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Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

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Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#751

Post by pndy »

data-ottawa wrote: post #586
pndy wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This whole flat style fever which doesn't distinguish between active elements and informative text allowed to spread darkpattern tactics which lead to deploying adverse or even harmful changes for users. It also contributed to nullifying customisation under linux - looking exactly at you adwaita. My age shows here as well and I'm not in any way excited about this design change at all. Suddenly Apple decided that this…

I was initially excited as on paper it sounds like a fantastic throwback to the Aqua design, which I still think was fantastic. From the preview so far I'm not excited. I have to say app icons look nice (the borders make them pop just a bit more), the border highlights are clear without being loud, and elements like the dock look nice. The inactive button states actually look great – as shown in the Camera and Faceti…

Someone installed beta and posted a screenshot down below somewhere; control center with these glass buttons over a colorful springboard icons grid turns interface into a visual mess.

I wonder if they manage to change anything or tweaks, polishing (sic!) will happen over next or two iOS releases.

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#752

Post by 9dev »

pcurve wrote: post #472
captainmuon wrote: post #98

We have these brilliant high resolution displays, and these powerful, energy efficient GPUs that are always running and compositing frames like a game engine 120 times a second. It's about time we start seeing more physicality in our user interfaces! We can make things look convincingly like glass, or metal, or even materials that don't exist in reality. One reason for flat design is because it was the lowest common…

I don't mind physicality, but not glass. Please. There are reasons why most controls are NOT made of glass in real life.

There are myriads of glass controls around you, just pay attention to it. From car interiors to elevator buttons, it's there.

Glas actually makes sense, given its an extension of the device's hull.

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#753

Post by idk1 »

dimal wrote: post #148

Oh no. It looks like every button and menu is now a translucent layer, so that any noise from the background shows through and muddles the text. This seems like an accessibility nightmare. Translucent layers generally make software unusable for me. In the video, I saw several instances that would be really really bad for me, where I’d be straining to understand the text. Looks really cool and futuristic though. Just…

There is, they outline it in this video. It looks like there are three ways to turn it off: high contrast, reduced motion, and frostier glass. So it looks like there's just a way to have a full basic icon with just the icon and the outline and a white background.

https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/219/

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#754

Post by pndy »

appleiigs wrote: post #444

It's button camouflage. My 82 year old mother has enough trouble figuring out what is a button vs. what's not. She just taps everything on screen to find out. This is going to make it worse.

Guess this is universal because mine does the same. Perhaps it's a frustration that screen doesn't responds in same way as e.g. a remote control where there's a physical press. Sure there can be a haptic feedback on phone but it's not the same. Especially for older people.

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#755

Post by CactusRocket »

nlarew wrote: post #275
cosmotic wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because we can doesn't mean we should. Using this new design language as an example, things are now harder to read, identify, and understand. That's a huge loss to productivity and ease of use.

> things are now harder to read, identify, and understand What makes you think that? Do you have a specific example from the keynote in mind? There must be something since you've never actually used this design system yourself. Or is this just your pre-judgement?

See this from another comment in the thread https://imgur.com/a/6ZTCStC

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#756

Post by thinkingemote »

ricokatayama wrote: post #141

When Apple introduced the whole skeuomorphic analogy, they did it because they needed to make a new way of interacting with touch-based apps feel tangible. That seemed totally fair. When Apple brought a spatial analogy to the Vision Pro, it also felt fair they were thinking in terms of volume and dimensions, after all, they were teaching people how to interact with a new reality. I can even understand Apple wanting t…

It's probably to train the users for augmented reality UI. We will probably all see some kind of floating transparent user interface over a camera background. That the "liquid" transparency is dynamic and can change depending on the thing underneath and the thing being shown seems to directly point to this.

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#757

Post by adastra22 »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #190
dimal wrote: post #148

Oh no. It looks like every button and menu is now a translucent layer, so that any noise from the background shows through and muddles the text. This seems like an accessibility nightmare. Translucent layers generally make software unusable for me. In the video, I saw several instances that would be really really bad for me, where I’d be straining to understand the text. Looks really cool and futuristic though. Just…

I’d bet there’s a toggle that dramatically increases opacity or eliminates transparency entirely while keeping the shading and gloss. If it exists I’m sure it’ll be popular.

I hope it removes the shading and gloss too. Literally nothing in this design update is an improvement to accessibility.

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#758

Post by 2d8a875f-39a2-4 »

gherkinnn wrote: post #48

https://www.lux.camera/physicality-the-new-age-of-ui/ This blog's prediction got remarkably close. I've been a sucker for glass UI since the first Longhorn (later Vista) screenshots.

I mean, that just blog sums up the whole attitude issue here.

"It’s an exciting time to be a designer on iOS. My professional universe is trembling and rumbling with a deep sense of mystery."

This person is excited that their job designing iOS apps will be more interesting (and the prospect of plenty of work in the pipeline doesn't hurt either).

Fuck the end users who need to adapt to this needless change, suffer newly slow devices or invest in new ones, and put up with a hodge-podge of different UIs. Fuck the orgs who need to fund all this rework if they want their app on new devices. Fuck the waste of energy spent in the extra client-side cycles rendering all the needless new bling.

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#759

Post by ilt »

kej wrote: post #54

This feels suspiciously like the goals of Microsoft's "Metro" design from the Windows 8 era. It will be interesting to see if Apple can do a better job of keeping the same design without damaging the desktop experience than Microsoft did.

Metro never had this much transparency ingrained in the UX - and where it had, it was tastefully done with no/minimal accessibility concerns - doesn't seem like a valid comparison. Windows 8, especially 8.1 was a very pretty piece of software, the whole gesture- and card-based interface fiasco ruined its good name.

Re: Apple introduces a universal design across platforms

#760

Post by thinkingemote »

anotherhue wrote: post #88

Why, why, why, do all the Apple announcements have the exact same ASIMO stiff hand gestures? Hostage videos have more fluidity.

They undergo intensive training for weeks before. Scripted, rehearsed, perfected, trained. I've witnessed it. There's not much space for natural expression in these talks. Everything is choreographed. Where to walk, look up, wave hand, smile etc all planned!

The stiffness is because the presenter is mainly a techie, developer or manager and not a natural performer. Their bodies are resisting the conformity by conforming to the letter but not the spirit.

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