrewmunsell wrote: post #2

Don't get me wrong-- I like change, and the direction Apple is headed in with some of the UI changes (the calendar) look fine, but there are still a few problems with iOS 7 that make it look a little bit amateurish in some areas.

That was my first thought. It looks like a first attempt by someone trying to learn Flat UI. For some reason, it just looks a bit to kludgy for me.

This is kind of how I feel. My least favorite so far is their new Contacts app. It's just so plain-jane that I feel like I'm looking at a CS101 app or something.

I really wish someone beyond Ive had the final say in the graphic design of this. That's really all I can say about it. The usability of the home screen and the new springboard are great, but the design is just... uninspired. Black and white and blue is not only boring but missing the subtlety that I admired in iOS of the past (skeumorphism aside).

Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#35

Post by boronine »

Camillo wrote: post #31
shalmanese wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We already have a terms for "gradients that are not meant to be interpreted as lighting", we call them "optical illusions" and they're immensely confusing to the visual system.

Don't be silly, there are all sorts of gradients in nature that have nothing to do with lighting.

Like what? I honestly can't think of a single example.

Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#37

Post by batiudrami »

czhiddy wrote: post #17
tathagata wrote: post #7

The icon backgrounds now look largely redundant. Apple could have done better by getting rid of the backgrounds altogether like Android.

The completely arbitrary icon sizes look absolutely terrible on Android, IMO : http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/nexu...

While Google's lack of consistency in icon sizing is frustrating (though it is getting better, slowly), real world usage does look much better than that, as the icons are centred rather than placed on a baseline. http://i.imgur.com/CYUVTw8.png

That being said, I do think that rounded squares are an important part of iOS's design and that style icon is associated with iOS, so I don't think it should be changed.

Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#38

Post by runjake »

czhiddy wrote: post #17
tathagata wrote: post #7

The icon backgrounds now look largely redundant. Apple could have done better by getting rid of the backgrounds altogether like Android.

The completely arbitrary icon sizes look absolutely terrible on Android, IMO : http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/nexu...

They don't look anything like the messy image you posted at all.

Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#39

Post by pagliara »

jwwest wrote: post #21

> or remove useless buttons like the calculator and timer buttons Pure opinion here. Personally I use the calculator a lot on my phone, and love having a quick way to access it. The timer icon is actually the clock app, I got confused by the icon too. After playing around with the Beta for a while, I can say that the design doesn't make sense until you actually use it. Give it some time.

Just started playing with the beta and I have to agree, it is something you must experience to judge accurately. Using iOS 7 feels good. There will definitely be refinements to come, but I think it's a huge step in the right direction. The stock apps, especially the App Store app, feel much nicer to use.

Although I have to agree with the OP about the app icons. I just don't think they look that nice.

Re: iOS 7's Design is Confused

#40

Post by interg12 »

andrewmunsell wrote: post #2

Don't get me wrong-- I like change, and the direction Apple is headed in with some of the UI changes (the calendar) look fine, but there are still a few problems with iOS 7 that make it look a little bit amateurish in some areas.

What's confusing about crowded speech bubbles?
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